Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Wildlife

Two Pelicans, Sunset

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Two Pelicans, Sunset

Two Pelicans, Sunset. Pacific Coast, California. September 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two pelicans fly above the Pacific Ocean along the California coast at sunset.

I’ve posted photos from this set before, but since it has been a while I’ll share the story again. I had taken by son over to Santa Cruz, where he goes to school, and we decided to drive north up the coast in the early evening and look for photo opportunities. Although this section of the coast is always interesting, on this evening the first few places we stopped just didn’t present any obvious photographic opportunities. Finally I decided to just head for a roadside turnout that I had visited before. It is located right at the edge of the steep bluffs above the ocean, and large sea birds often fly right along the edge, apparently catching the updraft from the wind coming in off the ocean. You can see the birds coming for hundreds of yards in either direction, track them as the approach, and if you are lucky they will pass by mere feet from your position.

Making this setting more interesting and/or more challenging on this evening, the sun was setting behind a bit of off-shore fog – and as I panned to follow the birds the exposure went from fairly normal light on either side of my position to the intensely colorful and very bright light coming through the fog when I was aiming directly out to see as in this photo.

Yes, it really was this color.

keywords: pelican, two, bird, wildlife, fly, wing, sunset, fog, orange, gold, ocean, pacific, coast, light, highway, one, scenic, travel, flight, california, usa, davenport

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Fletcher Lake Trees, Morning Light

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Fletcher Lake Trees, Morning Light

Fletcher Lake Trees, Morning Light. Yosemite National Park, California. September 8, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Early morning light illuminates lakeside trees, meadow, and rocks at Fletcher Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

Years ago, before the park service became (justifiably) more concerned about the damage that hikers and campers causes to meadows, one might have camped among these trees near the shoreline of Fletcher Lake, near Vogelsang High Sierra Camp in the Yosemite high country. I first visited Fletcher that long ago, and I still return every summer, typically near the end of the season when the meadow grasses turn brown and golden and when the crowds diminish. This photograph was made on just such a trip this past September, when the morning light was just coming around the side of Fletcher Peak.

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Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Half Dome, Sunset – Olmsted Point

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Half Dome, Sunset - Olmsted Point

Half Dome, Sunset – Olmsted Point. Yosemite National Park, California. September 8, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sunset light on Half Dome as viewed from Olmsted Point along the Tioga Pass Road.

Sometimes I can’t help myself and I have to stop for this classic view when driving back from the Sierra via Tioga Pass Road. I drive past this spot at least a dozen times each season, so I’ve perhaps become a bit jaded – and I’ll only stop when the light seems extra special.

Here the very late light is illuminating Half Dome while the lower canyons have fallen into deep shadows on this late summer evening.

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Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Pond, Bishop Creek

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Pond, Bishop Creek

Pond, Bishop Creek. Sierra Nevada, California. October 5, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn colors reflected in a pond on Bishop Creek, Sierra Nevada, California.

After starting my shooting very early in the morning – I had earlier photographed some groves near the turnoff to North Lake and some expansive views of Sabrina Basin from near Aspendell – I continued up the Bishop Creek drainage to this small pond along the upper reaches of Bishop Creek. As I set up in this spot along the southeast shore of the creek, the sun was just beginning to come over the high ridge behind me. As it did so it illuminated the aspen grove on the far side of the creek and added a glow to the dry ferns and creekside plants. I worked quickly and got a few shots as the sun/shade line moved across the trees and plants and soon hit the creek itself.

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