Category Archives: Photographs: Flight

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

Geese, Sunset Clouds

September 5, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A line of Ross’s geese fly in front of sunset clouds, San Joaquin Valley

It is summer… and I miss winter! I used to think that it was more of the case that I simply look forward to whatever season it isn’t, but I have come to realize that summer just isn’t my favorite time of year — at least not for photography. (Don’t take this the wrong way, though. There is plenty to photograph all year long, and I make a lot of photographs during the summer, too.) Over the past few years I have come to love the winter Central Valley, especially when I can photograph migratory birds, fog, and the immense skyscape.

This late-February day was special for photography. Surprisingly, it began in Yosemite Valley, where we had been for several days for the opening on the Yosemite Renaissance exhibit. Up early, we photographed in the Valley until midday, and then we began a lazy westward drive though the foothills that would take us to San Joaquin Valley wetlands to photograph birds at the end of the day. In the evening there was a tremendous fly-in of geese and cranes, and large flocks passed in front of beautiful clouds. Here a flock of Ross’s geese is backlit by the light from the west.

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Flight, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

White-Fronted Geese, Dawn Clouds

August 20, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A group of white-fronted geese silhouetted against dawn clouds above the Sacramento Valley.

This is another photograph from the early morning of my one-day visit to wildlife refuges in the Sacramento Valley. Arriving at such a place for the first time a bit before sunrise it is a bit difficult to know what to look for or where to find it. I did quickly spot some birds and at least there was a spectacular dawn sky!

Soon groups of geese began flying above me as they moved towards a nearby pond. I watched and waited and attempted to time photographs for when the birds passed in front of interesting background elements. It is hard to tell, since they are silhouetted against the brighter sky, but this is a group of white-fronted geese.

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Flight, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Sandhill Cranes in Morning Flight

August 14, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A flock of sandhill cranes passes overhead, San Joaquin Valley, California

Way back in college, as a music major oh so many years ago, I was lucky to be in a special program that fulfilled my science requirements in a non-traditional manner. Rather than enrolling in the usual undergraduate science courses, we spent part of a year in a series of small group seminars on a range of subject. (As a student with an interest in science, especially biology, I was a bit skeptical at first but thrilled in the end.) One portion on ecology lasted weeks, and reading Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac was a main component. This was perhaps the first such book I read. (I later read pretty much all of Muir and quite a lot of other such writers.)

One thing I remember from that book — and I hope I have this right — was something about sandhill cranes. I had no idea what they were… until many years later when I began photographing the migratory birds of California’s Central Valley. Sometimes ungainly on the ground, they have a refined and elegant way of flying, often flat and level without a lot of goose-like flapping. They are hesitant to fly right over a person with a camera, preferring to take a detour, but this group came straight at me.

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

Geese at First Light

July 7, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A flock of geese catch the first light above the Sacramento Valley

I’ll begin by briefly repeating the background of my visit to this place. Last winter, after several years of photographing migratory birds enthusiastically at some wonderful and familiar locations, I decided it was time to expand my horizons a bit. I set out to explore a few other new (to me) places where the birds can be found, mostly further north in California that I typically go to photograph this subject. These trips eventually took me all the way up to the far northeast corner of the state and even into Oregon, but the first excursion was to some areas in the Sacramento Valley.

I had read about this area and passed by it many times, including once or twice during the “bird season.” Shortly after New Years Day I decided to make a visit focused on photographing birds — and, as is my habit, the landscapes they inhabit. Many hours before dawn I set out on the long, dark drive to the north. I arrived at this place moments before sunrise and had to work quickly on pure instinct to find photographs in this unfamiliar landscape. I quickly discovered areas where there were birds, including this flock of geese taking to the air in the first sunlight of the morning.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Category Archives: Photographs: Flight

Geese, Sunset Clouds

White-Fronted Geese, Dawn Clouds

Sandhill Cranes in Morning Flight

Geese at First Light

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