Goose Storm

Goose Storm
A giant flock of Ross’s and/or snow geese above a wetland pond on a foggy winter morning.

Goose Storm. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A giant flock of Ross’s and/or snow geese above a wetland pond on a foggy winter morning.

Three experiences most photographers have had: A morning, day, or evening of astonishing conditions and light when it almost seemed that you could point the camera anywhere and make a good photograph. A morning, day or evening when the conditions were unbelievably awful and photography seemed almost impossible. In-between days when there are things to photograph, but they aren’t always easy or obvious. The first condition is rare, the second is (fortunately!) equally rare, and the third is most common. (The more you are out there, the more this rings true… and the better you get at adjusting.)

This morning was one of the rare “first category” situations. It had virtually everything I look for in such places: abundant wildlife, thick fog at dawn that was shallow enough to allow the light of morning sky to color the scene, fog breaking up as the morning wore on, and good company! The geese had been settled in on the grassland and ponds when something provoked them to take flight into the softly lit foggy morning sky by the thousands, circling noisily for a bit before settling back down again.


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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