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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Salt Flats to Mountain Peaks

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Salt Flats to Mountain Peaks, Death Valley
“Salt Flats to Mountain Peaks” — Snow-covered Telescope and Rogers Peaks and the Panamint Mountains tower above Death Valley salt flats in morning shadows

It still seems odd to find water flowing here, but out on the salt flats of Death Valley it does flow at all times of the year. It is extremely shallow and it moves very slowly — but the amount of moisture out there is still impressive. Hint: don’t walk on these flats — you aren’t going to enjoy the thick mud on your shoes, the sensation of sinking into it, or the tracks you leave behind.

These mountains face the rising sun, so I was out there before sunrise, getting set up and framing some compositions so that I could work rapidly as the sun arrived. It comes quickly, and it is only minutes from the first light on the high, snow-covered peaks until the line of light starts to creep across the flats. This isn’t the lowest spot in the valley, though it is below sea level. The highest of those distant peaks is over 11,000 feet tall.

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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Germany, Photographs: Travel

Pfarrkirche St. Anna

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Pfarrkirche St. Anna, Munich
“Pfarrkirche St. Anna” — Pfarrkirche St. Anna (St. Anna parish church), Munich

We would never have come across this fascinating church if we hadn’t gone out for a walk with Patty’s virtual-German brother and his wife during our December visit to Munich. (they are Americans who have lived and worked in Germany for decades.) They took us on a long, looping walk through some neighborhoods that aren’t exactly tourist hotspots. I liked the juxtaposition of the winter-bare tree and the architecture of the church.

I’m all for visiting the important, popular spots in cities like this when traveling. But we also really like to just get out and walk and discover things on our own. That might not be the best approach if your time is extremely limited, but if you have a bit more flexibility it pays dividends. (By the way, as near as I can tell, the term pfarrkirche more or less means a “parish church” in this context.)

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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Zabriskie Before Sunrise

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Zabriskie Before Sunrise,Death Valley
“Zabriskie Before Sunrise” — Badlands terrain, distant Panamint Mountains, and Rogers Peak.

I made this photograph right around sunrise. A half hour earlier I had abruptly aborted my drive to a different locationi when I thought I saw some promising clouds in the pre-dawn dusk. I thought that they might produce something exceptional at sunrise. My hunch was wrong — it was a lovely morning at Zabriskie, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary. But since I was there I went ahead and photographed, including this image that includes the short and long views.

As I was standing there waiting for the right light, some women asked about that snow-covered peak. I said it was Telescope Peak, then realized my error — Telescope is hidden behind the dark foreground ridge, and the high point visible here is actually Rogers Peak, a lower summit near Telescope. One of the remarkable things about Death Valley National Park is the range of climates it encompasses. We can stand in an arid desert location like this one and look up to snow-covered alpine peaks.

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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.