Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Dense Aspen Grove

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Dense Aspen Grove
Small aspen trees, packed closely together, with golden autumn leaves, Eastern Sierra Nevada

Dense Aspen Grove. Eastern Sierra Nevada, California. September 30, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Small aspen trees, packed closely together, with golden autumn leaves, Eastern Sierra Nevada

While the exuberant colors of large groves of autumn aspens are attractive, there is something about the trunks that is hard to resist, even when the colors may have diminished a bit — or perhaps because the colors are less striking. I know I’m not the only photographer who returns to this “take” on the subject. It is fun and more than a bit challenging to make compositions out of such complexity. Frequently I’ll stop and look at a grove, think “that will make a great photograph,” and then gradually discover that some subtle element is not quite right and the whole thing won’t work. I’m continually surprised that a subject that seems so simple often isn’t.

To a great extent it is a question of balance of several sorts. The complex patterns of trunks cannot be completely uniform or there will be no form to the image. There must be some differentiation in the ways that trunks are grouped and among the angles of branches. But too much differentiation is also a problem. There is a “just right” quality to these compositions that is hard to explain, but which I know when I see it. A bit of “dissonance” can help, too — a little bit of something that seems to step outside the predominant patterns. In this photograph that could be the diagonal branches at coming across from the right, or it might be the group of closer leaves along one side. There is also some sense of depth, and if you look closely you may see a good distance into the more distant and darker areas of the small grove. And aside from the obvious vertical lines, there are three horizontal layers — brush at the bottom, trunks in the middle, and yellow leaves at the top.

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: Nature

Poison Oak

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Poison Oak
A vining poison oak plant grows on the bark of a coastal tree, Point Lobos

Poison Oak. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. January 24, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A vining poison oak plant grows on the bark of a coastal tree, Point Lobos

Californians learn about poison oak at an early age. I recall that in elementary school occasionally a fellow student would come to school suffering from an awful rash from this plant. From my earliest hikes in the California hills (but not the Sierra Nevada, to the relief of many!) I learned that the plant is everywhere and, like all hikers here, I learned to quickly identify it. It is known to most by the reddish-brown colors of the leaves, but the “leaves in threes” pattern is a more certain feature since it is also dangerous during its completely green phase.

Despite the danger, the plant can be quite beautiful — though I find it difficult to photograph. The red to brown tones of the plant is summer are striking, and it can actually appear quite lush during its winter growth period. I found this growth on the side of the tree at Point Lobos last winter, and was fortunate to be able to photograph it in partial shade and on a day when the sun’s intensity was muted a bit by haze and fog.

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: Italy, Photographs: Urban/Street

Accordionist and Carriage

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Accordionist and Carriage
A horse carriage and an accordionist on his way to work on a Florence street

Accordionist and Carriage. Florence/Firenze, Italy. August 29, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A horse carriage and an accordionist on his way to work on a Florence street

Places like Florence combine touristy stuff (lots of people, and folks selling souvenirs), amazing and often very old buildings and urban design, great museums, and occasionally little moments of “that could only happen here,” when we run into things that belong to that particular city.

This was perhaps one of those moments in Florence. By this point I had caught on to the maze of very narrow and often twisting streets in central Florence. But this was a bit of a “did that actually happen?” moment, full of experiences that are far from the everyday for this American. The background — the narrow street and the brown/tan buildings — is part of it. But the real surprise was that a) some fellow carrying an accordion happened to be walking by and b) at just that moment a fast-moving horse carriage came up the street.

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

Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Urban/Street

Cafe, Tourists, and Duomo

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Cafe, Tourists, and Duomo
Morning visitors walk past an outdoor cafe and the Duomo, Florence

Cafe, Tourists, and Duomo. Florence/Firenze, Italy. August 29, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning visitors walk past an outdoor cafe and the Duomo, Florence

At the risk of repeating something I’ve previously shared, when I travel I often almost make it a point to not know too much precise detail about where I’m going, especially if the place is new. (I won’t go so far as wanting to know nothing, since that could make things very complicated!) The idea is that this lets me discover the place when I get there, thus giving me a sort of personal map of the location and my own orientation to it. This also means that I can have the joy of actual discovery while I’m on location, as differentiated by the recognition that, yeah, I know about this place.

I almost hesitate to admit how naive I was about Florence. I knew some odd background facts — for example, the importance of the Florentine camera — in classical music. But beyond that I know pretty much that a) it is in Italy and b) driving there isn’t supposed to be fun. My first major moment of “discovery” was walking around a corner to see the Duomo at night — I think that the experience was more awesome (in the true sense of “evoking awe”) than it would have been if I had read about the place. I made this photograph on our last morning in Florence, as we made a final visit to the area around the Duomo before heading to the airport to begin our long journey home.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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

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