Tag Archives: california

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Three Black-Necked Stilts

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Three Black-Necked Stilts
Three black-necked stilts feeding in a shallow wetlands pond.

Three Black-Necked Stilts. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three black-necked stilts feeding in a shallow wetlands pond.

Often when I go out to photograph birds the potential conditions of light and weather can dominate my thoughts more than the birds themselves. It isn’t that the birds are not endlessly fascinating — they are! Rather it is that I want to photograph them, if possible, in exceptional conditions. That typically means near the beginning or end of the day and, if possible, when the atmosphere is interesting… and by “interesting” I usually mean foggy.

This was not that day. The sky was clear from dawn until dusk. But while the light was perhaps ordinary, the birds were not. There were more of them than I recall seeing in the past. They were mostly geese of various sorts (snow, Ross’s, cackling, white-fronted…) but also cranes and abundant small blackbirds. And, as always, along the edges of the ponds there were black-necked stilts, a bird that I’ve come to enjoy quite a bit. Photographing them is either really easy… or incredibly hard. The hard part comes when they suddenly take flight and tracking them is a challenge. But between those flights they spend a lot of time feeding and moving slowly as this trio was doing when I photographed them.

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: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Pedestrian Landscape

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Pedestrian Landscape
A few through upper story windows toward street level pedestrians and geometries.

Pedestrian Landscape. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A few through upper story windows toward street level pedestrians and geometries.

This is one in a series of photographs from this spot and of this scene, mostly made on this visit to San Francisco, though there are a few made on other dates, too. The photograph is, obviously, made from a location up high in an urban building — high enough that it was possible to get a nearly vertical perspective on the street below.

There are a few things going on here that were interesting to me as I photographed. I’m photographing through the tinted glass of a modern building. Recently I’ve been interested in the effects of glass on iight and subjects in situations where its presence isn’t obvious. Here it lens an unusual, cool tone to the colors of the scene. As I photographed small numbers of people passed by on the sidewalk. It was interesting to watch their interactions as they approached and passed on another. In addition, from this perspective things in the scene that would ordinarily be almost invisible become central, especially the various kinds of geometries throughout the scene.

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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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

Two Geese in Flight

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Two Geese in Flight
A pair of snow geese in flight just above the ground.

Two Geese in Flight. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A pair of snow geese in flight just above the ground.

Snow geese and other types of geese can sometimes seem graceful, but they can also manage to put themselves into some quite awkward and even odd positions at times. This is often true then they are taking off or landing — perhaps less so when you look at them with your own eyes and more so when the camera halts the motion. The acts of landing and taking off require some brief and extraordinary efforts — especially the landings when the birds need to find a clear spot in the flock, slow their flight, and finally descend almost vertically with feet extended and nicks craned.

Frequently, photographs of creatures like these come from times of day with especially beautiful light and/or atmosphere — perhaps in fog or during the morning and evening golden hours. This is partly due to the appeal of those conditions but it is also because the birds tend to do more interesting things at the edges of the day. But in February, at least where I photograph them, the birds begin to be much more active and there may be no lull in the middle of the day.

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.

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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: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

White Pelicans and Geese

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White Pelicans and Geese
White pelicans and geese in the winter landscape of California’s Central Valley.

White Pelicans and Geese. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

White pelicans and geese in the winter landscape of California’s Central Valley.

This flock of white pelicans almost seems like family now — since the beginning of this season they have been hanging out in almost this exact spot every time I have visited. It used to be that I’d catch them in flight in the morning, but more recently they seem to stay right there almost the entire day. While the opportunities to photograph them flying over my position have been limited, this spot is close enough that I can photograph them on the ground… or, more accurately, on the muddy spot where they hang out in the middle of this pond.

The more distant birds are geese, almost certainly snow geese, though it is a bit difficult to make a 100% certain identification from this distance. Large groups of them were on the ground beyond the middle distance levee, and they were periodically taking off or being joined by new arrivals on this mostly-sunny morning.

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.