G Dan Mitchell, photographer and visual opportunist focusing on the Pacific coast, the Sierra Nevada, redwood forests, California oak/grasslands, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography and more. Posting daily photographs since 2005, along with articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
Today I made what should be my final regular daily post on Facebook.
This is not an April Fool’s Day joke. It is a matter or principle
I have been active on Facebook for a VERY long time. I’m no longer sure of the first date, but I initially was able to join way back when only those with .edu email addresses were eligible.
The initial promise of the service was quite special and seemed altruistic. We could join and then find and follow accounts that interested us — Facebook was the medium for choosing who to connect with and enabling those connections.
“Roadrunner” — A greater roadrunner, Death Valley National Park.
After more than two-and-a-half decades of visiting Death Valley National Park, you would think that I’d have see quite a few of these birds. But, no, this is the first time I have encountered a roadrunner in the park. Actually, there were two. I arrived at my campsite and was getting my gear out when a couple of them showed up to investigate my stuff.
I was surprised by how close they came. I would have assumed, especially having never run into them here before, that they would have been more shy and cautious. In any case, I grabbed one of my cameras, put a long lens on it, and managed to squeeze off a few photographs before the birds decided to go investigate someone else’s campsite.
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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.
“Pink Tulip” — A pink tulip blooms in late winter.
Patty is the real flower and macro photographer in our household, but sometimes I tag along and give it my best shot. There is a large garden on the grounds of an old San Francisco Peninsula estate that is a favorite of hers — she has a membership and visits regularly to photograph whatever is in season. In early March that meant it was tulip season, so I accompanied her for a morning of photographing these (and a few other kinds of) flowers.
We had great conditions for this subject. Direct, harsh sunlight is not your friend when photographing the subtle colors, shapes, and textures of these flowers — and this morning featured overcast, a bit of light rain, occasional muted sunlight, and lots of shady areas. I photographed this tulip in wonderful soft light that tends to fill in shadows and reveal details that would be missing in high contrast 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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.
“Tulip Bud and Leaves” — A spring tulip bud, just before blossoming.
While a field of wildly colorful tulips is impressive and hard to resist, I like photographing individual flowers, usually before they are fully bloomed. I love the transition from the early green buds, though the first tentative appearance of the flower’s color, to the moment when the blossom begins to open.
This one is at the state where its eventual color is just starting to appear, taking over from the green early-bud stage. At the upper tip, especially, there is a bit of yellow and a tiny spot of pink. By the way, with this photograph I’m going to do something a little unusual for me: before long I will share a monochrome interpretation of the same image.
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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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