Reeds, Sky, Reflecting Pond

“Reeds, Sky, Reflecting Pond” — The sky above reed-covered wetlands islands is reflected in the surface of a pond.

On the right day, in the right conditions, these wetlands can sometimes feel like they are all about the sky. Standing next to a large pond that extends into the distance, the sky above and its inverse reflective twin stretch out in front of you. They meet at the horizon, with may be defined by a thick line of vegetation, as here, or the water and the sky may merge into a single thing.

It may not be immediately apparent, but a conjunction of atmospheric effects is behind this photograph. Above, the sky is filled with thin blue-gray clouds. Lower down in the distance, a rather thick fog bank still lurks. The foreground reeds are catching a beam of direct sunlight, almost appearing stark against the background of clouds and fog ad their reflection in the pond.


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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Die Alte Brücke, Heidelberg

Die Alte Brücke, Heidelberg
“Die Alte Brücke, Heidelberg” — The old bridge across the Neckar River leads to Heidelberg Altstadt.

As I have written previously, Heidelberg is our “home away from home” when we travel to Europe. We almost always end up there for at least a few days, and on our late 2024 visit we used it as our home base for essentially three weeks. Patty’s brother and sister-in-law live there and graciously host us. So by now we are somewhat familiar with parts of the city, including the Altstadt (“old town”) area.

I made this simple little photograph as we walked through hills above the Neckar River on the Philosophenweg footpath. Although the weather felt like winter (at least to us Californians!), there were still colorful autumn leaves on many of the trees. “Die Alte Brücke” (the old bridge) is visible beyond the trees in the center of the frame, and after we descended from the hills we crossed it into the town.


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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Winter Trees, Dawn Sky

“Winter Trees, Dawn Sky” — Bare winter trees silhouetted against a foggy dawn sky.

The large tree in this scene has been the subject of at least one other recently-shared photograph of mine. The earlier image focused almost exclusively on the tree. It was shot with a longer focal length, and the tree nearly fills the frame. Here I used a wide angle lens and worked from a distance, showing the tree it the context of its landscape surroundings.

This was a lovely morning at this Central Valley location. Thick pre-dawn tule fog began to drift and thin at first light, revealing muted views of the landscape. The fog was shallow, and overhead the sky was streaked with lines of clouds catching the first colorful light of the new day.


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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Interior, Sebalduskirche, Nürnberg

Interior, Sebalduskirche, Nürnberg
“Interior, Sebalduskirche, Nürnberg” — Interior of the Sebalduskirche (St. Sebald’s Church) in Nürnberg, Bavaria.

On the last full day of our 2024 autumn visit to Nürnberg we visited some of the older historic sites. A couple of the old churches were on our list — first the St. Lorenz church and then the Sebalduskirche. This photograph is of the interior of the latter. Of the two, this one seemed darker and a bit more foreboding, though the change in the ambient outdoor light may have enhanced this impression.

This is a very old medieval church — construction began 800 years ago. Like so many buildings in this part of Nürnberg, the structure was seriously damaged during WWII. Since then it was restored, and today there is little obvious evidence of the destruction.


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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | BlueSkyEmail

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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