Tag Archives: autumn

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Nature

Submerged Autumn Leaves

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Submerged Autumn Leaves
Submerged Autumn Leaves” — Autumn cottonwood leaves submerged in a wetland pond.

A confession: Although these are “submerged autumn leaves,” I photographed them on New Year’s Day. We spent the day in the Central Valley with friends, celebrating the new year and photographing birds and landscape. The location is primarily wetlands terrain, but there are cottonwood trees all around, and their colorful leaves were everywhere.

I stopped here after someone told me that they had spotted a single bird of an interesting and rare sort in an easily accessible spot. I spoke to a fellow who told me the bird had gracioiusly posed on a branch for him for ten minutes before flying away. Of course, it was gone when I got there! As I left I crossed a little bridge right where the bird wasn’t. I looked down into the water and spotted these interesting leaves.

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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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sky

Autumn Moon

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Autumn Moon
“Autumn Moon” — Clouds pass in front of the full moon in the early morning, Central Valley.

When I arrived at a Central Valley location where I photograph migratory birds on this late-November morning I was a bit disappointed to not have thick tule fog. I love to photograph in those conditions, partly because of the atmosphere they provide and partly because they often extend useful photography hours later into the day. But on this morning there was only the tiniest hint of incipient fog, and the view to the sky was rather clear.

I began by photograph ing birds before sunrise. As the sky begins to lighten the birds (mostly geese and cranes) become restless and eventually take off, often in large groups. During a pause in the passage of the birds I noticed the thinning clouds passing in front of the full moon as pink dawn light struck the edges of the clouds.

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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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Autumn Sky

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Autumn Sky
“Autumn Sky” — November morning sky and clouds above California’s Central Valley.

The pre-dawn light on this autumn morning in California’s Central Valley did not look all that promising. It was one of those, “OK, but nothing remarkable” days — lovely, but not with quite the magic I hoped for. As I recall, the earliest light of sunrise was muted by clouds to the east over the Sierra Nevada. But before long things began to improve, and I had a few moments of quite intense light shortly after sunrise.

This is an example of a phenomenon that I’ve learned to watch for. It is a circumstance that increases the potential for brilliant dawn or sunset color, though it is far from a guarantee. On a cloudy morning or evening when the cloud layer ends far to the east (at dawn) or west (at sunset), there is a chance that the sun will briefly shine under the clouds as it touches the horizon, lighting the clouds with intensely colorful light from underneath.

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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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Urban Wild, Manhattan

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Urban Wild, Manhattan
Tightly packed buildings and large trees, Manhattan.

Urban Wild, Manhattan. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Tightly packed buildings and large trees, Manhattan.

This photograph embodies something about Manhattan that I’ve mentioned before: For such an intensely urban place, there are a lot of examples of the natural world. It isn’t the kind of (ostensibly) “pure” nature that we see in the America West, but I sometimes think that its close juxtaposition with the city environment almost makes it more precious. We have whole forests out here in California, but in Manhattan a single tree can sometimes mean almost as much.

I saw this scene from the High Line Park as we walked its length last November. To those of use used to living with more space around and between us, the closeness of urban abodes along this park is surprising, and it almost seems voyeuristic to take a long look through the trees in someone’s tiny yard.

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 | Post | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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