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2013-05-23 13:03:16 (5 comments, 3 reshares, 38 +1s)

"Trees on Granite Ridge." Yosemite National Park, California. May, 12, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Rugged trees growing along the top of a glaciated granite ridge, Yosemite National Park

I made this photograph on my first visit of the season to the Tioga Pass area of the Yosemite National Park high country. I managed to be there on the first and second open days. This was an unusual though perhaps not unprecedented sort of opening, in that there was a record low amount of snow in the Sierra as the warm season began, and this was the second of two back-to-back low-snowfall winters. This season was an odd one. I was in the Sierra back in early fall and it seemed like we might actually have an early and wet winter. Certainly things played out that way through the end of 2012 – but then the tap was shut off and there was preciouslitt... more »

2013-05-23 00:22:45 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 40 +1s)

"Red-Winged Blackbirds in Flight." San Joaquin Valley, California. November 25, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A large flock of red-winged blackbirds flushes from the brush and takes flight over the San Joaquin Valley, California

I first started traveling to and photographing these areas in the California Central Valley because I was looking for sandhill cranes. I quickly discovered the other large migratory birds, especially the geese. But as I go back more often I see more and more things that are worth photographing. On this visit I had a bit of midday time to kill so I decided to go look at a new (to me) nearby wildlife area... (continued: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2013/05/22/red-winged-blackbirds-in-flight)

#blackbird   #birds   #bif   #birdsinflight   #nature   #sanjoaquinvalley   #wildlife   #flock   ... more »

2013-05-22 00:51:12 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Yes, I am on Flickr and have been for quite a while: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdanmitchell/ - Since the "new" Flickr is a hot topic today, I though I'd weigh in briefly. 

First, I do like the look of the new interface. I was fine with the old one, but it was getting a bit long in the tooth. 

Second, the possibility of having a terabyte (!) of online storage for photographs is quite intriguing - though I'll wait to understand the full context of this before celebrating too loudly. 

Third, I wish that Flickr (and FB and G+ and...) would improve the interface for their profile photos so that we could really see what they would look like before posting them, especially now that interface elements block portions of the photos.

Fourth, I'm confused and not too thrilled by what I'm hearing about the various account option on the newFl... more »

2013-05-21 21:06:20 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

"...today, with cameras as pervasive as they are, there is no such thing really as professional photographers...." +Marissa Mayer, C.E.O. Yahoo!, May 20, 2013
http://screen.yahoo.com/yahoo-event-155000760.html

"Today, with web services as pervasive as they are, there is no such thing really as a reason to ever spend any money on Yahoo!'s services." +Mike Spinak, C.E.O., Naturography, May 21, 2013

2013-05-21 15:10:40 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 57 +1s)

"Dogwood Blossoms, Rushing Water." Yosemite National Park, California. May 3, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring dogwood blossoms on a branch above rushing water, Yosemite Valley, California

Continuing with this spring’s “dogwood blossoms over water” theme, here is another from my one-day dogwood photography foray to Yosemite Valley in early May. This photograph was made in an area where I made several others of more or less this subject, a spot where I was able to position myself so that dogwood blossoms in soft shadow light would appear against a background of darker water that was in even deeper shade... (continued: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2013/05/21/dogwood-blossoms-rushing-water)

#nature   #naturephotography   #tuesdayreflection   #water   #dogwood   #flowers   #flowerphotography   #yosemite   #y... more »

2013-05-20 13:17:22 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 45 +1s)

"Cottonwood, Fallen Monolith, and Cliff." Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah. October 29, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sunlight reflected from nearby canyon walls illuminates an autumn cottonwood tree in front of a fallen sandstone monolith and vertical cliff face.

