Tag Archives: california

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Gull, Breaking Wave

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Gull, Breaking Wave
“Gull, Breaking Wave” — A seagull flies about a breaking winter wave along the California coast.

Given this spectacular day of heavy winter surf along the California coast, it should be no surprise that there are more photographs coming from the event. I made this one from a promontory on a peninsula that juts out into the ocean, giving me a close-up view of the powerful breaking waves. It had been quite cloudy, but when I made this photograph the clouds were breaking up a bit and sunshine was beginning to reflect on the water and light the spray from the surf.

I’m intrigued by the different ways in which waves break, I suppose in response to underwater contours that we cannot see. This wave began to break to the right and left of the center, and the two zones of roiling water gradually merged as a single gull flew overhead.

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: Birds, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Red-winged Blackbird

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Red-winged Blackbird
“Red-winged Blackbird” — A red-winged blackbird perched in wetland plants, San Joaquin Valley.

I photographed this red-winged blackbird perching on wetland plants on New Year’s Day, 2024. (In this light and with the wing in this position, it is possible that it could be a tri-colored blackbird.) Anthropomorphizing animal behavior can be a mistake, but these birds always impress me as a happy bunch. Perhaps that is because their cries and their flight patterns make me happy. They also do a pretty good job of producing synchronized-flight “murmurations.”

They are not easy to photograph. They are small birds, and they fly quickly and often erratically. They hang out in vegetation and retreat to more obscure spots when you come close. And the black plumage of the male birds can lose details in a photo. (I usually over-expose them a bit to retain some detail.) A combination of quiet patience and quick reactions is required if you want to get the shot.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Winter Wave

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Winter Wave
“Winter Wave” — A winter storm wave breaks along the California coast.

This is another photo from the California coast during the recent period of extremely high surf. We spent an afternoon along the Pacific Coast Highway between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay, where the surf was absolutely huge — as large as I’ve ever seen it there. The waves were so big that their spray filled the air along the coast and even spread inland.

The day started out cloudy with light rain from a passing storm system. (The waves came from a different system that was still far out at sea.) As the day wore on the skies began to clear, and I made this photograph when blue skies were beginning to dominate. While the sky was clearing, the high surf remained and the spray still filled the air and softened the light.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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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

Meadowlark Song

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Meadowlark Song
“Meadowlark Song” — A meadowlark perches on a post and sings a New Year’s Day song.

We spent New Year’s Day with friends in a natural area full of birds. Mostly we were looking for big flocks of migratory geese along with cranes and ibises, but there were lots of other interesting critters in the neighborhood, too. This little meadowlark took up residence on top of a sign post and sang its heart out… and let me photograph for quite a while without flying away.

I don’t usually say much about photographic equipment in these posts, but I’ll make an exception this time. I have been using Fujifilm APS-C x-trans cameras for my travel and street photography for about a decade. (This gear compliments the Canon full-frame system that I use for things like landscape photography.) Recently I decided to try using the Fujifilm gear for some new things such as bird photography, and this was one of my first outings with a suitable Fujifilm telephoto. I think it works pretty well!

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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