Pond, Clouds. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Towering late-afternoon autumn clouds reflected in a Central Valley wetlands pond.

Who isn’t a sucker for big, fluffy clouds and vast expanses of smooth water? I know I am. Such clouds often appear between winter (and late-autumn) storms in California, and they are among my favorite weather phenomena here. While the form is reminiscent of that of big thunderheads, these clouds are not as large and in person they have a much gentler aspect. I photographed these above Central Valley wetlands on a day of soft and diffuse light — it began in fog and ended in lovely late-day light.

Those who look at my photography with a somewhat technical eye may have noticed that I’m a big fan of long focal lengths for much of my landscape photography. I like the way that they allow me to focus on smaller sections of the grand landscape. But I always carry wider lenses, too, and that is what these conditions called for. Knowing this was a possibility, I actually had two cameras with me — one outfitted with a long focal length to photograph birds and the other with a shorter lens for subjects just like this one.

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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Wetlands Evening. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dissipating evening clouds reflected in the surface of a Central Valley wetlands pond.

This is the my favorite season in California — from October (with Sierra aspens) though the onset of winter rains (and mountain snow) in November or so, and on to the very beginning of spring. I’m sure that folks in other parts of country occasionally resent us saying it, but sometimes the hot and sunny days of late spring through summer are just… boring. it is rare to see clouds, there is virtually no rain — and those are precisely the conditions I love.

I made this photograph on a recent trip in the Central Valley, mostly looking for wildlife, but also for agricultural subjects, a certain sort of autumn color that is found here into December, and the beautiful skies that appear before and after the passage of weather systems. I had arrived at this place before dawn, photographed through the morning in fog, and returned again after a midday lunch break. Here it less than a half hour before sunset, and things were quieting down and the light was softening, and big, billowy clouds drifted overhead, reflected in the waters of wetland ponds.

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

Autumn sunshine breaks through the morning fog along a gravel road following a Central Valley levee.

California’s Great Central Valley, comprised of the San Joaquin Valley to the south of the Delta and the Sacramento Valley extending to the north, is a more complex and rich place than we might imagine, especially those of us who so often simply use the valley as a route to go somewhere else. We drive it heading north to Oregon and Washington, south to Los Angeles, or east/west between the coast and the mountains and deserts. As a result, we mostly see it at 70mph from roadways, or during rest and meal stops at interchanges. But get away from the main routes and slow down a bit and there are surprises. One surprise is just how much water plays into this landscape… and its politics. Along the major river drainages, especially where there is agriculture (which is practically everywhere) the allocation and control of water is a very big thing. In fact, this levee road is just one small example of something much larger.

I was out on this road recently, enjoying a late-fall foggy morning and searching out migratory wildlife. These fall and winter tule fog days are my favorites in the valley, though I can certainly understand that they aren’t usually viewed with enthusiasm. They can make driving treacherous and can affect residents’ moods. But they also produce beautiful and mysterious effects on the landscape. One of the most beautiful and most transitory effects comes when the shallow but thick fog begins to clear — the air is still obscured and soft clouds are everywhere, but beams of gentle light begin to move across the landscape.

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.