... nearly a week later we found ourselves back in roughly the same area of Utah, and as we considered the next day’s possible shooting locations the idea of giving this spot a second try came up. After considering that alternatives of trying a new location or going back, we decided to go back. It was a good decision! Where the first visit had been cold, cloudy, windy and even a bit damp, the second visit brought warmer conditions, almost completely clear skies… and most important, nearly windless conditions. (At one point we were cautiously admitting toone an... more »

2013-05-19 13:48:03 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 54 +1s)

"Autumn Tree, Sandstone Strata." Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. October 7, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An autumn tree grows from a precarious crack in sandstone strata, Capitol Gorge

Here this small tree (perhaps a single-leaf ash?) seems to be doing OK in a very tiny crack in solid rock and a few feet up the canyon wall from the wash at the bottom. The pink color comes both from the rock itself and the light reflected down into the canyon, bouncing off of other rock faces high above... (continued: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2013/05/19/autumn-tree-sandstone-strata)

#capitolreefnationalpark   #desert   #utah   #landscape   #landscapephot   #nature   #naturephotography  

2013-05-18 11:41:51 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 49 +1s)

"Light, Red Rock Cliffs." Zion National Park, Utah. October 14, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

First morning light shines on plants along a red rock ridge at the base of a cliff-lined amphitheater in the Kolob Canyons area of Zion National Park

This photograph was made in the Kolob Canyon area of Zion National Park, a less-developed area of the park, accessed by a dead-end road and with virtually no services aside from a small ranger station near the entrance. Being a good distance from the main, popular destination of Zion Canyon, far fewer people seem to visit this area. We visited on a very cold fall morning, arriving well before the sun light had worked its way down into the canyons. (continued: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2013/05/18/first-light-red-rock-cliffs - after 5:00 AM PDT)

#utah   #zion   #zionnationalpark  #natio... more »

2013-05-18 03:19:05 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Point Reyes, perhaps?

2013-05-18 00:10:28 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

             Top 1000 most followed active
        photographers sharing content on G+
                  Circle One: A to J

This  is the first of two circles,  I'll share the second circle this weekend so that they're not so on top of each other.  The circles have been divided alphabetically to help give more exposure to people with fewer followers.

Please plus, comment and share.  This circle has no requirements for future participation but your support and encouragement is appreciated. 

It has been two weeks since I announced my intent to update my circle of the 500 most followed photographers on G+.  I decided to do things a bit differently this time and so I'll share the top 1000.   To build the circles and the list I enlisted the aid of +Bill Wood +GemmaCosta +Jen Baptist +Kat Scan and +Margaret Tompkins.  They built circles and vetted p... more »

2013-05-17 17:23:43 (3 comments, 3 reshares, 7 +1s)

2013-05-17 12:44:20 (2 comments, 3 reshares, 52 +1s)

"Creosote Shadows, Morning Tracks in Sand." Death Valley National Park, California. March 28, 2010. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A clump of creosote brush casts a morning shadow across tracks in the sand, Mesquite Dunes, Death Valley National Park

While reviewing some old raw files near the end of 2012, I went back to some Death Valley photographs made during the past few years. I came upon this photograph that I had more or less forgotten. I wonder if at the time I was distracted by other photographs that appealed to me more, or if I perhaps just wasn’t sure how to treat it at the time. In any case, it still surprises me – even though I should know better by now – that I find photographs that I like among images that I thought I had finished with several years ago!...(continu... more »

2013-05-17 01:48:58 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Passing it along...

2013-05-16 15:49:59 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

"Auto-enhance." Not.;-)

If you are a serious and careful photographer who works to make your photographs look exactly the way you want them to look - you will almost certainly not want Google Plus to "auto-enhance" them!

Turning this "feature" off isn't difficult - but you will need to take action to turn it off since it is enabled by default on the new G+.

(Non-photographer G+ users may like the effects on their images, so just as using auto-enhance is not for everyone, turning it off is not the right choice for everyone either. It is my understanding that auto-enhance does some of the same sorts of things that your in-camera jpg image styles might do: increase contrast, steepen curves, increase saturation, shift colors, etc.)

