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

Tree With Two Hawks, Fog

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Morning tule fog clears beyond a tree with a pair of hawks

Tree With Two Hawks, Fog. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning tule fog clears beyond a tree with a pair of hawks

I was in this location to photograph something quite different from what is seen here, but tule fog interfered with that subject to some extent. So I found myself wandering a bit more afield and looking for other subjects. Eventually the fog began to thin and drift away.

This solitary tree appeared against the background of a long grove of (mostly) cottonwood trees, and the thinning fog began to allow light from the morning sky into the scene. Initially I simply saw the tree itself as the subject, but as I composed the photograph I realized that a pair of hawks for perched side-by-side on one of the limbs.

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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: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Reflecting Pond, Meadow, Thunderheads

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Reflecting Pond, Meadow, Thunderheads
A meadow pond reflects sky and evening thunderheads.

Reflecting Pond, Meadow, Thunderheads. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A meadow pond reflects sky and evening thunderheads.

Many people probably enjoy the typical Sierra Nevada summer day. Who wouldn’t enjoy perfect blue skies, temperatures perhaps as high as the mid-seventy degree range at 8,000 feet of elevation, gentle breezes? Photographers, that’s who! Actually, we do like the comforts of warmth and sunlight — it is just that the visual environment can be a bit… bland. So, yes, a string of perfect weather days in the Sierra will often get photographers complaining.

The most typical variation in the summer weather pattern comes from monsoon moisture, sweeping up from the south and sometimes parking along the crest of the range and frequently to the east. This weather may (or may not) bring a brief shower (or downpour!), but it always brings interesting skies. This was almost one of the boring, perfect blue sky days but for the beautiful thunderheads on the other side of the Sierra crest. I headed out into this still-green meadow, where the early season flooding had receded, leaving a few pools like this one to reflect the clouds and sky.

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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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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

Rocky Beach, Big Sur Coastline

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Rocky Beach, Big Sur Coastline
A rocky beach near Willow Creek, rugged Big Sur coastline

Rocky Beach, Big Sur Coastline. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A rocky beach near Willow Creek, rugged Big Sur coastline

The color of the ocean varies immensely along this California Big Sur coastline. The causes are varied. The water reflects the light, and that light can be dark and dramatic, soft and misty, or bright to the point of brilliance. The surface of the water, affected by wind and weather, has an effect — the water can be rough and textured or nearly glass smooth. The depth of the water and what lies beneath change the color — rocks, sand, kelp beds.

I’m fascinated by these locations, often in small bays, where the water is much lighter, a color that reminds me of lakes below glaciers. My theory is that in these locations the water is not very deep, and that the bottom must be sandy. In some spots I think that runoff or the action of waves on the shoreline may add sediment to the water. The little bay in this photograph is a spot where I often pause along this coast. But this time, as I returned from the southern endpoint of this day’s drive, I stopped before I arrived there and photographed it from a distance.

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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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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Sailing Stone

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Sailing Stone
The sailing stones of the San Joaquin

Sailing Stone. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The sailing stones of the San Joaquin

Many are familiar with the “sailing stones” or “gliding stones” found on a well-know, remote playa at Death Valley National Park. Getting to that location takes a bit of effort — a 55 mile round trip on an awful road, and typically one wants to be there at sunrise and/or sunset. I’ve been there quite a few times – though I no longer go. Why not? A combination of being interested in the many other compelling locations in that park and the fact that too many visitors to the place have caused some damage that mars the landscape and the experience.

But I think I’ve found an alternative! This location — which I won’t name, given the obvious aesthetic appeal of this, uh, “landscape” — seems to also feature at least one sailing stone. And an out house. I’m not sure how to explain the appearance of the phenomenon at this location, but perhaps someone can investigate as the focus of their graduate project…

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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