All posts by G Dan Mitchell

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.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Wetlands, First Light

Image February 15, 2025 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Yes, I’m still working the winter Central Valley photographs — and I’m not done yet! As I have said many times, this is probably my favorite winter subject. Or perhaps I should write “subjects,” since these locations offer both landscape and wildlife photography subjects at this time of year. Although they are not featured in this photograph, this is a prime part of California for winter migratory birds.

You can never predict with certainty what the fog will do on these winter mornings. The surprise this time was a “hole” that opened in the fog, producing clear skies in our little area while our surroundings were still obscured. This photograph looks east, across a pond and the fog bank, toward the first dawn light above the Sierra Nevada.

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.

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Post-processing Workflow, Software, Tests

Does Adobe Dream of the Moon?

Image February 14, 2025 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Yesterday while I was editing a raw file in Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) I used the Generative AI Remove feature to deal with a shadow created by some dust on my sensor. It removed the spot from the sky in the image but inserted a roundish object in its place. I remember thinking, “That’s odd? Did ACR just add a 3/4 moon in place of the dust spot?” But I then forgot about it and continued editing.

Today I again used the Generative AI Remove function to remove another faint dust shadow in the sky of another photograph from the same shoot. It happened again! I think Adobe Generative AI may be hallucinating!

Above are two tiny, highly magnified sections of the original image. In the upper one, if you look carefully, you can see a sort of faint, darker smudge behind the individual light-colored bird above the line of darker birds. I used the brush to outline the darker area, then had Generative AI Remove take it out.

The lower image was the result. It is faint, but I swear that it replaced the light colored bird with… the moon!

That’s just plain weird.

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Old Tree, Central Park

Image February 14, 2025 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

We were in New York City during the holidays this past December. We had just the right amount of snowfall, an inch or so to create a mood but not enough to bring things to a standstill. We stayed not far from Central Park — perhaps a ten minute walk from the west past the natural history museum — and we visited on several mornings. I’ve come to understand how Manhattanites value the place as their portal to nature.

Much of the snow had melted by the time of this visit, but if you look closely you may notice a bit left on the grassy area under the tree. The park is full of remarkable groves and individual trees, but this specimen especially caught my attention. It is a very big tree and its branches spread widely over this area of meadow.

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Urban Tree, Night

Image February 13, 2025 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

You may have to look closely to realize it, but this photograph was made at night. (t is often surprising just how much light is found in the nighttime urban environment.) The location is Madrid, not far from the Plaza Mayor, during December, when the streets here are filled with people celebrating the holidays. But this little side street was quiet and nearly deserted.

Night transforms the urban environment. Things that might look mundane during the day can take on a different appearance under the glow of artificial lights. Here several light sources illuminate the brick wall and the sidewalk, and side light highlights the trunk of the urban tree.

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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G Dan Mitchell Photography

All posts by G Dan Mitchell

Wetlands, First Light

Does Adobe Dream of the Moon?

Old Tree, Central Park

Urban Tree, Night

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.