2013-05-16 15:35:35 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 4 +1s)

Some thoughts on a reader question about how to minimize gear for hiking.

2013-05-16 12:13:21 (7 comments, 3 reshares, 71 +1s)

"Dogwood Branch, Whirlpool." Yosemite National Park, California. May 3, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A gentle whirlpool on the surface of the Merced River behind a hanging dogwood branch with spring blossoms

I found a steep section of river bank not far from a bridge – and the bridge provided some shade and softer light on the water. This branch was hanging right down over the edge of the water, with a bit of bridge and tree shadow darkening the smooth water in this section of the Merced River. The main challenge with this subject is, perhaps surprisingly, the combination of the need for somewhat long exposures and the difficulty of getting perfectly breeze-free conditions right above the water... (continued: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2013/05/16/dogwood-branch-whirlpool)

#nature   #naturephotography   #trees  #flowerp... more »

2013-05-16 00:33:54 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

Man, I look away for a few hours and G+ goes off and double plusifies itself. I'll need a bit of time to figure all of this out.

So far, the idea that G+ will "enhance" my photos for me seems less than exciting. I turned that feature off, but if someone wants to convince me otherwise, I'll all ears.

I hear that the albums feature or some such has been improved a lot. Haven't looked yet, but that seems like a good thing and perhaps part of an expected evolution that began way back in the "Picasa era."

The two column thing doesn't thrill me, but I may get used to it after a while - though isn't that a feature that just sort of went away on Facebook? One little (literally) problem is that the screen area now remaining after all of the various menus and bars are displayed does not leave a whole lot of useful area for displaying content,... more »

2013-05-15 12:16:05 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 39 +1s)

"Early Evening Forest Light." Yosemite Valley, California. May 3, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Yosemite Valley forest in early evening light.

This is an “intimate landscape” photograph of an otherwise nondescript little scene that you could probably find repeated thousands of times in Yosemite and multiples of that throughout the Sierra. I saw it while wandering along a roadside trail in search of more dogwood blossoms in a spot where few are likely thinking much about the view, as it is located near an intersection that people might pass through as they exit the Valley... (continued: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2013/05/15/early-evening-forest-light)

#landscape   #landscapephotography   #nature   #naturephotography  +Landscape Photography  #nationalpark   #yosemite   #yosemitevalley   #yosemitenationalpark  #forest   #fores... more »

2013-05-14 18:32:28 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 24 +1s)

"Dogwood Flowers, Sunset Light." Yosemite Valley, California. May 3, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The flower-laden branches of a dogwood tree hang above the Merced River in sunset light

I have photographed the dogwood blossoms in this area plenty of times in the past, and at the right time there can be a lot of flowers here. This was one of those right times, since it seemed like an exceptional spring for production of dogwood blossoms. Initially I had my eyes on some trees on the north side of the road, but first I thought I’d wander east a bit. That turned out be a good direction to walk for several reasons – I unexpectedly ran into friends who were also photographing here, and I found one beautiful tree that was hanging its blooms out over the waters of the Merced River. I then headed back to the west, stopping to talk to otherfolks ... more »

2013-05-13 16:05:22 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

A reminder for fellow Sierra Nevada photographers and enthusiasts - there is a new Google Plus community for you: Sierra Nevada: Photographs from the Range of Light

And you are invited... ;-)

2013-05-13 15:58:43 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 29 +1s)

"Granite and Trees, Morning." Yosemite National Park, California. May 12, 2003. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light on granite slabs in the Yosemite high country.

