Tag Archives: california

A Bit About Mare Island and Night Photography

October 1, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Often when I post my photographs from Mare Island Naval Ship Yard I get email and comments from readers that generally fall into two categories. I’d like to make a brief comment on each of them:

Several readers have written to tell me about their own connections to Mare Island. In several cases I have received messages from people who were brought up in that area and whose parents or other relatives actually worked in the ship yard. Thanks for sharing those stories – I did not “discover” Mare Island its history until fairly recently, and I’m more and more impressed with the stories behind this place.
Others often ask about photographing at Mare Island, particularly at night. Since Mare Island is (mostly) a public place, you can simply drive out there and photograph during the day for the most part. (There are some areas that are off-limits.) Night photography may be a somewhat different thing. There are security patrols and they may well stop you. And you might feel a bit uneasy about trying night photography there for the first time on your own. I strongly urge you to get in touch with The Nocturnes the SF Bay Area night photography group headed by Tim Baskerville. My first experience there was through this group, and doing one of their workshops can be a great way to learn about Mare Island and night photography.

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.

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

Photographs: Night, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Ship Yard Towers and Fog, Night

October 1, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Night photograph of tall ship yard towers and old buildings backed by glowing fog at the historic Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, Vallejo, California.

OK, I lied. I do have more photographs from my late-August night photography shoot at the historic Mare Island Naval Ship Yard in Vallejo, California.

This one includes the view up Nimitz Street past the main ship building area and the includes the huge overhead structures apparently used to move equipment from the shops to the dry docks and the waterfront. The scene is backed by the strange glow of the ground light sources illuminating the high fog coming in from the San Francisco Bay.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Locations

Keeping an Eye on Eastern Sierra Weather

September 30, 2009 G Dan Mitchell 3 Comments

Those of us spending time in the eastern Sierra this time of year as we chase aspen color (and other subjects) need to pay a bit more careful attention to the changing weather, for photographic reasons and for safety reasons! October is a transitional season in the Sierra, and it can be warm and sunny one day and winter-like and snowy on the next.

Right now there are some question marks in the forecast for the upcoming weekend. I think we are still a bit too far away to get a truly precise forecast, but it does seem likely that the eastern Sierra will feel some effects from a passing weather system by late Saturday or on Sunday.

Some resources for those tracking the weather include:

The MammothWeather.com Dweeb Report. This is a private site that is really useful, especially if you learn to read between the lines a bit. To paraphrase (and read between those lines…) it is getting very cold in the eastern Sierra right now, will warm a bit later this week, and then “something” is passing through during the weekend.
For slightly geekier (as opposed to dweebier?) weather trackers, the California Forecast Discussion page at the NWS often gives some good hints about how the weather may develop. Currently the sum of the reports here suggests that a) it is going to get colder this weekend, b) a front is going to pass through, c) there is some chance of light snow in the eastern Sierra starting Saturday night, and d) there could be some windy conditions.
The NWS Sierra Nevada from Yosemite to Kings Canyon 7-Day Forecast covers a good chunk of the higher portion of the range in short form. Current forecast suggests cloudiness from Saturday evening through Sunday with some chance of precip.

What does it all mean to aspen hunters? A few thoughts cross my mind:

If you want reliable sun light in the very early morning hours this weekend, Saturday will be your day. Get up early and be in place before the sun rises.
There is some potential for interesting cloud formations and effects as the front approaches (if we get lucky, perhaps close to sunset on Saturday?) and then clears (later in the day on Sunday?).
There is a good chance that you’ll be shooting in at least some cloudy conditions. This can be a good thing! Photographing the aspens up close in cloud-diffused light can provide some wonderful saturated colors, though you’ll probably want to do some color adjustments in post. (The light will tend to be a bit blue.)
Think of light snow as a positive thing for photographs. There are tons of aspen photographs – but not nearly so many that combine the colorful leaves with a fresh dusting of snow.
Dress warmly. If you plan to camp be prepared for wet and cold, and probably give yourself a bit more time to get set up and so forth. Consider camping at a lower elevation if you aren’t prepared for the cold. Think about how you’ll manage your gear as you continue to shoot in cold and damp.
Watch out for difficult driving conditions. While a dusting of snow is not usually a major problem, falling snow and dark conditions can make things more difficult – and while you may not find this challenging, keep in mind that quite a few other drivers may not be as secure about this as you are. Also, even a little snow can temporarily close some Sierra passes – the NPS is notorious for closing down Tioga Pass for tiny bits of snow.
Wind may be an issue – in several ways. It is not uncommon for a front with strong winds to suddenly bring down some of the most colorful leaves. If you have a higher elevation grove in mind, go Saturday! The wind can also compound the problem of light diminished by clouds – the leaves may be moving a lot. Look for more sheltered areas, wait for a pause in the wind, increase ISO and use a faster shutter speed… or embrace the blur and make it part of your shots. And don’t forget that wind increases the effect of the cold.

California Fall Color

Calphoto – a quick note

September 30, 2009 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

It looks like the Calphoto Fall Color in California page is back up and running with lots of updates. This has been one of the best California fall color sites for several years, and if you visit right now you’ll see lots of useful reports.

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