Dan's Outside

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. March 27, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

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March 29, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve

Barn Door Near MacAbee Road

Barn Door. Almaden Quicksilver Park. March 26, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

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March 26, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Barn Door Near MacAbee Road

Senador Mine

Senador Mine Site. March 26, 2005. Almaden Quicksilver Park. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

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March 26, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Senador Mine

A New Camera…

Canon 350 XT 8 megapixels with 17mm-85mm lens. If I can learn to use it I’ll post some pictures before too long!
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March 24, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on A New Camera…

Evening at Elizabeth Lake

Evening at Elizabeth Lake. Yosemite National Park. August 9, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

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March 22, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Evening at Elizabeth Lake

Glacial Erratics at Olmstead Point

Glacial Erratics at Olmstead Point. Yosemite National Park. August 13, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell

(For those who may not be familiar with the term, a glacial erratic is a large rock or boulder left in place by a retreating glacier as it melted.)

March 21, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | 2 Comments

About the Tioga Pass Tarn photo

There is a story behind the photo that I posted earlier today.

Ater last year’s South Lake to Onion Valley 2004 pack trip with my Talusdancers friends, I was returning to the Bay Area from the eastern Sierra by way of Yosemite. Since I had some extra time (and it was my birthday!) I decided to come home slowly and do some photography, first in the Owens Valley desert and near Mono Lake and then as I drove through Yosemite.

The clouds were spectacular in the high desert east of the Sierra as thunderstorms began to build over the crest. However, as I came up to Tioga Pass the overcast was beginning to create some pretty flat light and I didn’t think I’d get the kind of photos that I had been anticipating. I’ve always enjoyed spending a few minutes at the pass so I got out and wandered over to the small tarn just inside the park boundary and circled it once, taking pictures.

I liked the composition of the resulting shot of the tarn with the ridges and clouds in the background, but I did not like the flat colors and lack of contrast. I did work with it a bit, and posted a color version on this site.

Earlier this week I read an article by Peter Myers (“Making Images – Not Taking Images“) at Michael Reichmann’s “Luminous Landscape” web site. Myers’ article – and his photographs – reminded me forcefully that the photo does not need to reflect the objective reality of the scene, but that it should reflect the subjective experience of being there.

It also happened last week that my mother gave me an old Ansel Adams calendar that she had acquired some years ago. One evening I spent some time going through it and admiring the quality of some of the best images found there, and thinking a bit more about black and white images.

Somehow, as I put these two recent experiences together I remembered the somewhat boring color image of the tarn at Tioga Pass and I got the idea to try a black and white version. I think the result, while not objectively realistic, is much closer to how I felt about that place and that day.
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March 20, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on About the Tioga Pass Tarn photo

Tioga Pass Tarn

Tioga Pass Tarn. Yosemite National Park. August 13, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

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March 20, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Tioga Pass Tarn

More About a Stunning Wildflower Year

Wildflower Forecasts. It’s one of the best years on record for photographing desert wildflowers. To find out the conditions in different areas, visit The Desert Wildflower Watch…. [Where is Ben?]

The California Report is here.
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March 19, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on More About a Stunning Wildflower Year

Site Membership

This site supports a discussion feature for members. I have posted a Membership Information page that addresses some important issues.
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March 19, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Site Membership