Images

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

Desert Wash and Mountains, Evening

Image September 4, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Cloudy evening light on Mountains, Death Valley, and a desert wash

When people ask for advice about how to photograph Death Valley, one thing I tell them is to think a lot about the relationships between the landscape and light throughout the day. Many features align along a generally north-south line, so you can figure out fairly quickly when a location may be in direct sun or produce dramatic shadows. (I also suggest heading into narrow canyons when the sun gets a bit higher in the sky — here the higher sun position may send welcome light into their depths, which can otherwise be a bit murky sometimes.

I made this photograph late in the day after emerging from one of those canyons near the top of a large wash. The wash and the nearby hill face to the west and, as you can see, receive that late afternoon light — at least until the sun dips behind the mountain range on the other side of the valley.

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

Photographs: Southern California, Photographs: Urban/Street

Woman on Sunny Bench

Image September 3, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A woman sits on a sunny bench in winter light, Pasadena

We were in Southern California for a family event, staying in Pasadena and filling the open time with various activities — visiting other family members, looking for good places to eat, driving around, hitting a few sights, and walking around in several local communities including Pasadena.

To this Northern California native, there is something a bit strange about Southern California winter, or at least the experiences I have had with it. In my part of the state a typical winter day might be sunny or possibly rainy, with cool to cold nighttime temperatures and cool to moderate daytime temperatures. A truly warm day is a rarity, though there may be some warm hours on a day that is overall cool. But when we travel to Southern California at this time of year we often encounter weather that is actually hot. We did so on this trip, and as we walked along a Pasadena street I made this photograph of a woman in warm weather attire sitting on a bench and soaking up the sunshine… on January 6th.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Alpine Meadow and Lake, Sierra Crest

Image September 2, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The Sierra Nevada crest beyond an alpine meadow and lake

A short walk from our backcountry camp was a higher meadow that we visited almost every day, morning and/or evening. In this unusually wet year the meadow was green and full of wildflower, with water running strongly in the creek and the areas around the tarn muddy with standing run-off.

The meadow and its flowers were the first attractions of this spot, but the more I visited it and watched the light on the higher peaks, the more they came to fascinate me. The central peak in the photograph stands apart from the main ridge, and for this reason it picks up direct sun from morning until evening. I made this photograph in the evening, when the direct light had already left the meadow (shadowed by a nearby ridge) and remnant thunder-storm clouds filled the sky.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Snow Goose Variations

Image September 1, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A group of snow geese exhibiting variations in coloration

Upon a first experience with these birds they seem to be nearly identical in every way — the initial impression is of white birds (with a pattern of black wing markings when in flight) and a certain uniformity of their calls. Surprisingly, perhaps, I was first alerted to the differences by a friend who has learned to detect the type of flock by subtleties in their cries. I hadn’t noticed, but once he pointed it out I started to pay a lot more attention… and I can hear this, too.

I soon realized that there is more than one type of “white goose,” and I began to consult various guides to understand how to identify them. Some of the cues are pretty obvious once you learn about them, but the guides also reveal that things are not as regular as you might think. For example, the supposedly white types of geese are most certainly not always white! The birds in this photograph are all the same type… but there is actually quite a range in coloration.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Images

Desert Wash and Mountains, Evening

Woman on Sunny Bench

Alpine Meadow and Lake, Sierra Crest

Snow Goose Variations

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.