Category Archives: Photographs: Nature

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Northern Harrier Taking Flight

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Northern Harrier Taking Flight
A northern harrier lifts its wings as it begins to take off from a fence post on a foggy morning.

Northern Harrier Taking Flight. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A northern harrier lifts its wings as it begins to take off from a fence post on a foggy morning.

We were slowly passing along a gravel road when we spotted this bird perched on a nearby fencepost. Most often when I approach birds like this one they don’t leave immediately — but many times they seem to get nervous and depart if I stop nearby. With that in mind we moved very slowly as we approached. We stopped some distance away and photographed. Then we moved a bit closer and photographed some more. Finally we stopped immediately parallel to the bird and continued to photograph. Somewhat to my surprise, the bird continued to stick around. (Don’t judge my distance from the bird by the photograph — I used a very long lens and have cropped from the original full image.)

We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to observe this beautiful bird up close for several minutes as it stuck around. It looked this way and that, preened a bit, but continued to stand on the pole. Often in a case like this I keep photographing since I know the bird won’t be there long. This time the darned thing posed long enough that I paused my photography. Finally, with little warning, the harrier took flight. Fortunately I already had it in my viewfinder, so I was able to capture this instant as the wings came up in preparation for flight.

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

Tree With Birds, Evening

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Tree With Birds, Evening
A lone tree full of small birds and still holding a few autumn leaves stands in wetlands on the last winter evening of the year.

Tree With Birds, Evening. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A lone tree full of small birds and still holding a few autumn leaves stands in wetlands on the last winter evening of the year.

There are beautiful landscapes, effects of atmosphere, and light almost everywhere. We often imagine that we have to go to special or iconic places to find them, but that isn’t always true. (Yes, I do go to those places, too.) For many years I have marked the time between those longer trips to more famous places by photographing closer to home, often in less dramatic landscapes — sometimes so close that I can walk out my front door to find them. Over time these places have become as special as any.

Wetlands are found all over California, with the only major exceptions being among high peaks and in the deserts. (If you look hard enough, you may find occasional examples even in those places.) You can find them along the coast and they are abundant along the state’s many river drainages. I photographed this scene at the end of the year, in the early evening of a winter day when a few autumn leaves remained, the light was softened by high clouds, and winter haze muted the colors.

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 Wetlands

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Autumn Wetlands
Morning fog clearing above a California Central Valley wetlands pond.

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

Morning fog clearing above a California Central Valley wetlands pond.

This is perhaps not a spectacular, iconic scene — and that may be an understatement! The specific place is hardly significant beyond my personal familiarity with it, and you could easily find similar places all over California’s Central Valley, spots near rivers and other water sources where the water pools and forms marshes, either naturally or as a result of human planning. It can be difficult to persuade others to find the beauty in such seemingly-ordinary places, but over time that beauty does emerge.

This day started in thick tule fog that made it impossible to see more than a few hundred feet. Later in the morning the fog began to thin, and sunlight came through breaks in the low clouds. By the time I made the photograph it was more sunny than not, but the light was soft due to the remnants of that earlier fog. These ponds led off toward levees and… more water and trees.

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, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Pacific Horizon, Weather Front

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Pacific Horizon, Weather Front
Cloud shadows on the surface of the Pacific Ocean as an incoming storm front darkens the skies above the horizon.

Pacific Horizon, Weather Front. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Cloud shadows on the surface of the Pacific Ocean as an incoming storm front darkens the skies above the horizon.

This is a familiar scene to me, as I’ve have been visiting this section of the California coast for decades. The location is along the Big Sur coast, though it could be any number of places where it is possible to get up high and find an open view toward the horizon and the sun. On this day there was a thin overcast from the leading edge of an incoming Pacific weather system, and it did a fine job of casting shadows on the water and muting the brightest reflections.

For me these scenes always encourage a certain kind of stillness and thoughtfulness. As a person who has spent next-to-no time on the ocean, looking across these immense distances toward the horizon causes me to ponder the scale of the Pacific Ocean. Lower down at the waters edge, my attention goes to sand and surf and rocks — but up higher it extends much further outward.

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.