Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Trillium

March 25, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A single trillium flower rises about leaves against a dark background

For a variety of reasons I decided to make this a black and white photograph, even though the trillium flower is a beautiful thing to see in color, especially when softly lit by light filtering down through the redwood forest and when there is a dark, amorphous background. Because the colors can be striking, perhaps the pure form of the flower may be more visible in black and white. In addition, in many ways working in monochrome permits me more flexibility in the post-processing stage.

These flowers blossom every March at Muir Woods, the closest place I know where I can reliably find them. After a number of years shooting there I have a pretty good idea of both where and when to find them, and this flower was along one of the trails where hundreds of the flowers can appear during a short window just before the start of spring. This year I visited perhaps a week after the peak—though there were still new plants pushing up from the ground—and the drought seems to have reduced the number and quality of the flowers a bit. But a single flower is still enough to make a photograph!

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Sandhill Cranes, Pond

March 24, 2014 G Dan Mitchell 1 Comment

A flock of sandhill cranes stands in the shallow water of a San Joaquin Valley marsh

The sandhill cranes are among my favorite of the seasonal birds found in California’s Central Valley. Their call is almost replacing that of the geese as my favorite sonic image of winter in the valley, especially when it comes in thick fog and heralds the approach of birds that I cannot see. Their manner of flight is also special. Rather than wheeling wildly, as geese will do, they often seem to be headed somewhere, traveling in a mostly straight line and frequently at a low level. When they take off they remind me, in a way, of heavily laden passenger airliners that must ascend slowly. They may travel in groups of a dozen or more, but they may also be seen flying over in smaller groups of two or so.

Most often I cannot get very close to them. At one place where I frequently photograph I have gotten accustomed to seeing them take off just after dawn from a location that is just a bit too far away for good photographs. But on this mid-February day they seemed to be a little more willing to stick around as we came closer. On several occasions earlier in the day they stuck around as we drove slowly past. This group stood almost still in shallow water not far from our position (“hidden” in our vehicle on a nearby access road) and only gradually began to leave a bit later. I no longer recall what it was, but something to my left must have been very fascinating to cranes!

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: People, Photographs: Urban/Street

Family Portrait

March 23, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Brandon, Jameson, Lia – Central Park

A “snap” of family in Central Park, New York City from last December, when we spent a week visiting relatives and wandering around New York City. This photograph was on a cold winter day when we joined throngs of New Yorkers (and, like us, temporary New Yorkers) in the park.

I was shooting mostly in a manner that is much different from the way I might shoot landscape. Using a very small handheld camera and (mostly) a single prime lens, I shot while moving from place to place. Especially in the case of photographs of people, I did not always necessarily try for perfect camera stability—and the resulting motion blur somehow can seem consistent with the experience of the place. This photograph was grabbed very quickly, as we emerged from an underground walkway into the edge of the outside light.

Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Winter Trees, Statue, Central Park

March 22, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Barren winter trees and statue in Central Park, New York City

At the end of 2013 we spent a week in New York City, devoting our time to a combination of family visits and exploring the city and surroundings. We staying in Manhattan and did a lot of walking and subway riding there, but we also got up to the north as far as The Cloisters museum and also spent quite a bit of time in Brooklyn.

We managed to miss the worst of the tough winter weather in New York. We had some rain on one day, and there was the tiniest flurry of snow on another near the end of the trip. For Californians from the San Francisco Bay Area, it seemed cold, but not nearly like it would be starting a few days after we left, when cold conditions and very heavy snow arrived. All of this was great for us since we wanted to walk and photograph a lot. On one day we decided to wander around in Central Park. It was a beautiful winter day, with mostly blue skies and clear air. The park was crowded with plenty of other people who were taking advantage of the opportunity to get out. As we wandered around I carried my small rangefinder-style camera and mostly shot quickly and spontaneously, focusing on whatever happened to catch my attention—a group of trees, tall building surrounding the park, people, and so on. Here I tried to fill the frame with the stark, twisted forms of these barren winter trees against the clear sky… with a small surprise in the lower left corner.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Trillium

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Family Portrait

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Winter Trees, Statue, Central Park

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

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