Tag Archives: black and white

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

Flock of Cranes in Flight

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Flock of Cranes in Flight
“Flock of Cranes in Flight” — A flock of lesser sandhill cranes in low level flight, Central Valley, California.

This group of sandhill cranes was a minor part of a wild mass of birds, including thousands of geese and lots of cranes. At this point in the season (mid-February) the migratory birds can be quite active during the day, with lots of coming and going. This group of birds was about to land and join a larger flock already on the ground.

I decided to use this high key approach to the photograph in order to slightly abstract the birds’ forms and to separate them from any distracting background. The photograph catches them in a particularly interesting moment: As cranes land they transition though a series of positions. First they glide in smoothly, then begin to turn into the breeze. Then the legs extend, wings rise, and necks crane forward just before they touch down.

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: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Curving Street, Rain

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Curving Street, Rain
“Curving Street, Rain” — A narrow street curves though the Italian town of Arezzo on a rainy day.

Part of what I love about Italy is that many cities’ central areas are so old that they were laid out before motor vehicles existed. Consequently streets are quite narrow — in some cases only wide enough for pedestrians. The entrances to homes and businesses are right on the streets — no “front lawn, and no fences. These streets usually don’t follow a geometric grid design, instead radiating from a central square or following the contours of the landscape.

The old, central part of Arezzo, Italy includes areas that follow this formula — though there are also newer streets that are wide enough for some vehicle traffic. We wandered streets like this one on a rainy afternoon, when the showers made the cobblestones glisten.

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

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

Light on Water, Big Sur Coast

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Light on Water, Big Sur Coast
“Light on Water, Big Sur Coast” —Brilliant winter sunlight reflects on the surface of the Pacific Ocean as morning fog thins along the rugged headlands of the Big Sur ciast.

Near the end of February I made a quick trip down the Big Sur coast — though I was eventually stopped by road closures resulting from this winter’s storms. Before I turned around I stopped above this scene, one of my favorites for its long views of receding headlands, and for the frequent presence of fog and haze.

I often go in the morning, before the inevitable crowds arrive. Morning light can be tricky here, as the sun has to rise above tall mountains inland of the highway. However, when that light comes down canyons and into fog and haze it produces spectacular light. Another hint: people often think of this coast as running north-south, but it is northwest to southeast. This means that by late morning the sun often reflects directly off the surface of the water, as in this photograph, creating strong contrasts between dark land and bright water.

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

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Souvenir Shoppers, Milan

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Souvenir Shoppers, Milan
“Souvenir Shoppers, Milan” — Tourists pack a small souvenir shop near the Milan Duomo.

One of the “problems” with a long trip — at least for this photographer — is that I come back with so many photographs that it takes quite a whileto go through all of them. I made more than 5000 exposures on a 10-week visit to (mostly) Southern Europe last summer. While I’ve viewed all of them at least once, there’s still a lot of work to do when it comes to evaluating and post-processing. That’s my way of saying, “More still to come!”

This was a quick “street photography” shot in the doorway of a small souvenir shop along the square in front of the Milan Duomo. Needless to say, this is a busy area, especially during the summer. There are lots of opportunities to watch and photograph people of all sorts, both tourists and the Milanese.

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

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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