October Oaks – Calero Hills. Calero Hills, California. October 14, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Regular practice is an important part of keeping your “photographer’s eye” sharp. I try to shoot frequently, and even when I don’t feel like using the camera I sometimes make myself stop and see what I can find in my surroundings. This photograph is simply an example of that process. On this particular day I was out on a very enjoyable autumn hike in the oak grassland south of where I live. I had almost completed my hike without taking a single photograph, so I decided to stop in this spot near the end of the trail and see what I could find – and a set of images of oak trees against the golden brown grasses was the result.