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

Trees and Marsh, Fog

April 5, 2013 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

A clump of trees on a foggy morning and their reflection in the waters of a Central Valley marsh

I made this photograph on New Year’s Day 2013, while on a little “goose chasing” adventure to California Central Valley wildlife refuges. A group of like-minded folks decided that there would be no better way to start the new year than to gather before sunrise along the edges of San Joaquin Valley marshes to hear the pre-dawn chorus of migratory birds and then spend the day photographing them.

As almost always seems to be the case out there, the atmosphere and light continued to evolve in all sorts of interesting ways as the day wore on. Dawn come with high clouds that were broken in a few spots and with fog below. Eventually the light penetrated the high clouds and began to light up the refuge – but the light remained soft and luminous as the fog wasn’t quite done with us yet. We took a midday break, and when we returned we again had overcast, but sunset colors came through near the end of the day. While circling the area looking for geese and other critters I stopped at one point to photograph these trees growing from the marshy land against a background of haze and a bit of fog.

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Photographs: Southern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Green Building, Windows

April 4, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A downtown San Diego building with windows and green walls

Right around April Fools Day we spent several days in San Diego. Oddly for a long-time Californian and a person who has visited that city before, I really don’t know San Diego that well. (Past visits have mostly been for various conferences and meetings, and I’ve tended to fly in, head straight to a hotel, do my business, head back to the airport, and leave.) On this visit – yes, for the first time – I spent some time photographing at Balboa Park, where there are a number of interesting subjects ranging from architecture to people. Lot’s of people!

We also walked around the downtown area of San Diego quite a bit, as that is where we stayed. Downtown San Diego has a character, as most cities do, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. Architecturally, much of the area near where we were seems to be that type that is alternately attractive on account of its wide streets and very modern buildings but also a bit sterile for much the same reason. The overall place, not surprisingly, seems to mix up some of the Mexican influence, a wannabe tropical quality that occasionally reminds me just a tiny bit of Miami, and a somewhat toned-down version of the over-the-top LA Basin atmosphere. We were out walking in the morning on a weekday when I looked up as we passed the back of this building, with its interesting color combination and various window patterns.

Deals and Sales

“Light of Ireland” Tour

April 3, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

My friend Tim Baskerville – long time San Francisco area photographer and night photograph guru of The Nocturnes – is leading photographic tours to Ireland. Tim, whose family roots go back to West Ireland, is a long time visitor to Ireland who has photographed there frequently. If this sounds interesting to you, I urge you to get in touch with Tim – and tell him I sent you!

“The Light of Ireland”

Join accomplished Photographer/Educator Tim Baskerville and Irish Guide, Olcan Masterson in Western Ireland. Olcan, a walking authority on the history of western Ireland, has spent many years exploring the hills and back roads of the area. An accomplished musician as well, he has spread traditional Irish music all over Europe and the U.S. with his flute and tin whistle. Mostly though, he is a living embodiment of Irish charm and hospitality. He will show you the spirit and soul of Ireland, as few visitors will ever experience it. You will get a view of the land and the culture that comes with living it, not merely visiting it.

Western Ireland affords us a unique opportunity in that there are so many wonderful hidden places to explore. Even if you have traveled to this area in the past, your guides will seek out new places to visit and photograph. There are spectacular monastic and megalithic ruins to seek out in your daily adventures.

The land cost includes:
• Group transportation for tour events in the tour van.
• Accommodations based on two people sharing a room, singles are assigned on a first come, first served basis.
• Services of driver, English-speaking cultural guide (if applicable) and photographic leader, during the tour.
• All breakfasts, most dinners are included.
• Park entrance fees, day tours and excursions as shown in the itinerary.
• Extensive pre-departure information and services.

The land cost does not include:
Domestic or International air fare.

Date: July 15-25, 2013
Websites:
http://phototc.com/tours/details/the-light-of-ireland
http://www.thenocturnes.com

Location: County Mayo, County Galway in the West of Ireland

Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Gambel Oak Leaves, Autumn

April 3, 2013 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Brilliantly colored autumn colors of Gambel Oak leaves, Capitol Reef National Park

This is a very different view of the autumn gambel oak leaves than another that I recently posted. That other photograph showed the perhaps more typical brown or tan phase of fall oak leaf color. This one, on the other hand, shows a particularly colorful specimen of these leaves, caught at perhaps just the right moment and in the right light in a canyon of Capitol Reef National Park early one late-October morning.

The angle from which you view these leaves matters a lot, as it often does with autumn leaves in general. The nature of the ambient light also makes a big difference. And did I mention the timing!? If you can get a bit of back-light behind the oak leaves, what might otherwise be a bit dull can begin to glow. And the soft, diffused lighting in this deep canyon setting allowed the light to fill in the shadows. These particular specimens possess very interesting color and shape patterns: there is an interior still-green section on many of the leaves that is just beginning to edge towards yellow-gold, and it is surrounded by brilliantly red and orange leaf edges. When I shoot in deep shade – and these plants were deep in the shade of this small canyon – I often find that the photograph seems unnaturally blue, given that most of the light is either direct or reflected blue sky. In most cases, in order to get a color balance that reflects what the eye saw – and our visual system compensates for the blue saturation – I have to alter the color balance a bit and move it away from this artificial-seeming blueness. However, in this case, if I adjusted far enough to neutralize the blue that you can still see on the more-or-less gray branches and twigs, the color of the leaves would probably defy belief!

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Trees and Marsh, Fog

Green Building, Windows

“Light of Ireland” Tour

Gambel Oak Leaves, Autumn

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