gdanmitchell

gdanmitchell, 18 days ago to Barcelona

“Blue Column, Sagrada Familia” — A blue column lit by early evening light passing through colored glass windows, Sagrada Familia, Barcelona.

We visited the Gaudi-designed Sagrada Família in Barcelona last summer. The place was so visually striking that I honestly haven’t quite known what to do with the photographs, but I started digging into them recently. We are familiar with photographs of the remarkable exterior of the structure, but the interior is anrguably even more amazing. The amount of detail is nearly incomprehensible, and it is profoundly affected by the light coming through myriad stained glass windows and moving across its features…continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2024/05/05/blue-column-sagrada-familia/

#sagradafamilia #barcelona #spain #church #architecture #travel #photography

gdanmitchell, 2 months ago to nature

“Winter Wetlands, Clearing Fog” — Winter tule fog clears and the sun begins to shine on Central Valley wetlands.

This “quiet photograph” of winter wetlands, clearing fog, and bits of sparse vegetation is as evocative of the experience of such places as those featuring flocks of birds and winter sunrises and sunsets. The latter are remarkable and compelling features of this landscape largely because they are exceptional. Most of the time these places are quiet and still, and never more so than on a foggy morning…continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2024/03/05/winter-wetlands-clearing-fog/

#wetlands #fog #centralvalley #morning #nature #landscape #california #photography

gdanmitchell, 3 months ago to milano

“Souvenir Shoppers, Milan” — Tourists pack a small souvenir shop near the Milan Duomo.

One of the “problems” with a long trip — at least for this photographer — is that I come back with so many photographs that it takes quite a whileto go through all of them. I made more than 5000 exposures on a 10-week visit to (mostly) Southern Europe last summer. While I’ve viewed all of them at least once, there’s still a lot of work to do when it comes to evaluating and post-processing. That’s my way of saying, “More still to come!”…continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2024/02/20/souvenir-shoppers-milan/

#milano #italy #travel #streetphotography #urban #monochrome #blackandwhite #europe #photography

gdanmitchell, 3 months ago to Birds

“Sandhill Cranes, Wetland Pond” — A small group of lesser sandhill cranes stands in the shallow water of a wetland pond.

Sandhill cranes were the main reason that I went to the Central Valley on this winter morning. My plan was to be there before dawn — and I was! — so that I could photograph them taking flight in luminous fog at sunrise. But the fog over-achieved, and was so thick at sunrise that the birds weren’t visible at all. At that point the fog itself become my dawn subject…continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2024/02/17/sandhill-cranes-wetland-pond/

#sandhillcranes #birds #wildlife #wildlifephotography #nature #naturephotography #wetlands #centralvalley #photography

gdanmitchell, 3 months ago to nature

“Levee Road, Tree, and Fog” — Thick morning tule fog obscures the view past a tree on a gravel levee road.

This unassuming photograph of a rural levee road, tree, and fog in California’s Central Valley encapsulates the feeling of winter in this place for me. If you know the area or one like it, perhaps you can fill in the sound of bird calls, feel the cool and damp air, remember the unhurried feeling of moving along such a road early in the morning. I go here to photograph birds, but always end up focusing on the landscape, too…continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2024/02/10/levee-road-tree-and-fog/

#tree #fog #winter #road #centralvalley #nature #landscape #photography

gdanmitchell, 3 months ago to Halloween

“Leaves Trace” — The trace of a departed autumn leaf on a concrete sidewalk.

I walk a lot, and I always carry a camera. At a minimum I have my smart phone, but most of the time I have a “real” camera in my bag. I don’t always photograph on walks, but from time to time I spot something that interests me. This was one of those times. Recent rains had leached the colors out of fallen leaves, staining the sidewalk with their autumn traces…continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2024/02/08/leaves-trace/

#leavesoffall #leavenotrace #autumn #leaves #nature #urban #photography

gdanmitchell, 3 months ago to wildlife

“European Starling” — A European Starling perched in the brush on a foggy Central Valley day.

You may already know this, but I’m not really the “birder” type. I love photographing birds, and by doing so I’ve learned more about them than I would otherwise know. But I have never had the same passion for identifying them or keeping track of which I’ve seen that characterize the birders I know. I’ve learned to understand their passion, but it is different than mine. Perhaps because I’m not that knowledgable about birds, I often get the joy of “discovering” a bird that turns out to be somewhat ordinary….continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2024/01/28/european-starling/

#wildlife #birds #starling #nature #photography

gdanmitchell, 3 months ago to nyc

“Autumn Chairs, Whitney Museum” — Colorful chairs and an autumn tree outside the New Whitney Museum, Manhattan.

As each season passes, the sensations of the previous season fade. But only a short time ago it was about colorful leaves falling from trees, crunching underfoot, and blowing along sidewalks and trails. I made this photograph as we passed the Whitney Museum at the end of a very long Manhattan walk in late November on one of those beautiful autumn days...continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2024/01/24/autumn-chairs-whitney-museum/

#whitneymuseum #Manhattan #NYC #urban #street #autumn #fall #travel #photography #color

gdanmitchell, 4 months ago to wildlife

“Ground Squirrel” — A ground squirrel perched on winter plants.

