Category Archives: Photographs: Nature

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Urban/Street

Twilight in the Urban Forest

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Twilight in the Urban Forest

Twilight in the Urban Forest. San Jose, California. January 4, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Trees and the side of an office building are illuminated by evening light reflected from the windows of a nearby building.

There is more than meets the eye in this photograph, and even when you think you have figured out why there is more than meets the eye I think there will still be more that you may not yet have noticed. I’ll continue to be enigmatic and say that “all is not what it seems in this photograph.” :-)

I will say that I made the photograph while wandering around downtown San Jose, California on an “urban photo walk” over the weekend, hunting for interesting street and urban images. This and all the photos I made that afternoon and evening were made in traditional “street” style using a 35mm prime.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: afternoon, building, california, city, county, downtown, evening, san jose, santa clara, urban, tree, forest, reflection, shadow, building, office, windows, side, sidewalk, plant, evening, golden hour, stock, illusion, twilight

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Oaks and New Grass, Evening

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Oaks and New Grass, Evening

Oaks and New Grass, Evening. Calero Hills, California. January 1, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early evening on the first day of 2009; winter oak trees and new grasses in the Calero Hills, California.

Vertical format photograph from the same location as the previous landscape orientation photograph posted earlier. This was shot in slightly foggy conditions near dusk in along a favorite trail in the Calero Hills.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords:oak, trees, grove, forest, meadow, grass, brown, gold, green, new, trunk, branch, fog, mist, ravine, hill, slope, calero, santa clara, county, park, central, california, usa, nature, landscape, scenic, travel, season, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

New Years Day 2009: Oak Trees and New Grass, Winter

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New Years Day 2009: Oak Trees and New Grass, Winter

New Years Day 2009: Oak Trees and New Grass, Winter. Calero Hills, California. January 1, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early evening on the first day of 2009; winter oak trees and new grasses in the Calero Hills, California.

As in my tradition, I started the new year with a hike today – in this case a short hike in my favorite local Calero Hills. It was late in the day and foggy when I got there, so the conditions were what I think of as typical California winter weather. These trees are on a hillside on a trail that I frequently travel. This is a typical California scene in that you see simultaneously what would be regarded as two separate seasons in many other places – the last colorful leaves of autumn and the first new grass of spring.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: oak, trees, grove, forest, meadow, grass, brown, gold, green, new, trunk, branch, fog, mist, ravine, hill, slope, calero, santa clara, county, park, central, california, usa, nature, landscape, scenic, travel, season, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Autumn Tree, Morning Light

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Autumn Tree, Morning Light

Autumn Tree, Morning Light. Calero Hills, California. November 22, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A singe leafless tree on a grassy hillside in morning light – Calero Hills, California.

A week ago I spent the morning at one of my favorite nearby locations, the oak and grassland hills of Calero Park south of San Jose, California. This is a place I visit frequently. On this trip I did something a bit different. Although I tend to shoot more with wide angle to normal focal length lenses, on this morning I went out with the 100-400mm zoom attached to my camera. Initially this was because I hoped to photograph an egret that often hangs out at a pond I would pass early on the hike, but as I continued I decided to find out what I could "see" with this different lens.

This is a subtle photograph – and I’m afraid that the details in the branches of the tree that make it work at a larger size are not really visible here. The photo was shot at 400mm – yes a 400mm landscape photo! The long lens produced a very narrow depth of field so – in the print at least – both foreground and background are thrown a bit out of focus, accentuating the sharp shapes of the small side-lit branches on the tree.

keywords: tree, oak, fall, autumn, grass, meadow, forest, tree, light, morning, branches, hill, ridge, calero, california, usa, santa clara county, san jose, park, bay area, nature, follage, landscape, scenic, stock