Tag Archives: winter

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Desert Mountains, Sunrise

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Desert Mountains, Sunrise
“Desert Mountains, Sunrise” — Winter sunrise clouds above Death Valley National Park desert mountains.

The mountains of Death Valley National Park have a very different quality than the familiar desert landscapes of the lowlands. They are often quiet, lonely places. In the winter they can be cold, with snow on the highest peaks. We arrived at this spot high in the Panamint Mountains well before sunrise and then stuck around to photograph as the light transitioned from intense dawn colors to something a bit subtler.

One feature of Death Valley that is unusual among the national parks is its history of prospecting and mining. It is not unusual to find the remnants of those endeavors in surprising and rugged places. If you look very closely at this photograph (you may need to click to enlarge it) you may spot some evidence of this history.

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Three Trees and Pasture

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Three Trees and Pasture
“Three Trees and Pasture” — Three dormant trees in a newly-green Central Valley pasture.

A band of photographers and friends has met in a semi-wild place every New Year’s Day for about a decade. We get join welcome tothe new year, share stories, and photograph birds and the landscape. Until this year we had a streak of good weather New Year’s Days, but we were due for bad weather — and we got it! It wasn’t exactly horrible, but it was rather wet and gray… except for a few moments when the clouds parted enough to allow some light.

These three bare trees are old friends of mine. I’ve visited and photographed them for years. This time I was intrigued by the light on more distant trees, the ominous skies, and the newly green pasture. That winter green is a characteristic of much of California. it must almost seem to those from other places that our seasons are backwards — brown and dry in the summer and lush and green in the middle of winter.

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Winter Desert Sky

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Winter Desert Sky
“Winter Desert Sky” — Evening clouds fill the winter sky above Death Valley.

We were in Death Valley just before Christmas 2025. Winter weather there is often beautiful, but it can change rapidly and difficult conditions are also possible — dust storms, rain, and even cold! This was one of those days. We woke up to gray skies and a forecast of rain arriving later that day. We had almost given up on our primary photographic objectives when we looked up and saw light on nearby peaks! There was apparently a brief break in the incoming clouds.

We sprang into action, heading out immediately and stopping at the first opportunity to photograph light on nearby peaks. We saw that it was even clearer to the north, so off we went in that direction. There the enormous desert sky was broken by cloud patterns as the last light gently lit distant mountains.

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Panamint Sunrise, Lake Manly

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“Panamint Sunrise, Lake Manly” — The winter solstice sunrise illuminates the Panamint Mountains, reflected in the surface of Lake Manly.

We were in Death Valley National Park just before Christmas, arriving the afternoon before the winter solstice and departing on Christmas Eve Day. There are lots of reasons to visit this landscape in the winter, including the reappearance of Lake Manly for the second time this year. In prehistoric times this Lake was much larger and deeper, but in wet years a remnant appears, and shallow water spreads across the lowest part of the valley.

We headed to the shoreline before dawn on the solstice, not quite sure what we would find. (We had arrived too late to scout it the previous evening.) My first choice location wasn’t available due to a road closure, so we quickly readjusted and made our way to the edge of the water. From here we photographed the landscape and its reflections as the first light came to the Panamint Mountains across the valley.

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.