Tag Archives: scenic

Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Four Surf Fisherman

Leave a comment

Four Surf Fishermen
Four Surf Fishermen. Gazos Creek, California. March 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

This is one of those landscape photographs in which appearances can be deceiving. I suppose it looks fairly calm and quiet, but getting this shot was the result of working very quickly and spontaneously with a very long lens as the subjects moved quickly through the scene. I had just gotten out of my car with a plan to observe and then photograph the seascape when I noticed the group of fisherman heading across the sand toward a rocky headland to the south.

keywords: four, fishing, fish, fishermen, surf, pacific, ocean, coast, sea, seascape, coastline, headland, waves, sand, beach, reflections, pole, sky, california, usa, scenic, travel, landscape, seascape, people, gazos, creek, big basin, state, park

Photographs: Night, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Moonlit Cove, Thousand Island Lake

Leave a comment
Moonlit Cove, Thousand Island Lake

Moonlit Cove, Thousand Island Lake. Ansel Adams Wilderness, California. July 27, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

I spent a few hours on this cold, clear July evening photographing the light of the full moon, star trails, and reflections on the surface of Thousand Island Lake.

When using a digital camera to make such long exposures one must adopt a very patient attitude. First, find the spot for your photograph and set everything up in the dark. Then make an exposure of perhaps 15 minutes. Because DSLRs are subject to noise on these long exposures, you then wait another 15 minutes while the camera completes a “dark frame” exposure to determine how to compensate for the noise in the original exposure. Yes, it takes 30 minutes (and lots of battery power!) to make a 15 minute exposure.

You could become impatient. Or you could, as I do, sit back and enjoy the peace and quite of a beautiful moonlit Sierra night.

keywords: thousand, island, lake, cove, shore, surface, reflections, ritter, banner, peak, mount, mountains, alpine, night, black and white, photography, backpacking, john muir, trail, backpacking, landscape, scenic, california, usa, outdoor, stock, ansel adams, wilderness

Photographs: Night, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Moonlight, Thousand Island Lake, Mounts Ritter and Banner

Leave a comment

Moonlight, Thousand Island Lake, Mounts Ritter and Banner
Moonlight, Thousand Island Lake, Mounts Ritter and Banner. Ansel Adams Wilderness, California. July 26, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Photographed on a full moon summer evening in the Ansel Adams wilderness. Taking these photographs was a wonderful and unusual experience – I had to find the shot and then still silently for many minutes as the camera exposed the frame – as long as 15-20 minutes. It is rare to simply sit quietly for such a long time in such surroundings. :-)

(The posting of this photograph is somewhat timely since I’ll be participating in a night photography shoot a Mare Island Naval Shipyard this weekend sponsored by The Nocturnes.)

keywords: black and white, thousand island, lake, mount, ritter, banner, peak, ansel adams, wilderness, night, photography, star trails, full, moon, light, reflection, rocks, forest, alpine, mountains, landscape, scenic, travel, camping, hiking, backpacking, stock, california, usa

Photographs: Yosemite

Horsetail Fall, Sunset (Black and White)

Leave a comment


Horsetail Fall, Sunset (Black and White). Yosemite Valley, California. February 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Just because everyone else shoots this famous February event in color doesn’t mean I can’t shoot it in black and white. :-)

For those who may not recognize the subject immediately, a bit of background. Yosemite Valley contains not only the famous waterfalls (Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Fall, Vernal and Nevada Fall) but also a huge number of smaller seasonal falls. A number of them have their sources in relatively low (compared to the Sierra crest) areas immediately surrounding the Valley, and therefore flow earlier in the season. Some even produce a good flow in the middle of winter when the conditions are right: recent precipitation and warmer temperatures.

Horsetail Fall is one of the best known and most striking of these falls, for a variety of reasons. It flows from near the top of massive El Capitan near the eastern part of the monolith. Its seasonal appearance makes it a fall that most visitors to the Valley never see. Its appearance is not a certainty, depending as it does on just the right combination of snowfall and warmth. And, most impressive, for a few weeks early each year a fortuitous placement of the fall relative to formations across the Valley to the West allows a beam of light from the setting sun to illuminate the fall just at sunset, often turning it and its spray wild colors.

keywords: horsetail, fall, waterfall, firefall, el capitan, february, winter, sunset, dusk, rocks, cliff, light, granite, yosemite, valley, national park, california, usa, landscape, scenic, travel, mountains, stock, black and white