This time of year I head to the flatlands of the Central Valley, looking for migratory birds to photograph. But these are not the only critters I see. As I drive along backroads and levees and across pastures I see some distinctly less exotic animals such as ground squirrels. At one location they make their holes everywhere, including next to and under the gravel roadway. I’m used to watching them race away as a I approach. But not this one…continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2024/01/21/ground-squirrel/

#squirrel #mammal #wildlife #nature #photography

gdanmitchell, 4 months ago to nature

“Breaker” — Waves generated by a big Pacific Ocean storm break near the California coastline.

It is quite an experience to get up close and personal with huge storm surf like this — though having a very long lens and finding the right shooting location helps makes it safe. We headed to the coast south of San Francisco during California’s bout of giant waves between Christmas and New Year’s Day. At this location a peninsula juts out into the ocean between a beach and a bay. At the tip of this peninsula one is very close to the waves as they break and roll into that bay...continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2024/01/17/breaker/

#pacificocean #pacificcoast #waves #surf #storm #seascape #landscape #nature #travel #photography

gdanmitchell, 4 months ago to Portugal

“Overlooking the Douro” — The Duoro River winding through Porto, Portugal on a hazy afternoon.

You would be wrong if you thought that I had shared all of the photographs from our 2023 Europe travels! I came back with more than 5000 image files. I’ve traversed the full set a few times, and there are a lot more photographs there for me to finalize. This one comes from our stay in Porto, Portugal, on a warm late afternoon when a random walk took us past this viewpoint above the Duoro River, at a park where the locals were hanging out…continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2024/01/11/overlooking-the-duoro/

#portugal #porto #urban #travel #europe #photography

gdanmitchell, 4 months ago to Halloween

Autumn Tree, Brick Wall. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Brick wall and an autumn tree, The High Line, Manhattan.

Marry Christmas 2023! This is another photograph in the recent series from Manhattan’s High Line Park, where the subject of partially bare autumn trees juxtaposed with brick walls held my attention. We took a long walk on the High Line on a breezy November day, and we were impressed by the amount of fall color. In truth, there was almost as much as I find in some of the natural areas where I photograph...continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/12/25/autumn-tree-brick-wall/

#fall #autumn #nyc #manhattan #highline #nature #travel #photography

gdanmitchell, 5 months ago to nyc

Three Autumn Trees, Brick Wall. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Three white-trunk autumn trees in front of a brick wall at High Line Park, Manhattan.

On one of the days of our recent New York City trip we took a very long walk. We started at our hotel west of Central Park, roughly around the Natural History Museum, and headed south. Our first goal was the Hudson Yards complex, which we had not visited since it was under construction. Full of energy after a lunch stop there, we decided to keep going. We picked up the High Line Park walkway here and eventually ended up all the way down at the Whitney Museum...continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/12/17/three-autumn-trees-brick-wall/

#manhattan #NYC #newyorkcity #highline #trees #autumn #fall #travel #photography

gdanmitchell, 5 months ago to Halloween

Aspens in a Row. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A row of colorful autumn aspen trees against a backdrop of rugged rocks.

Along the base of this rocky face, which parallels the shoreline of a subalpine eastern Sierra lake, aspen trees try to grow with the classic tall and straight form. They almost succeed, but the rocky soil seems to hold them back, and while they are fairly straight they are not that tall. However, because they are in the shadow of a ridge yet open to the light on the other side, they pick up lovely soft and reflected light…continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/12/13/aspens-in-a-row/

#autumn #fall #aspens #nature #trees #Sierra #nature #landscape #photography

gdanmitchell, 5 months ago to italy

Three Windows, Florence. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Three windows with green shutters on a weathered wall in Florence, Italy

This is one of the most prevalent color combinations we saw in Italian towns this past summer — the variations on golden-brown (which can range from essentially tan to dark brown) and the green shutters. I’m sure that not all of the shutters are actually green, but on some days it seemed so. And while I’m listing the typical things, the distressed wall surface needs to be included, as that is very common, too...continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/12/12/three-windows-florence/

#florence #italy #travel #europe #architecture #windows #photography

gdanmitchell, 5 months ago to architecture

Columns and Shadows. © Copyright 2023 G D #a Mitchell.

Soft light on columns near Ingreja Da Graca, Lisbon.

