Tag Archives: blue

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Central Valley Winter Sky

Image 2 Comments
Central Valley Winter Sky
Pre-sunrise winter sky and thin fog above Central Valley wetlands.

Central Valley Winter Sky. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Pre-sunrise winter sky and thin fog above Central Valley wetlands.

These days it is hard to precisely put my finger on the character of California’s Great Central Valley, comprised of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys and the delta where they merge with the San Francisco Bay. Many years ago a drive though the valley was all about agricultural communities, but today things are less homogeneous. Some areas seem more like extensions of the urban San Francisco Bay Area — see towns along the busy I80 corridor and the “bedroom communities” from which long-distance drivers commute in each day. Other towns further into the Valley, including many along Highway 99, have become so large that their agricultural roots seem more distant. To be sure, agriculture remains pervasive in the Valley, as a drive though almost any portion of it will make clear.

Among the features that continue to define this valley for me are its flat geography and the vast expanse of uninterrupted sky. This photograph focuses on both. I chose to place the horizon very close to the bottom of the frame since that’s were it is when we look up at skies like the one in this photograph. It was very early on a late-winter morning, before the sun had come up. The light was blue and thin dawn tule fog was dissipating above these wetlands.

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 | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question.

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

Autumn Haze, Big Sur Coast

Image Leave a comment
Autumn Haze, Big Sur Coast
Autumn haze hugs the rugged Big Sur coastline.

Autumn Haze, Big Sur Coast. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn haze hugs the rugged Big Sur coastline.

One of the things that I’ve missed during the past few months is the opportunity to experience landscape on the grand scale. Given the impediments to long-distance travel during the pandemic, a lot of my photography has been done very locally — on daily walks, on hikes in nearby natural areas, and so forth. For this reason — in addition to all of the other usual reasons — a recent day trip down the Big Sur coast was a special joy.

I think of this as a fairly “quiet” image. Yes, this is a stupendously rugged coastline and, yes, that is the Pacific Ocean. But it was a mostly quiet and calm day, without the crowds that are often found along this section of the California coast, and here the coastal haze muted the colors and the outlines of the headlands and buttresses along this section of the Pacific Coast Highway.

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 | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Pacific Sky

Image Leave a comment
Pacific Sky
“Pacific Sky” — High clouds above the Pacific Ocean are harbingers of an approaching weather system.

Trips into the field to photograph have been difficult during the past few months. Aside from a fair amount of local photography — literally in the neighborhood — visits to more far-flung locations have been rare. I managed to get to the Sierra a couple of times. I recently went looking for migratory birds. And a week ago I did a down-and-back drive to the upper Big Sur coast, going just a bit further south than Lucia. I did not make a lot of photographs, but I stopped for a few… and it was just good to get out and photograph almost as if the world was normal again. (It most emphatically is not normal yet, but there are some reasons for optimism.)

I had “interesting” weather on this visit — which, of course, is the best kind of weather along the coast. Perfect blue sky days are, to be honest, a bit boring. On this morning I raced the lead clouds of an approaching Pacific weather system as I drove south, trying to stay just ahead of the more dismal light behind the actual cloud shield. I stopped here for this beautiful layer of offshore clouds, put on a wide-angle lens, and just took it all in.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (Click the title to see the full article and to comment if you are viewing it on the home page.)

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

Mountains, Lake, Autumn Sky

Image Leave a comment
Mountains, Lake, Autumn Sky
Luminous autumn atmosphere above California mountains and lake.

Mountains, Lake, Autumn Sky. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Luminous autumn atmosphere above California mountains and lake.

While this may not seem like a typical “fall photograph,” that is how I’m describing it here. Allow me to explain. For decades I have been intrigued by autumn light — perhaps even longer than I’ve been attentive to fall foliage colors. Many years ago I recognized that there was something different about it, though I could not quite put my finger on it. Although I still don’t claim to fully understand it, something (or some things) change in the the autumn atmosphere in my part of the world — something about the luminous quality of the slightly hazy atmosphere, likely complemented by the lower angle of the sun creates an unmistakable effect.

On the day I made this photograph I had arrived before dawn in California’s Great Central Valley to visit some favorite locations and subjects. It was early (perhaps too early) in the season for them, so after enjoying a morning there I eventually decided to head home early, not sticking around until sunset. As a result I passed this location in the early afternoon instead of in the dark… and I could not resist stopping to make a few photographs.

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 | Facebook | Email

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question.

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