Tag Archives: floral

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Fallen Flowers

Image Leave a comment
Fallen Flowers
Five fallen foxglove flowers.

Fallen Flowers. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Five fallen foxglove flowers.

We went to this public garden because we knew that it was the time of the peak bloom of many flowers, including the colorful foxglove. And our timing was perfect — there were lots and lots of these impressive flowers, in all colors. “But wait,” you ask, “where are those colors?” Oh, right, this one is black and white. I’ll address that below.

While flower photography isn’t my main thing (though you might start to wonder, based on my predominant theme for July posts this year) , I have long been intrigued by the shapes and colors of flowers. Originally I photographed wildflowers on outdoor adventures, but more recently Patty has convinced me of the appeal of domesticated varieties. But I have a habit of usually looking past the intended subject to see what else there is, and this often leads me to photographing “fallen flowers” that are past their prime and perhaps deteriorating. This alliterative grouping of five fallen foxglove flowers is just as I found them, lying in the shade under trees on a sidewalk.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are 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: Nature

Pink Tulip

Image Leave a comment
A pink spring tulip with early morning water droplets.

Pink Tulip. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A pink spring tulip with early morning water droplets.

With this photograph I will (probably? maybe?) close out the photographs from our early March visit to a San Francisco Bay Area garden. We thought we were there for the peak of the tulip bloom, but only a few of the flowers were in bloom yet. This year’s wild California weather seems to have thrown off nature’s schedule a bit. But even one blooming flower can be enough, and this one seems quite nice.

You might be looking at the photograph and thinking, “the flower is lovely, but did you have to spray the water on it?” I can assure you that those drops were actually there with no assistance from me. Between the exceptional recent rainfall and the early morning hour, there was still lot of water on the plants.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are 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: Nature

Tulip and Dew

Image Leave a comment
Tulip and Dew
Morning dew on a newly-opening tulip.

Tulip and Dew. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning dew on a newly-opeing tulip.

Those of you who know us realize that I’m not really the flower photographer in our household — that would be Patricia Emerson Mitchell. But sometimes she lets me tag along and try my hand at this subject. Recently we visited a local garden together on wet, post-rain morning, where we found that tulips and other bulbs were starting to bloom.

Sometimes tulips can have an almost-artificial perfection. That’s appealing, but I also like photographing flowers that are not quite perfect. (Sometimes I even seek out flowers that are staring to decay a bit, and I’ll even photograph flowers that have fallen to the ground.) The fascinating color gradations of this flower caught my attention.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are 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: Macro, Photographs: Nature

The Center

Image Leave a comment
The Center
The center of a white flower surrounded by darker petals

The Center. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The center of a white flower surrounded by darker petals.

Previously I’ve pointed out that I’m not the primary flower and foliage photographer in our household — that honor belongs to Patty Emerson Mitchell. Sometimes I accompany her on excursions to photograph this subject, and I made this photograph on one of those occasions when we spend the morning at a beautiful formal garden not too far from where we live.

I usually photograph flowers in color — in many cases color is the point! But every so often monochrome seems like the way to go, either because the particular flower’s color is not striking or because of the way that black and white may allow us to push and pull the image in ways that would not likely work in color. I’m often a bit surprised that some people seem to regard black and white as more “real” or true to the original subject. in truth, perhaps because we give up the possibility of an “accurate” rendition of a color subject when we work in black and white, we actually have far more room to modify and tweak the image to produce the result we have in mind — and often these modifications are far from subtle.

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 | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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