This is perhaps not quite a typical Lisbon photograph, and it came about as a result of one of our semi-random walks — something that characterizes our travel. We, wandered downhill to a central square, crossed and began ascending, and eventually turned toward the hill topped by the St. George Castle. We climbed up to it, but decided not to join the tourist throng inside, preferring to wander around the periphery… and that led us to this nearby convent and church. (The full name is longer than what I’ve used here, by the way.)…continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/12/10/columns-and-shadows/

#architecture #Lisbon #portugal #travel #europe #photography

gdanmitchell, 5 months ago to random

Aspens, Peaks, and Evening Shadows I

"Aspens, Peaks, and Evening Shadows I" — Autumn aspen groves, lengthening early evening shadows, and snow-dusted peaks in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.

https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/12/09/aspens-peaks-and-evening-shadows-i/

gdanmitchell, 5 months ago to Halloween

Twisting Trunks. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A group of autumn aspen trees with twisting trunks

Dense, twisting little aspen trees are common in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. In our imagination, aspen groves are full of tall, strong trees that stretch on for great distances. Such things exist in the Sierra, generally on a small scale, but they are not the norm. More typical are these stunted, twisting trees — which in many ways are more interesting than those perfect tall trees...continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/12/08/twisting-trunks/

#aspens #fall #autumn #trees #Sierra #nature #landscape #photography

gdanmitchell, 5 months ago to Halloween

Aspen Slopes. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Autumn aspen trees rise from a valley toward the Sierra Nevada crest.

This little valley running along the base of the eastern slopes of the Sierra was on my agenda for this trip. But due to trying to squeeze in visits to numerous locations I couldn’t get to all of them in the perfect, soft, early and late day light. I arrived at this spot in the late afternoon, when the sun was backlighting these trees...continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/12/07/aspen-slopes/

#fall #autumn #sierra #aspens #nature #landscape #photography

gdanmitchell, 6 months ago to Halloween

Autumn Forest and Creek. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

An Eastern Sierra creek flows past a forest in full autumn color.

Perhaps because I wrote a book on the subject, people ask where the “best” autumn color is in the Sierra Nevada. I’m not really a subscriber to the “Best Thing” notions — that designation is often highly subjective, and there are other similar things that are as good or even better. This is certainly true when it comes to Sierra Nevada fall color. Is it the east side aspens? Should the cottonwoods be in the running? What about dogwoods, oaks, and maples on the west side? Do you like your trees as individual characters or as mass crowds. Do you like them tall and straight or short and bent? In other words, I cannot name a specific best place. But..continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/11/17/autumn-forest-and-creek-2/

#fall #autumn #nature #landscape #sierra #forest #photography

gdanmitchell, 6 months ago to nationalparks

√ How about a one-day up-and-back visit to Yosemite Valley’s fall color?

---

Autumn Light and Color. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Light through seasonal haze illuminates autumn trees in Yosemite Valley.

I have a few seasonal rituals, things I do and places I go every year. Visiting Yosemite Valley during its fall color season is high on the list. The Valley has color, but it comes later than the Eastern Sierra aspen transition. So I made one of my epic one-day up-and-back visits earlier this week. The plan: up hours before dawn, a four-hour drive to arrive just after sunrise, a few hours of morning photography, midday naps, more late-day photography… and then the four-hour drive back home again... continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/11/03/autumn-light-and-color/

#yosemite #nationalparks #fall #autumn #nature #landscape #photography

gdanmitchell, 6 months ago to Halloween

Aspen Quintet. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Five aspen trees inside a dense grove with autumn leaves.

I love wandering in dense aspen groves, especially the sort with small, twisty trees. They look like they should be easy to photograph — after all, they are filled with white trunks, the light filters through the colorful canopy, and underfoot there are leaves and all sorts of other goodies. But once I enter the grove, it inevitably turns out to be harder than expected to find the elusive ideal subjects and compositions. A bit of bright sky overwhelms the trees, a distracting branch or boulder enters the frame, the colors are lovely but can’t be corralled into a composition, the undergrowth is too thick to traverse...continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/10/31/aspen-quintet/

#fall #autumn #aspens #nature #landscape #photography

gdanmitchell, 6 months ago to random

Morning View of the Sierra Crest

"Morning View of the Sierra Crest" — Autumn view of Sierra Nevada crest peaks in the Yosemite region.

https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/10/28/morning-view-of-the-sierra-crest/

gdanmitchell, 6 months ago to norcal

High Desert Autumn Color. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A colorful grove of mixed trees in the high desert below the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada.

As the Eastern Sierra aspen color season progressed during October, the colors (to speak generally) work their way down from the highest groves to trees in the high desert, where they may appear alongside cottonwood trees, which themselves produce color even later in the season. On this morning I had finished photographing my sunrise location, but I didn’t want to stop just yet. So I decided to stretch the photography time as far into the later morning hours as possible and to do a bit of exploring at the same time. And this brought me back to this familiar grove in the high desert... continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/10/23/high-desert-autumn-color/

#Sierra #desert #aspens #cottonwoods #fall #autumn #color #landscape #nature #photography

gdanmitchell, 7 months ago to Halloween

Mono Shoreline, Autumn. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A spring morning along the shoreline of Mono Lake.

After all these years of visiting and photographing the Sierra Nevada, I start to think I know the place. Actually, I do for the most part. However, there is sol much there that it is impossible to really “know” all of it in a single lifetime. This fall’s two autumn-color visits to East Side reminded me of this. Although it happens regularly, I was surprised by the number of things I “discovered” for the first time in places that I thought I knew really well. I’ve shared a few of the resulting photographs recently, and now I add this one to the collection...continues: https://gdanmitchell.com/2023/10/22/mono-shoreline-autumn/

#monolake #fall #autumn #nature #landscape #photography