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

Wading Lake Manly

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Wading Lake Manly
“Wading Lake Manly” — A person wades in the shallow water of Lake Manly, with early morning Death Valley mountains reflected in the water.

Even after photographing for decades, I’m still often astonished by how the presence of a small human figure can crystallize and focus a scene. (To understand this, use your finger to cover the person and note how different the photograph feels.) I’m not sure if it is simply due to adding a focal point or something about how our brains respond to the presence of other people.

Since I was photographing the reflections of the Panamint Mountains in Lake Manly, at first I was mildly annoyed that this person was wandering around in the scene. However, I was able to shoot around her with little difficulty — and after a while I realized that she could be the central element of a photograph suggesting our relationship to this desert landscape.

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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.

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CHOOSING 2025 FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHS: PROGRESS

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Well, I’m getting closer to a determining the finalists for inclusion in my list of favorite 2025 photographs. I’m now down to two dozen, though I’d like to cut the number in half if possible… or at least get it down to 15 or 16.

2025 Favorite Photographs — Third Cut
2025 Favorite Photographs — Third Cut

As the number of remaining photographs gets smaller, the decisions become harder! I like all of these, and it is hard to take any of them out of the list — but that’s what I’m going to have to do!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this almost-final set.

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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

Peaks and Clearing Storm

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Peaks and Clearing Storm
“Peaks and Clearing Storm” — Rain clouds move to the east and sunshine lights desert peaks, Death Valley National Park.

We almost came home early from our recent visit to Death Valley National Park. A significant rainstorm was forecast overnight, and the daytime light was already mostly gray. We decided to stay — after all, we had already paid for our accommodations. We visited a few interesting places in the poor light, and were about to visit one more location and photograph sprouting plants in the soft light. But suddenly and with little warning the sun came out! We changed plans and went looking for subjects in this light, backed by the dark, departing clouds.

The light seemed like it would be transient — after all, the forecast was still for rain. So we took advantage of the first light we saw, and I first set up my tripod literally in front of our lodgings. The light was very beautiful, and not just because it was such a surprise. This late day light was warmer in color, and it contrasted with a dramatic backdrop of darker clouds.

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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.

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Choosing 2025 Favorite Photographs: The Process

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It almost seems a requirement that photographers share a set of our “best” or “favorite” work at the end of the year. I’ve been doing this just about every year for the past two decades. (I prefer the term “favorite” over “best,” since the latter is such a subjective concept.)

I think there’s value in reviewing one’s work from the past year. We get caught up in what we are doing right now, and it is easy to lose track of the bigger picture. As I review photographs I also enjoy recalling the experiences behind them — the places I visited, the people I was with, the things I’ve seen.

2025 Favorite Photographs — First Cut
2025 Favorite Photographs — First Cut

At the same time, it isn’t an easy task! I start by reviewing all 365 photographs that I posted in 2025. (Some were “taken” earlier but not released until this year.) From that starting point I do a quick select of those that I think are most interesting to me. This year that left me with the 91 photographs seen above!

That is, of course, way too many to share as annual favorites, so the culling work continues. I group photographs by subjects and then try to pick the most interesting (to me!) in each category. In some categories I may winnow them down to just a couple, but in others I’m still looking at a half dozen or more photographs. It is hard to choose — I like them all!

This morning I cut the number approximately in half, and there are now “only” 44 photographs remaining, as shown below.

2025 Favorite Photographs — Second Cut
2025 Favorite Photographs — Second Cut

I expect that I’ll need to do at least two more cuts to determine which photographs are in the final set of 12-15. But the process only becomes more difficult as the group shrinks — it is harder and harder to give up the “near favorites.” By the end, it almost feels brutal as I ponder the last few eliminations.

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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.