These are the light, the rocks, the trees that bring me back to the Yosemite high country of the Sierra Nevada every year when Tioga Pass opens and which keep me coming back until the high country closes again in the fall. Tioga Pass opened for the season this past weekend, and that – plus the chance to see a show and visit with some friends in the Valley – was excuse for a quick visit. I try to go over the pass each season on the day it opens or shortly afterwards. For me, crossing that pass and starting down the road into Lee Vining Canyon marks the start of “summer,” even though the calendar still says it is spring...(continued... more »

2013-05-12 23:04:16 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

"Shoreline Trees and Mist." Tomales Bay, California. February 9, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Silhouettes of shoreline trees on a misty morning at Tomales Bay, California

This photograph was made along the shoreline of Tomales Bay, near Inverness, California and north of San Francisco very near to the Point Reyes National Seashore. I was there, in fact, to visit Point Reyes. As I passed through the Inverness area, the sun rose over the fog-shrouded hills of Marin County, and I decided to stop right there, short of my actual goal, and make some photographs in this interesting early morning light... (continued: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2013/05/12/shoreline-trees-and-mist)

#california   #landscape   #landscapephtography   #nature   #naturephotography   #sunrise  

2013-05-11 13:37:17 (1 comments, 6 reshares, 18 +1s)

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” - Isaac Asimov

2013-05-11 11:07:59 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 39 +1s)

"Cliffs, Morning Light." Zion National Park, Utah. October 22, 2012. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Immense cliffs in the Pine Creek Canyon area of Zion National Park.

... The previous day we had driven to St. George, Utah from the San Francisco Bay Area – a LONG drive – and finally stumbled into a motel in St. George close to midnight. (As I recall, the motel advertised something like “The Cheapest Rooms in St. George!”) Up in the morning for precisely the free breakfast that you might expect in such a place – I resisted and instead walked across the street to a Starbucks – we left early and headed into Zion. As I recall we did not spend much, if any, time in Zion Canyon, and we were soon heading up the Mount Carmel highway, still having made no photographs. Finally, as we turned a few switchbacks on the initial climb, we sawsome interestin... more »

2013-05-11 04:56:22 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Tioga Pass opens tomorrow. Happy dance. :-)

2013-05-11 03:46:05 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

I finally got around to starting a new Google Plus community dedicated to photographers and photography of California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. You are welcome to join the community: Sierra Nevada: Photographs From the Range of Light.

2013-05-10 13:03:42 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 36 +1s)

"Evening Forest, Yosemite Valley." Yosemite National Park, California. May 4, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early evening light filters through forest, Yosemite Valley, California.

I’m probably not alone in loving the early evening forest light, as the sun’s light filters horizontally between the trees just prior to dropping below the horizon or nearby ridges. As I wandered along looking for dogwood blooms, I passed a section where the forest thinned a bit beyond the nearest trees, and allowed a bit more light to hit the trees. I only had a few moments to make this photograph before the light ended... (continued: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2013/05/10/evening-forest-yosemite-valley)

#forest   #forestfriday   #forestphotography   #yosemitevalley   #yosemitenationalpark   #nationalparkphotography   #california  #nature   #nat... more »

2013-05-10 01:56:44 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

MUST have software for any photog selling his or her images: http://goo.gl/WdkDw

2013-05-10 01:47:13 (5 comments, 5 reshares, 49 +1s)

"Fog and Forested Ridges." Mount Tamalpais, California. February 2, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Winter fog envelops forested ridges near Mount Tamalpais on the Pacific coast north of San Francisco

I photographed this scene on an early February day when the atmosphere was especially murky north of San Francisco. I had traveled this way for the day with some very general ideas about photographic subjects, but once I got “there” quite a few of those ideas looked a lot less promising. I had initially thought about photographing inside the coastal redwood forest, but when I arrived at my intended location I found that everything was gray, gray, gray! The atmosphere was hazy and murky and high clouds blocked any interesting light from the sun. So figured I might try for something moody along the coast, but there I found the same verydiffic... more »

2013-05-08 15:32:31 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 7 +1s)

Ignore the dumb title of this link. It is 20 minutes I think you'll want to watch. You might even wish it were longer...

