Tag Archives: california

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife, Tongue in Cheek

Rabbit

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Rabbit
A rabbit sits in a Central Valley pasture.

Rabbit. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A rabbit sits in a Central Valley pasture.

I have encountered plenty of wildlife before — I’ve gotten up close and personal with black bears and other critters — but this experience was quite different and unexpected, and it left me shaken. At a place where I often photograph it is common to spot rabbits running around, especially early and late in the day. Mostly, they seem like they are trying to get away, scurrying off into the brush somewhere. Perhaps this one has been taking extra vitamins or had a chip on its shoulder about something?

When it did not run away, decided to step out of my vehicle and make a photograph — after all, I don’t have many bunny photos in my archive. The critter immediately bared its teeth, started hissing, and assumed a surprisingly aggressive stance. I was a bit taken aback, but not worried — until the bunny charged me, launching itself in my direction with the obvious intent of doing me harm! I had just enough time to leap back into my vehicle and lock the doors before its body slammed into the side! I’m going to have to see if the damage can be repaired. Don’t let this cute photo deceive you — I barely had time to quickly roll down a window and grab this shot before I was forced to drive off! It was an important reminder that any wild animal can suddenly turn into a vicious predator!

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

Flowering Maple

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Flowering Maple
Macro photograph of the center of a colorful flowering maple blossom..

Flowering Maple. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Macro photograph of the center of a colorful flowering maple blossom..

This photograph definitely required me to put away the usual lens and replace it with a real macro lens — the camera position is “up close and personal” with the internals of this flowering maple blossom. Looking at the whole flower you would see a red bloom, but the internal structure includes some other colors — this yellow-gold and the interesting five-lobed green pattern inside the base of the flower.

I’m always challenged by this subject. I have some of general sense of what I want to see in flower photographs that I make, but it often isn’t quite clear how to find/create that. So, in a manner that might seem a bit like wildlife photography, I usually make several different attempts with each subject, looking for the one that speaks to me.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Pas de Deux #2

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Pas de Deux
Two sandhill cranes in a winter field, California Central Valley.

Pas de Deux. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Two sandhill cranes in a winter field, California Central Valley.

It seems to me that sandhill cranes have more “personality” than some of the other flocking birds I photograph at this time of the year. Even their manner of flight is diverse. They can fly in semi-organized fashion, but you’ll also see individuals do very odd things — dive-bombing, craning their necks in odd directions, altering the tempo of their wings and more. And then, at times, they can be graceful.

At one far end of their behavioral range there is an occasional kind of gracefulness — often in the air but in this case, on the ground as these two cranes walk, one after the other, out towards a large field that was recently plowed.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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

Photographs: Agriculture, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Blossoms, Almond Orchard

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Blossoms, Almond Orchard
Almond trees blooming in California’s Central Valley.

Blossoms, Almond Orchard. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Almond trees blooming in California’s Central Valley.

On this early March morning I was out in Central California photographing the last of the season’s geese and a few of their feathered colleagues. Because of the recent heavy rains there were pools of water everywhere. This provided the birds with more than the usual number of ponds, and many of them chose to land it places inaccessible to me. Eventually I decided to look around for other things to photograph.

As I headed up a nearby road I noticed that the vast orchards were blooming. It is quite a sight, and I understand that these regions are now starting to promote the almond blossom season as an event. The location I visited was fairly remote, and the road I took to this orchard was not one that many city folks would want to drive! I pulled over next to an orchard and photographed the backlit blooms.

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 | Twitter | 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. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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