Tag Archives: blue

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

Sunset Cloud, Desert Mountains

Image Leave a comment
Sunset Cloud, Desert Mountains
“Sunset Cloud, Desert Mountains” — A solitary cloud floats above the Death Valley landscape and catches the last sunset light.

This cloud was a luminous benediction at the end of a long and varied day that began before dawn along the shoreline of Lake Manly. After a late-morning break for coffee and food, I headed up into the Panamint Mountains to investigate recent snowfall. I timed my departure from there to give me time to get to this spot, an elevated location in Death Valley, in time for sunset.

I have realized that many of the landscape subjects that appeal to me are ephemeral. Like many photographers I am usually out during the edge hours around sunrise and sunset, when the light is the most transitory. I also love interesting and sometimes wild weather conditions — wind, precipitation, fog, isolated clouds forming momentarily above the landscape. This scene had a cloud that was shrinking and changing shape, along with the last bits of colorful sunset light before dusk.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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

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

Desert Clouds, Evening

Image Leave a comment
Desert Clouds, Evening
“Desert Clouds, Evening” — Sunset light colors evening clouds above Death Valley.

Let’s call this a moment of peace and calm in a world that sometimes seems too tumultuous. I photographed this cloud formation above Death Valley on a quiet evening, alone in a high place above the valley as the day ended. I was there to photograph the landscape, but at this moment it was the cloudscape that caught my attention.

It isn’t news that clouds are fascinating. While they often appear as supporting acts in landscape photography, sometimes they form temporary “cloudscapes” on their own. That ephemeral quality is part of their magic — one moment there might me nothing there, but soon they silently assemble into fascinating shapes and juxtapositions, only to dissolve and re-form a moment later.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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

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

Flooded Playa

Image Leave a comment
Flooded Playa
“Flooded Playa” — The flooded landscape of the playa near Manly Lake, Death Valley.

This is another in a series of photographs of the floor of Death Valley near Badwater, photographed from high in the Black Mountains early one morning. Following a historic storm in August of 2023, this part of the valley flooded, partially reconstituting the historic Lake Manly. There is still a lot of water, and many areas of the playa are currently inaccessible.

To make these photographs I used very long focal length lenses, which allowed me to isolate small areas in this vast terrain. The formations seen here are in a very flat area just upstream of Lake Manly. The area is mostly a salt flat in normal times. Here the blue water makes visible the many wandering channels through which the water flows.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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

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

Pre-Dawn Clouds, Lake Manly

Image Leave a comment
Pre-Dawn Clouds, Lake Manly
“Pre-Dawn Clouds, Lake Manly” — Pre-dawn clouds fill the sky above the Panamint Mountains reflected in Lake Manly, Death Valley.

The brief interval between darkness and the arrival of the morning sun may be my favorite time of day in the desert. Everything is still and quiet, and I’m often the only person around. The temperature is comfortable, and sometimes as close to cool as it will get. The light changes perceptibly, transitioning from deep twilight blues toward the intensely warm colors of sunrise. And I have a full day ahead of me.

This time I was not completely alone, but I was close to it. The unusual reappearance of Lake Manly had drawn others, and I could see them in the distance on nearby hills. As the light increased, this large cloud above the valley came into focus and drifted slowly above the still waters of the lake and the reflected form of the distant Panamint Mountains.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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