Tree With Birds, Evening. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
A lone tree full of small birds and still holding a few autumn leaves stands in wetlands on the last winter evening of the year.
There are beautiful landscapes, effects of atmosphere, and light almost everywhere. We often imagine that we have to go to special or iconic places to find them, but that isn’t always true. (Yes, I do go to those places, too.) For many years I have marked the time between those longer trips to more famous places by photographing closer to home, often in less dramatic landscapes — sometimes so close that I can walk out my front door to find them. Over time these places have become as special as any.
Wetlands are found all over California, with the only major exceptions being among high peaks and in the deserts. (If you look hard enough, you may find occasional examples even in those places.) You can find them along the coast and they are abundant along the state’s many river drainages. I photographed this scene at the end of the year, in the early evening of a winter day when a few autumn leaves remained, the light was softened by high clouds, and winter haze muted the colors.
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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