2013-05-08 12:10:33 (11 comments, 2 reshares, 75 +1s)

"Dogwood Flowers, Merced River." Yosemite National Park, California. May 4, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Flower-laden spring dogwood branches above the rushing water of the Merced River, Yosemite National Park.

It seems that everyone needs a photograph of white dogwood flowers and green leaves against the backdrop of the waters of the Merced River – and here is mine! I made this photograph on a one-day quick trip to the Valley timed to coincide with the peak of the dogwood blooms. This was a spectacular dogwood blossom season! I had heard reports of larger than usual numbers of the flowers, but I was still very surprised to see how thickly the flowers covered many, many trees. I’ve seen quite a few dogwood blooms in Yosemite Valley, and this had to rank among the most impressive...(conti... more »

2013-05-07 12:11:58 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 55 +1s)

"Lupine, Sierra Nevada." Yosemite National Park, California. May 4, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A thick patch of spring lupine flowers high in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Range, California.

... The area, burned twice in recent years, along the road as it descends toward the Valley is often a good place to find wildflowers. I wasn’t expecting too much in this drought year, and for the most part I was right – but at a turn-off we suddenly came upon a very large patch of beautiful lupines and stopped to photograph. I’m crazy about shooting into the light, so I got down low and photographed these flowers with the light coming from almost directly behind... (continued: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2013/05/07/lupine-sierra-nevada)

#lupines   #flowers   #flowerphotography   #wildflowers   #sierranevada  #sierranevadamou... more »

2013-05-06 12:24:16 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 47 +1s)

"Spring Torrent, Merced River." Yosemite National Park, California. May 3, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Rushing spring run-off flow and reflected evening colors, Merced River

... In the evening I ended up near Pohono Bridge, shooting dogwood trees and some photographs of early evening light filtering through the forest. As the light in the Valley faded, it become more difficult to photograph the nearby forest, but some sunset color lit the higher faces of the cliffs, and this colorful light reflected on the surface of the Merced River... (continued: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2013/05/06/spring-torrent-merced-river)

#mondayreflection   #yosemitenationalpark   #yosemitevalley   #yosemitephotography   #water   #landscape  +Landscape Photography  #landscapephotography   #nature   #naturephotography   #sierranevada ... more »

2013-05-05 14:11:05 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 54 +1s)

"Cliffs and Fog, Morning." Zion National Park, Utah. October 13, 2012. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Cliffs of Zion Canyon emerge from morning fog

... Aside from the much more colorful red rock here, the scene reminded me a lot of what I frequently see in Yosemite Valley during stormy weather. The timing was just right in relation to the clouds and the light. As the sun came up behind my camera position, the clouds had cleared over the center of the valley allowing the morning light to shine under the mist swirling around the upper cliff face, so while the highest ridge was still darkened by the clouds, the lower face was increasingly lit by the morning light as the clouds rose and began to clear away... (continued: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2013/05/05/cliffs-and-fog-morning)

#zionnationalpark   #fog   #mist   #clouds  #cloud... more »

2013-05-05 02:01:22 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 31 +1s)

I love that +G Dan Mitchell has put up with me all these years (37+ now!) even while he has to deal with me going crazy when I get restless legs, have a bad reed, stress over a concert or freak out over a messy house. (I'm sure he could add to that list!)

I also love that he is game to be goofy for me sometimes. 

Thanks, Dan! 

(This was so underexposed it's rather pathetic, but I did my best —while also trying to be quick about it— to lighten it up a wee bit. Sure couldn't print the thing, though!)

