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Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Redwood National & State Parks

Clouds Above The Pacific

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Clouds Over The Pacific
Clouds cast shadows on the Pacific Ocean, as seen from the mountains of Redwood National Park

Clouds Above The Pacific. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Clouds cast shadows on the Pacific Ocean, as seen from the mountains of Redwood National Park.

While this obviously doesn’t look like the typical Redwood National and State Parks photograph… that is, indeed, where it comes from. We spent a week in the coastal areas of Northern California in early June, mostly in and around these parks and mostly looking for photographs of the redwood forests and the rhododendron bloom. We had headed up one road to a popular grove where we thought we might fine the flowers in bloom among the trees, but this road also leads to other interesting places, including some open, ridge top “prairie” lands and other locations providing distant views that are quite different from what you find inside the forest.

This photograph is an illustration of something that often surprises folks when they consider landscape, namely that a lot of it does not come from careful planning and slow, methodical work, but rather by being in the right place at the right moment and being ready to respond quickly to rapidly changing conditions. When we went up this road and even when we pulled over at this spot, I would be lying if I claimed that I pre-visualized this subject or this scene. But once I saw it — big, back-lit clouds floating past and casting shadows on the reflective surface of the sea beyond the undulating, tree-covered foreground ridge — I worked quickly to make a few photographs as the scene evolved. And did it evolved quickly! Only moments later these clouds had almost entirely dissipated.

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 and Amazon.

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Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

A Paris Corner

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A Paris Corner
A scene in a corner where two buildings meet along a Paris sidewalk

A Paris Corner. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A scene in a corner where two buildings meet along a Paris sidewalk.

No big Europe trip for us this summer — we’re staying much closer to home this time around. But last summer we spent close to seven weeks traveling, almost all of it in the UK and Europe. We spent the largest portion of the time in France, between a return to Paris, a week with family at a more rural location, and a final extremely brief pass through Paris on our way to flying back home.

During our Paris visit we stayed right on the edge of Le Marais this time. The hotel wasn’t anything special — a tiny place crammed between other buildings — but the location was excellent for us. As some of you may guess, we were within easy walking distance of pre-fire Notre Dame, the Left Bank, the Siene (obviously), museums, lots of places to eat (but of course, it is Paris!) and Le Marais itself. The latter is a wonderful area that was not rebuilt as part of the Parisian efforts to modernize the city, so there are many very narrow streets and lots of old buildings, especially once you get away from the most popular areas. There are little gems to be found almost everywhere, including the fun street art that is found all over the place.

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 and Amazon.

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

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

Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Rhododendron Blooms, Redwood Bark

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Rhododendron Blooms, Redwood Bark
Spring rhododendron blooms against the bark of a coast redwood tree, Redwood National Park

Rhododendron Blooms, Redwood Bark. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring rhodendron blooms against the bark of a coast redwood tree, Redwood National Park.

We spent the better part of a week in far Northern California in early June, and a major goal was to spend time in the area of the Redwood National and State Parks. This late-spring period usually marks the peak of the rhododendron bloom, and it can also provide a weather bonus comprised of less rain and more fog. We got the “less rain” part (none at all!) but we missed out almost entirely on the “more fog” part. I seem to have a special knack for chasing away redwood fog, at least in this part of the state. So far I’ve seen a total of about five minutes of fog… while everyone else seems to encounter it regularly!

That rumored fog provides a photographic advantages. The fog can render the already monumental and cathedral-like redwood forests even more mysterious. It can simplify the complex and busy forest scenes by muting more distant elements. It eliminates the “pizza light” contrasts between deep shadows and spots of sunlight, allowing more hours of photography. And when the fog is clearing or thin, beautiful and muted light can create a magical effect. I’ve seen all of this — but just not in this region! On the plus side, the rhododendron bloom was spectacular, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. (There is often debate about when to expect the bloom. I can report that one week into June it was still going strong and even increasing in many places.)

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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

Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

J’Existe

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Detail of wall with sticker-covered pipe, Le Marais, Paris

J’Existe. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Detail of wall with sticker-covered pipe, Le Marais, Paris.

For those who wonder, the title of the photograph comes from the small sticker attached near the upper end of the pipe near the middle of the frame. Once I noticed this one I started seeing them in other places in Paris… and in photographs I had made without seeing them!

I made the photograph on a walk through Le Marais, an older section of Paris that still has narrow streets and lots of rather old buildings. We were staying not far from here, and having visiting this area in the past I wanted to go back. With the narrow streets — barely wide enough for a single vehicle, with sidewalks that are barely wide enough for one person — photographing here can be a bit of a “cramped” affair, especially when shooting the buildings straight on. But the architecture is often quite interesting (if nearly monochromatic) with very old structures, some leaning at “interesting” angles. This little vignette caught my attention with its interesting geometry build out of lines and rectangles — and I was intrigued by the fact that the numerous stickers covered the pipe… but had politely been left off of the walls.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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