Category Archives: Photographs: Central California

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

Three Trees, Fog

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Three Trees, Fog
Three trees on a foggy Central Valley late-autumn morning

Three Trees, Fog. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three trees on a foggy Central Valley late-autumn morning.

This group of trees, and especially the central one, have gradually become “old friends” of mine when I photograph in California’s Great Central Valley each winter. (If you photograph frequently in a favorite location, I’ll bet that you have some similar personal favorites!) Every time I pass by here, coming around a particular curve in the road, I spot the first tree and begin considering how it relates visually to the elements behind it, primarily including the other two “mirror image” trees.

The conditions in the photograph are fairly typical of late-autumn up and down this great valley, which stretches hundreds of miles from the southern end (where roads lead over mountains to the LA Basin) to the north (where Mount Shasta looms). When the conditions are right (or “wrong” if you live out there and it is the thirtieth day of them!) the damp air is very still and tule fog forms. This fog is dense but not deep — you might not be able to see more than a hundred feet in front of you but you can look up and see the sun or stars. The fog completely transforms this landscape, eliminating the sense of grand space and scale and instead producing a sense of intimacy and mystery.

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, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Headlands, Incoming Autumn Storm

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Headlands, Incoming Autumn Storm
An incoming Pacific weather front darkens the skies above Big Sur coastline headlands.

Headlands, Incoming Autumn Storm. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An incoming Pacific weather front darkens the skies above Big Sur coastline headlands.

This location is both a rather famous one (or, perhaps more accurately, right beneath a famous one) and typical of many of the more dramatic sections of the California coastline. I am very fortunate to have been brought up close to the center of this geography, and I can head north or south to find many such places where the ocean and the land meet in such an impressive fashion. Here the Pacific runs right up against coastal cliffs rising to headlands, with narrow beaches and rocks marking the margins of the continent.

In most cases I might try to photograph this scene in different sorts of light — perhaps the bright early morning (when the cliffs are still in shadow), the evening when sunset light hits the coast directly from the west, or in dramatic fog or clouds. But those conditions were not to be seen on this late-autumn day when an incoming Pacific weather front was covering the sky in a thin shield of clouds. In my view, these conditions also bring a special sort of light, with the diffusive effect of the clouds revealing subtler color and filling in and lighting areas that would otherwise be in shadow.

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.

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Autumn Road

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Autumn Road
A gravel road under foggy skies winds among cottonwood trees and other Central Valley autumn foliage

Autumn Road. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A gravel road under foggy skies winds among cottonwood trees and other Central Valley autumn foliage.

The natural attractions of California’s Great Central Valley can be a bit more subtle that those of, say, the coast, the Sierra, the redwoods, or the great desert landscapes. This area lacks, for the most part, the spectacular features of those other places. (Though it can provide rather striking views of the Sierra, the coastal mountains, and even Mount Shasta when the conditions are right.) It is mostly a flat place, and most of what we see along the main highways is agricultural land.

But by getting off the main highways, slowing down, and looking around a bit it is possible to find some beautiful and quiet subjects out here. They can be related to the agricultural scene — especially if you can look past “factory farms” — and they can also be found in areas where there is water along rivers or in the wetlands. This photograph comes from the latter, an area where nearby wetland ponds support abundant wildlife, especially in the winter. This day began in thick fog, and I made the photograph as it was starting to thin and break up, adding some texture to the sky and producing soft, directional light on the trees along this rural roadway.

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.

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

Photographs: Central California

Late-Autumn Coastal Forest

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Late-Autumn Coastal Forest
The Big Sur River runs past late-autumn deciduous forest.

Late-Autumn Coastal Forest. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The Big Sur River runs past late-autumn deciduous forest.

Scenes like this one are actually easy to find all over coastal California and even at many inland locations. These low elevation forests, especially those where the climate is moderated by proximity to the Pacific Ocean, tend to be quiet and gentle places. As such, it is easy to overlook them, especially when far more dramatic landscapes about.

In fact, on this December day I found myself here after realizing that the conditions were far from ideal for photographing some of those nearby dramatic landscapes. The gray skies of an incoming Pacific weather front made the long views at the coast less than exciting, so I headed a few miles inland and found this beautiful section of the Big Sur River, where the water flowed past quietly and autumn big leaf maple leaves littered the ground.

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.

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