Ballet Photographer

2013-05-04 15:16:41 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 25 +1s)

"White Pelican Flock." San Joaquin Valley, California. January 1, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A flock of white pelicans in flight above the San Joaquin Valley, California

To file in the “learn something new every day” file… this year I learned that the brown pelicans that I so often photograph along the California coastline are not the only pelicans in the state. I had no idea that pelicans could be found inland in the Central Valley, nor that there was another type found here, the white pelican. My first encounter was almost humorous in retrospect. On an extremely foggy morning out in the valley, when birds were audible but often not seen, at one point a small group of mysterious birds floated out of the fog silently, coasted past, and quickly disappeared into the murk....(continue... more »

2013-05-03 11:03:11 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 43 +1s)

"Morning Fog, Tomales Bay." Inverness, California. February 9, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light on fog shrouded green hills along the shores of Tomales Bay, California

I made this photograph just after dawn on a beautiful February morning along the shore of Tomales Bay near Inverness, California, while on my way to the Point Reyes National Seashore. That I was here in this spot was the result of slightly poor planning. I had awakened three hours before dawn so that I could drive up here and, or so I hoped, be out at Point Reyes near the lighthouse at dawn and photograph the outer edges of Drakes Bay in the very early morning light. I miscalculated the driving time and didn’t get out the door quite as quickly as I planned, and by the time I was approaching Tomales Bay I knew that the sun was going to be up well before I gotto m... more »

2013-05-02 13:04:41 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 21 +1s)

"Coastal Valley, Morning Light." Pacific Coast Highway, California. April 21, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early morning light streams across ridges and illuminates mist filling a coastal valley along the Big Sur coastline of California

This might be described as “yet another in a series” of photographs made along the Pacific Coast Highway south of Monterey, in which I look for canyons filled with misty early morning light, aim my camera up into the canyon, and see what I can come up with. The elements are: fog that it thin enough to pass light, early morning back-light spilling over the tops of coastal ridges, canyons and valleys with many overlapping ridges, lush and green coastal vegetation. The variations are endless. The challenges are finding canyons with just the right combinations of these elements and, of course, shootingstraig... more »

2013-05-01 18:44:26 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 43 +1s)

"Aspens, Boulder Mountain, Evening." Dixie National Forest, Utah. October 6, 2012. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn aspens in front of rugged landscape of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

This was an especially beautiful evening on the shoulder of the Boulder Mountain area of Utah. Six months earlier, on our first visit to this state, we had passed over Boulder Mountain early in April, before the spring leaves had appeared on the tremendous aspen groves found here. I imagined that this must be quite a sight in the fall when all of those aspens would inevitably change to yellow and gold and red and orange. With this in mind we planned our fall visit to cross this area again in early October, figuring that this would be about the right time for fall color.

It turns out that we probably missed the absolutepe... more »

2013-04-30 22:41:40 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

Some friends posted something today that made me think of an article I wrote a while ago: "Telling Stories About Our Photographs." A hint: I published it in the "tongue in cheek" section of my blog!

http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2011/04/09/telling-the-stories-of-our-photographs

2013-04-30 13:17:48 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 34 +1s)

"High Country Desert Canyon." Death Valley National Park, California. April 6, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A back-country gravel road twists through the upper reaches of a colorful mountain canyon, Death Valley National Park

... Some things about photographing this subject are easy and obvious, but others are a bit challenging and require some attention and then some resistance to trying to turn the scene into something it isn’t. What is easy about this subject? I am endlessly fascinated by winding canyons with overlapping ridges that descend toward the bottom of the canyon, creating a back and forth weave of form. Here the canyon winds from right (at the top) to left to right to left to right to left and, finally, back to the left. And the colors and textures are remarkable, ranging from the very dark rocks at the bottom, throughthe m... more »

2013-04-30 02:25:39 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 31 +1s)

HA! Sounds about right.

2013-04-29 19:21:47 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

I missed the counter clicking over, but it appears that 50,000+ folks have me in their circles now.

