Category Archives: Photographs: Central California

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Nature

Mountains, Lake, Autumn Sky

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Mountains, Lake, Autumn Sky
Luminous autumn atmosphere above California mountains and lake.

Mountains, Lake, Autumn Sky. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Luminous autumn atmosphere above California mountains and lake.

While this may not seem like a typical “fall photograph,” that is how I’m describing it here. Allow me to explain. For decades I have been intrigued by autumn light — perhaps even longer than I’ve been attentive to fall foliage colors. Many years ago I recognized that there was something different about it, though I could not quite put my finger on it. Although I still don’t claim to fully understand it, something (or some things) change in the the autumn atmosphere in my part of the world — something about the luminous quality of the slightly hazy atmosphere, likely complemented by the lower angle of the sun creates an unmistakable effect.

On the day I made this photograph I had arrived before dawn in California’s Great Central Valley to visit some favorite locations and subjects. It was early (perhaps too early) in the season for them, so after enjoying a morning there I eventually decided to head home early, not sticking around until sunset. As a result I passed this location in the early afternoon instead of in the dark… and I could not resist stopping to make a few photographs.

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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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Tule Fog, Wetland Sunrise

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Tule Fog, Wetland Sunrise
The winter sun rises thorugh tule fog above Central Valley wetlands.

Tule Fog, Wetland Sunrise. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The winter sun rises thorugh tule fog above Central Valley wetlands.

This is my favorite season of the year for a whole bunch of reasons. It brings so many special opportunities here on the West Coast. The fall colors come to the Sierra and then work their way downward and westward over a period of up to three months — and sometimes even a bit longer. The hot, dry season of wildfires and haze comes to an end, replaced by cooler temperatures and much more interesting skies and light as Pacific weather fronts arrive. Migratory birds return to the Central Valley… and once again I get to photograph the tule fog!

This photograph comes from a beautiful tule fog morning in the Central Valley some years ago, a perfect morning when the fog was thick but not so thick as to completely obscure the rising sun, here silhouetting the wetland foliage and gently reflecting on the surface of a pond. What the photograph cannot convey — but what it certainly evokes for me — is the sound of many thousands of nearby geese, cranes, blackbirds, and more.

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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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: Ocean & Coast

Sand to Horizon

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Sand to Horizon
Incoming winter surf along California’s Big Sur coast.

Sand to Horizon. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Incoming winter surf along California’s Big Sur coast.

Winter is always my favorite season along the California coast, especially the spectacular coastline south of Monterey, sometimes called the “Big Sur” coast. This is a spectacular meeting of land and sea, where a single road tenuously traverses coastal mountain ranges, occasionally descending to the waterline, and where sea stacks and steep cliffs are everywhere. In winter, when big Pacific storms come to life, the surf can become huge, and at this time of year the atmospheric effects are often striking.

I made this photograph some years ago on a quick January visit. (I’ve fortunate to live close enough to go there and back on day trips.) In this photograph I decided to somewhat “abstract” the image, going for black and white and altering the tonalities to create a somewhat unreal effect as the lines of waves march in to the beach from the horizon.

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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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

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

December Geese

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December Geese
Migratory geese flock in Central Valley pastures on a foggy morning.

December Geese. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Migratory geese flock in Central Valley pastures on a foggy morning.

The experience of photographing winter’s migratory birds in California might be divided into several sorts of exercise. One is looking for the birds, often without finding them or perhaps spotting them too far away to photograph. Then there is the experience, after not finding them, of waiting for their hoped-for arrival, perhaps spending time doings something else entirely. When they do show up we then watch, often making a few hopeful initial photographs as they do the same things we’ve photographed before.

Sometimes we manage to get very close — occasionally because the geese, by some miracle, come to us, rather than due to our skills are finding them. The geese have work to do, and they seem almost oblivious to our presence as they feed. The flocks often move slowly across the landscape, producing a remarkable low, droning sound. If you have watched them long enough you know that eventually they will move, sometimes by leaving in groups that follow one after another, but sometimes in a sudden and virtually unpredictable eruption of flight that produces first a sort of “ripping” sound as thousands of pairs of wings flap and the flock becomes airborne.

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.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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