This unassuming photograph of a rural levee road, tree, and fog in California’s Central Valley encapsulates the feeling of winter in this place for me. If you know the area or one like it, perhaps you can fill in the sound of bird calls, feel the cool and damp air, remember the unhurried feeling of moving along such a road early in the morning. I go here to photograph birds, but always end up focusing on the landscape, too.
As lovely as this light is, it can be challenging to photograph. A motto for me when I work on prints is, “more light!” However, here I have to suppress that urge a bit since the fog diminishes the brightness. (Though the high clouds are so bright they are hard to look at.) Color can also be challenging, with a tricky balance between the inherent blue of the foggy light and the warmer colors of plants and (sometimes) the sky.
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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.
Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email
Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.
Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)
All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.