I'm grateful to all of you who chose to follow my daily photographic posts here on G+! :-)

2013-04-29 13:11:42 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 46 +1s)

"Sandstorm, Dunes, Desert Mountains." Death Valley National Park, California. April 4, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early evening light on sand dunes with clouds of wind-driven dust above and desert mountains beyond, Death Valley National Park

As it got closer to sunset on this sandstorm evening in Death Valley, I stopped at a low, black hill that I like to ascend so that I can shoot in a 360 degree panorama from its summit. The hill itself is interesting, it that it is made up of material that is much different from that of the surrounding desert, a sort of very dark layered rock. The hill itself is almost completely bare of vegetation, but the flats around it support a healthy crop of arrow weed plants, which can glow with a golden color in the right light...(c... more »

2013-04-28 14:26:58 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 29 +1s)

"Desert Mountains, Pre-Dawn Haze." Death Valley National Park, California. April 7, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Desert mountain ridges in pre-dawn “blue hour” light rise above Death Valley and recede to highest peaks in the distance

...  I made this photograph at a moment when, on a clearer morning, these hills might have begun to assume a warm colored glow from light in the eastern sky. But this time it was all blue. The hazy sky was blue, and the mountains were as well. Since the conditions were somewhat unusual, I went ahead and made some exposures. When I first looked at the results I wasn’t very thrilled. But as I looked at them more, especially at very large sizes, I began to appreciate the softer and lower-contrast lighting and the way that details in the formations of the mountains actually become quite visible....(continue... more »

2013-04-27 16:09:55 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 55 +1s)

"Calero Oaks, Fog." Santa Clara Valley, California. January 67, 2007.© Copyright 2007 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Winter morning fog drifts among ridgetop oak trees, Calero County Park, California

This is an older photograph that I sort of “rediscovered” while going through older files recently. It was due for a bit of additional work, reformatting to fit my current preferred 4:3 print ratio, and the updated web border and text that you see in the online versions of my photographs. (And, to answer the question that comes up from time to time, my fine art prints do not include the text found in the only online photographs!)

Although I no longer visit there quite as often, this area became a favorite location of mine a few years ago, especially during the winter months when morning fog frequently burns off and reveals the newly-green winterlandsc... more »

2013-04-26 22:56:07 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 37 +1s)

Bonus photo today: A small convoy of vehicles drives through a fierce Death Valley dust storm. Death Valley National Park, California. March 4, 2013. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved. Posted to share with +Gary Crabbe's Friday Getaway subject. (As in: "Let's get away from this sand storm!")

#fridaygetaway   #deathvalley   #deathvalleynationalpark  

2013-04-26 12:15:30 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 52 +1s)

"Dunes and Sandstorm. Death Valley National Park," California. April 4, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Towering clouds of wind-blown sand rise above desert sand dunes, Death Valley National Park

In the early afternoon, a bit to my surprise and somewhat to my consternation, after returning to camp from shooting in another area of the park I got my first hints of the upcoming afternoon and evening sand storm when I noticed an increasing number of dust devils out by the dunes and when blowing dust began to rise along the far eastern side of the Valley. Although these events can be photogenic (and a bit dangerous to camera gear!) they are not very pleasant to be in, a fact that I know from previous experience. However, given that the weather otherwise had been pretty boring – too much blue sky! – at least this promised something a bitout of... more »

2013-04-25 13:17:47 (2 comments, 3 reshares, 41 +1s)

"Desert Plants, Dunes, and Mountains in Late Afternoon Light." Death Valley National Park, California. April 4, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Arrow weed plants grow on the flats below transverse dunes, Kit Fox Hills, and peaks of the Amargosa Range, Death Valley National Park

For such a desolate spot, this area can be quite beautiful at the right time of day and in the right light. I had gone here to climb a nearby low hill, but found the plants leading off towards low dunes and then successfully rising hills distracted me for a moment from my initial goal. The late sunlight coming in at a low angle gave a warmth to the desert colors that is not usually seen during the midday hours.... (continued: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2013/04/25/desert-plants-dunes-and-mountains-in-late-afternoon-light)

#deathvalley  #dea... more »

2013-04-25 01:20:40 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Links to an earlier post concerning my initial (positive) experience with the Fujifulm X-E1 mirrorless camera and lenses, along with some links to these and related products.