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: Architecture, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel

Basilica Spires and Domes, Dusk

Image January 12, 2025 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

This remarkable basilica stands next to the Ebro river in Zaragoza, Spain. Among its eye-catching features are the numerous towers and domes — from the four tall spires at each corner, to the large central dome, to the other smaller domes in between. It is quite a beautiful sight in the daytime, but is even more dramatic at night when it is illuminated by artificial lights. The photograph is from a bridge crossing the Ebro.

Zaragoza is perhaps not on the main tourist circuit in Spain, but we really enjoyed the place. During our visit in December there may not have been many tourists, but the town was very busy and crowded with locals — after all, it was the holiday season! The central area near this cathedral is an enchanting older part of the city, full of very narrow and twisting streets.

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.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Migratory Geese, Wetlands

Image January 11, 2025 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Our little band of photographers gathered once again on New Year’s Day to greet the new year together and photograph migratory birds and the often-foggy Central Valley landscape. This photograph holds what I think of as the main elements of this winter landscape: birds, a bit of fog, sky, trees, and grasses. (OK, cattle and crops are part of the scene, but not in this photograph.)

There are various natural cycles to observe when photographing these birds. The most obvious is annual — they return from the arctic every autumn and around the start of spring. There’s a cycle during that period, too. At first they are often harder to find, settling into remote areas of the valley and being more uneasy around humans. As the season goes on they seem to be a bit easier to locate as they collect in gigantic flocks, and the become extremely active in the final month before their departure for points north.

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.

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Germany, Photographs: Travel

Heidelberg Castle, Bridge, and Altstadt

Image January 10, 2025 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Heidelberg is almost always our “home base” when we travel to Europe, annd our trips frequently start with a visit to our relatives there. At this point we almost feel like we know the place, at least their neighborhood and the Altstadt area in the photograph. The “old town” area stretches along the Neckar river and includes several features visible in the photograph — the “old bridge” (or Alte Brücke) and the Heidelberg castle, among htem. I made the photograph from the Philosophenweg, or philosopher’s way, a footpath in the hills next to the river.

Our previous visits have been in the summer, when the weather in this part of Europe is pretty warm. This time, however, we went at the end of autumn and it was distinctly wintry! Temperatures hovered around freezing, it was cloudy virtually the entire time, and we even had brief snow!

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

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Marsh, Dawn Fog

Image January 9, 2025 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Bird photography is my excuse for going to this place in the winter. But the truth is that when the birds aren’t around I am happy to photograph this quiet and mysterious landscape, especially when morning tule fog drifts in and out. On this morning there were birds, but they weren’t where I was. So I paused in this spot and others like it and photographed the subtle light and colors of the early morning foggy landscape.

A bit more about the bird photography: I’m not sure how people imagine the process of photographing migratory birds, but I suspect that they might be surprised at how it actually works. Believe me, it is not a case of spending hours clicking off perfect exposures of astonishing wildlife. That happens, but there’s a lot of “slow time” between those moments, when the experience is more about the quiet and the slowing of time and about the landscape.

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

Basilica Spires and Domes, Dusk

Migratory Geese, Wetlands

Heidelberg Castle, Bridge, and Altstadt

Marsh, Dawn Fog

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