Trees, New Grass, Tule Fog

Trees, New Grass, Tule Fog
Light filters through Central Valley tule fog along a tree-lined gravel road.

Trees, New Grass, Tule Fog. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Light filters through Central Valley tule fog along a tree-lined gravel road.

A foggy morning like this one has distinct phases. I like them all, but this point of transition is often a favorite. Frequently the morning begins, for me at least, well before dawn as I drive down some slender two-lane road between fields, unable to see more than a hundred feed ahead. The photography often begins as the first light starts to diffuse into the fog. (It happens faster than you might expect since the tule fog layer is usually quite shallow.) After sunrise the fog will eventually clear, though it may take hours before it breaks tip enough to let light create shadows.

I made this photograph at that point — when the fog may be thick in one spot but thin in another nearby, and directional light and soft shadows begin to appear. This road could be almost anywhere in the Great Central Valley of California, though it is a particular one that I know quite well. Here I may spot geese or cranes (and perhaps cattle!) to the left and blackbirds or an occasional own in the trees to the right.


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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