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Photographs: Nature

Emerging Tulip

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Emerging Tulip
A blossoming pink tulip against a background of tulip greenery.

Emerging Tulip. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A blossoming pink tulip against a background of tulip greenery.

Today I’m taking a detour away from the recent and extensive series of photographs from Death Valley and heading about as far in another direction as possible! This is the first of a small group of photographs that I made on a recent morning when I accompanied Patty (our resident photographer of flowers and other small things) to a Bay Area garden where tulips and many other springtime things were sprouting. It is a bit of an odd spring here — it follows over two months of almost no rain, which is extremely rare for this season in Central California, and it feels like the peak spring season is going to be abbreviated.

This garden, in San Mateo County south of San Francisco, features formal plantings over and extensive area. From late winter through spring it seems like one thing after another comes into form here, and on this visit the tulips were the main show. Most of them are intensely colorful and growing in large groups, but I decided to try to focus on some of the less intensely colorful flowers and to set them against the background of green stems and leaves.

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Twisting Canyon

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Twisting Canyon
Canyon narrows twist through mountains of Death Valley National Park.

Twisting Canyon. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Canyon narrows twist through mountains of Death Valley National Park.

Near the end of March we spent an afternoon hiking up this narrow desert canyon in a somewhat remote location in Death Valley National Park. Our plan was to be in its narrows, of which there are several, at a point in the afternoon when there was still plenty of light reflecting down from above… but not so much direct light from the midday sun. So we hiked directly up the canyon without making too many stops, passing right through the narrows without stopping. We took a break, unpacked photographic equipment, and reentered the canyon to begin our return hike, which would be much slower as we stopped to photograph.

In this section the narrow canyons walls were not only close together, but they also twist and turn quite a bit. The wash at the bottom of the canyon here follows a rather zigzag path, perhaps following some ancient weaknesses in the rock. Here there were also more large rocks on the canyon floor than I typically see in these narrow sections — my assumption is that the water, diverted by this winding path though the twisting section, may be a bit more likely to drop its load of rocks and gravel here.

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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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

Beneath The Overhang

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Beneath The Overhang
High overhanging walls of a narrow desert canyon, Death Valley National Park.

Beneath The Overhang. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

High overhanging walls of a narrow desert canyon, Death Valley National Park.

This is a remarkable spot in a lovely desert canyon in Death Valley National Park. After hiking up a wash for some distance and navigating around a minor impediment, the path suddenly enters the “narrows” — sections of the canyon with very high walls only feet apart where little light manages to find its way down from above. Entering the soft light, shades, and quiet of these places is always a special experience.

I have presented almost all of my photographs from my recent pair of visits to the park as color photographs. It is hard to forego color with these subjects, given the remarkable variations in the color of the landscape and the light in the desert. But here I felt that a black and white rendition made sense and suggested those characteristic feelings from being in this deep canyon.

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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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

Dunes, Evening Sky

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Dunes, Evening Sky
Evening sky above trackless sand dunes, Death Valley National Park.

Dunes, Evening Sky. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Evening sky above trackless sand dunes, Death Valley National Park.

On our late-March to these sand dunes we arrived late in the day under sky that was starting to fill with high clouds in the west. At times the clouds were thick enough to block the light and lower the contrast to an extent that seemed “beyond subtle.” But as the clouds moved thinner areas passed in front of the sun, and this was enough to give the light at least a bit of directionality. In clearer skies, the sand here would have been extremely bright, and the background sky with thin clouds would have appeared much darker.

In the end, I came away with some files that held enough contrast to work with in post, where I could focus attention on the variations in light and color on the curved dunes. By moving close to the base of the dunes I was able to angle the camera upwards and eliminate everything from the background except for the sky.

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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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