A Tree, Fog, Dawn Light. Central Valley, California. February 4, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Thick winter tule fog obscures a wetland tree at dawn

This photograph belongs to a portion of my work that I think of as (to be non-poetic) the “barely there” photographs — subjects of low contrast, sometimes high key, and soft focus that attempt to evoke a mood and which perhaps allow the viewer to imagine what might be there. The photographs often feature fog or other kinds of atmospheric effects, and may be as much about light and color and form as anything.

This was likely the first photograph that was even possible on this morning. The fog was extremely thick, to the point that even nearby objects were obscured. Earlier the opacity of the atmosphere had been matched by the darkness of the light. But subtle and ephemeral things can happen at the boundaries of light on days like this, and as the sky above the fog began to lighter the fog began to glow with the colors of incipient sunrise light and objects like this tree began to be visible in the soft and colorful 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 and Amazon.
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