Tag Archives: clearing

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Wetlands Morning, Tule Fog

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Clearing fog at dawn in California wetlands.
“Wetlands Morning, Tule Fog” — Tule fog begins to clear above wetlands just beore a winter sunrise.

Some of my favorite photography conditions happen when it is difficult to see. I love photographing directly into the sunlight, in fog and mist, in marginal light, and at night. This is partly just my fascination with the complex lighting. But I think it is also about making photographs that don’t quite show it all, and which leave it to the viewer to wonder about the subjects and imagine what else might be there.

This is another of my winter Central Valley photographs, made in a place I often visit to photograph migratory birds in the late autumn and winter months. In full sunlight these landscapes can sometimes feel rather mundane. But at dawn or dusk, especially when tule fogs forms, they are transformed into moody and mysterious places.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Wetland Plants, Tule Fog

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“Wetland Plants, Tule Fog” — Tule fog clears over wetlands plants at dawn.

We arrived here well before sunrise, paused long enough to assemble our photography gear, and then started on a slow drive along narrow gravel levee roads through a landscape of wetlands and scattered trees. Tule fog was still drifting about, but it was thinning and the clouds overhead in the colorful sky were visible. Before long we arrived at a spot along the west side of the ponds, where we had a view to the east and the light of dawn.

In the winter this is a slow and quiet place… except for the many thousands of migratory birds who arrive here every fall and leave right before spring. Most of them were off in distant parts of the landscape when I stopped here, so this became a pure landscape photograph featuring the colors of the predawn sky and the thinning fog drifting across the ponds.

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 | BlueSky | Email

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

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Winter Oak and Fog

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“Winter Oak and Fog” — An old winter oak tree silhouetted against clearing fog glowing in morning sunlight.

Plans change. On this morning I was going to take a walk in the neighborhood, but low fog seemed to be sticking around longer than usual so I decided to go for a more extensive hike at a location that I thought might be interesting in these conditions. I drove that direction and saw the fog doing all sorts of interesting things — so I abandoned my hiking plans and instead devoted the morning to chasing that boundary between the fog and the sunlight. I caught a glimpse of this tree as I passed a crossroad.

I was on a narrow road with no turnouts, so I continued for a distance until I found a place where I could turn around and head back to the tree. Arriving there I discovered that the best viewpoint didn’t permit parking, but I spotted a pull-out nearby on the other side of the road. This entailed more driving to find a suitable turn around point. I finally got back and parked my vehicle and got out with my gear… just as the first blue sky was starting to appear behind this lovely old oak tree as the fog began to thin.

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 | BlueSky | 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: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Wetlands Sunrise

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“Wetlands Sunrise” — Tule fog clears above Central Valley wetlands at dawn.

Despite experiencing a couple of brilliant sunrises on our New Year’s photo jaunt, I had not shared any intensely colorful sunrise photographs. It is time. We arrived here in foggy pre-dawn darkness on New Year’s Day, assembled our gear, and headed out on a network of levee roads through wetlands terrain. Before long we came to a spot where the fog had thinned and we had a clearer view to the east. We stopped and photographed the landscape and the intense pre-sunrise sky.

The experience of being out here before sunrise is profoundly removed from our day-to-day experience. Here time moves slowly or even seems to stop. The tule fog thins, leaving behind a faint, soft mist. Flocks of geese and cranes rise and circle, their cries echoing across the landscape. The light gradually increases in the eastern sky and here the outline of the distant Sierra Nevada is visible along the horizon.

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 | BlueSky | Email

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

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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