Tag Archives: blur

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Flight, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Ross’s Geese, Dusk

December 17, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A group of Ross’s geese takes flight in hazy dusk light

I try to visit California’s San Joaquin Valley as often as possible during the fall, winter, and early spring months when migratory birds settle in for the cold season. The sounds of the birds and the sight of flocks of them setting in or flying overhead is addictive – so much so that I’m willing to go to somewhat great lengths to experience this. Most often this means getting up way before dawn, often on very cold mornings, and driving a couple of hours into the foggy landscape of the valley and then photographing for hours in the cold. I’m not complaining – I love doing this! I also have what has become an annual routine connected to my periodic Death Valley photography trips. I try to arrange my schedule on the last day in Death Valley so that I can do a morning shoot there, quickly strike camp and pack up, and leave soon enough that I can stop to photograph birds on the way home. (The two worlds – the dry, austere world of Death Valley, and the cold, damp, and bird-filled Central Valley – could not be more different.)

This photograph is one of several (well, OK, more than “several”) I made during a one hour stop at some valley wetlands at the end of the day on the long drive home. I arrived, did a quick reconnaissance around the area, discovered a large flock settled in along a gravel road in a pasture, and settled in to watch the evening’s events. I recall a time when I was disappointed when the light faded, since it eventually became too dark to maintain shutter speeds that would stop the motion of the geese as they flew in, out, and around. But it didn’t take long to discover that continuing to shoot in the fading light and accepting the slower shutter speeds led to motion blur would let me present the birds in a more abstract way, but one that is in many ways as true as isolating a moment of seeming stillness in a scene that is actually full of motion. I now look forward to this time of low light, when I can make photographs that might possess a bit more mystery.

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Abstract, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Flight, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Geese Take Flight in Dusk Sky

June 17, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Motion-blurred photograph of a flock of Ross’s geese taking flight in dusk sky above the San Joaquin Valley, California

This is another example of what I’ve taken to referring to my “blurreds in flight” photographs. (Yes, a bad pun on the common subject of “birds in flight,” also known as “bif” photographs.) Very early morning or dusk seem like good times to experiment with this, as the very dim light often pushes the ability of photographer and gear to continue to shoot as ISOs rise, apertures enlarge… and eventually one runs out of maneuvering room. Just lower that ISO and let the birds blur!

But that’s not really why I do these. While I suppose that I’m just as interested in trying to produce very sharp images of birds frozen in flight by high shutter speeds and accurate autofocus, I sometimes feel that this more clinical approach isn’t the only way to capture or express the qualities of these animals and what I can observe of their lives. In a sense, the still camera “lies” about what we can actually see of these birds when we are there and watching them. In low light, often observing from a distance, when a group of Ross’s geese suddenly takes flight in a wild maelstrom of honking and flapping wings, we really cannot see all of the specific details of each feather and the impression we have is more often one of wild motion and surprise. While I don’t think a photograph can ever fully or accurately depict this, allowing the motion to become visible by using slow shutter speeds might evoke a sense of these animals that the razor-sharp, stop-action photographs might miss.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Dogwood Flowers, Sunset Light

May 14, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The flower-laden branches of a dogwood tree hang above the Merced River in sunset light

In the evening we had pulled off the road near the place sometimes called “Gates of the Valley” (and occasionally by other names), but I was not especially interested in photographing the famous and iconic scene that many stop there to photograph. I wouldn’t rule out photographing it, but it would have to be an exceptional evening to warrant adding my contribution to the uncounted photographs that have been made of the Merced River, Bridal Veil Fall, and El Capitan from this spot. We stopped for dogwoods.

I have photographed the dogwood blossoms in this area plenty of times in the past, and at the right time there can be a lot of flowers here. This was one of those right times, since it seemed like an exceptional spring for production of dogwood blossoms. Initially I had my eyes on some trees on the north side of the road, but first I thought I’d wander east a bit. That turned out be a good direction to walk for several reasons – I unexpectedly ran into friends who were also photographing here, and I found one beautiful tree that was hanging its blooms out over the waters of the Merced River. I then headed back to the west, stopping to talk to other folks (it seemed like everyone was out photographing dogwoods on this evening!) and then continuing on past the pull-out, stopping along the way to make more photographs of dogwoods and the forest in evening light. Before long I ended up at a well-known bridge over the Merced – where, yes, I ran into more friends! When I got there I almost felt like I was ready to call it an evening, but then I saw the low angle near-sunset light coming up the river and recalled a bunch of flowers I had seen there earlier in the day. I thought it might be interesting to shoot almost straight into that light and use a long lens to “get close” to the flowers and to throw the background along the river out of focus. The result is a dogwood flower photograph this is a bit different from most that I shoot.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Spring Torrent, Merced River

May 6, 2013 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Rushing spring run-off flow and reflected evening colors, Merced River

I made this photograph at the very end of the day, on my first real spring trip to Yosemite Valley of the season. There were rumors of a bigger-than-usual dogwood bloom (true, it turns out), which was probably the main factor related to the timing of this quick trip. However, in this very dry year in California, any high water in Valley rivers and waterfalls was going to come very early – and, in fact, the waterfalls were reasonably high, the Merced was flowing with some force, and there was almost no snow still visible anywhere.

In the evening I ended up near Pohono Bridge, shooting dogwood trees and some photographs of early evening light filtering through the forest. As the light in the Valley faded, it become more difficult to photograph the nearby forest, but some sunset color lit the higher faces of the cliffs, and this colorful light reflected on the surface of the Merced River. The lower light also allowed me to lengthen shutter speeds and allow the motion of the water to blur.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: blur

Ross’s Geese, Dusk

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Geese Take Flight in Dusk Sky

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Dogwood Flowers, Sunset Light

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Spring Torrent, Merced River

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

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