Tag Archives: mirror

Reflection, Winter Sky

Part of what I like about this photograph of the reflection of winter sky in a wetland pond is that there is almost nothing solid in it — aside from some scattered plants in the pond it is entirely sky, clouds, water, and reflections. There is almost a horizon out there somewhere, but it is hard to detect since it is obscured by tule fog.

Although there’s little in the photograph to rule out other options, the location happens to be in Central Valley wetlands. In good years, rainfall fills these ponds in the winter through early spring, and areas of solid summer ground become lakes, some quite large. They are more than a visual marvel — winter birds and, later, spring plants rely on their annual formation.


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.

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Rocky Shoreline, Reflections

Rocky Shoreline, Reflections
Talus boulders and their reflection at the edge of a Sierra Nevada lake.

Rocky Shoreline, Reflections. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Talus boulders and their reflection at the edge of a Sierra Nevada lake.

Three summers ago a group of us (yes, THAT group) spent a week camped at a little backcountry lake on the east side of the Sierra Nevada. The lake is a pretty one, with forest on one side, rocks on the other, and a few areas of meadow and granite slabs here and there. All in all, a fairly typical sort of scene in the range. Beyond the lake itself, the valley that holds in also contains many other small lakes and is surrounded by ridges and peaks, all of which gave us plenty to photograph.

This photograph comes from the rocky side of this lake. A common pattern with high country lakes is for there to be some flat area(s) along one side and perhaps at the inlet and outlet streams, and for one side to be close to some sort of slope. Anyone who tries to circumnavigate such lakes is familiar with the difficulties of finding a way along that rocky side. The rocky slope next to this lake was exceptionally rough, with large boulders extending right down to the shoreline. What it lacked in “walkability” it made up for in reflections. A much higher ridge above the rocks left this area in shadow late in the morning, producing a nice blue tonality to the light.


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.

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Alpine Lake, Cloud Shadows, Reflection

Alpine Lake, Cloud Shadows, Reflection
The talus slopes on a Sierra crest ridge, mottled with cloud shadows, is reflected in the surface of an alpine lake.

Alpine Lake, Cloud Shadows, Reflection. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The talus slopes on a Sierra crest ridge, mottled with cloud shadows, is reflected in the surface of an alpine lake.

This is an interesting place. I’ve visited quite a few times in the past, and in varying conditions of light, season, and weather. My first visit was quite a few years back, when a friend an I backpacked into the area very late in the season, experiencing cold temperatures and early snowfall. When I visited last year it was early in the season following a year of record-setting precipitation, and at almost the same point in the season it was difficult to cross the snowfields along the route. Once I got there I could not cross the rushing torrent of the outlet stream. This year the hike was less challenging, and I encountered no snow at all.

This lake lies at the end of my planned hike on this visit. It is a moderate-sized subalpine lake that is surrounded mostly by rocky meadows and high, talus-covered mountain slopes. The first clouds of what would be afternoon thunderstorms were beginning to appear, and the wind rushed their shadows across the landscape. I made several exposures as the light changed, enjoying the kaleidoscope-like effect produced by the reflection in the surface of the lake.


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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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Walking Man, Mirrored Wall

Walking Man, Mirrored Wall
A walking man and other people are reflected in a mirrored wall, London

Walking Man, Mirrored Wall. London, England. August 5, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A walking man and other people are reflected in a mirrored wall, London

Here we have (yet another!) photograph of someone using a smart phone in the urban world, though here there are, I think, a few other elements that got my attention. I’m sure that I was paying attention to the continuous stream of people moving along this sidewalk, and I like to think that some sense of their motion comes through in the photograph. The mirrored wall that contains most of the subjects not only let me capture a “double” of the primary subject, but it also let me bring him forward from the reflected background of all the other people who are only visible in the mirrored image. You might also notice some interesting things related to color.

And there are some surprises. I read somewhere that one of the differences between painting and photography is that while the painter personally puts everything on the canvas (at least mostly) and therefore can know it fully, the photographer cannot possibly know every element of the scene. In fact it is common to only realize that the photograph contains unintentional elements after the fact. One of those is present here — look at the head of the man in his reflected image.


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.