Tag Archives: county

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

River Bank and Forest

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River Bank and Forest
Hillside forest along the Big River, Northern California

River Bank and Forest. Mendocino, California. November 19, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Hillside forest along the Big River, Northern California

For Californians who have experienced the recent 4-5 years of drought and the awful effects on many of the state’s forests — particularly the Sierra Nevada, where millions of trees have reportedly been lost — a visit to the relatively lush temperate rain forest country of coastal Northern California is a treat. Here, at least to my eyes, there is now little sign of the drought, and we can wander these forests and it almost feels like nothing has changed. (The truth, unfortunately, is that profound changes are taking place in the climate and the natural world of this state and beyond — and wishful thinking will not counter that reality.)

We ended up in this spot almost by accident. I had the idea of heading down to a beach near the outlet of a river where we had watched kayaks being launched a year or so ago. I thought it was near this spot — turns out I was wrong — so we took a turn-off and ended up on the “wrong” side of the highway, upstream and away from the coastal beach. Instead we were at a small estuary just above the meeting of the Big River and the ocean, where marine mammals came upstream to lounge on small islands, where we heard but did not see geese, and where the thick forest grows right down to the water’s edge.

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 and Amazon.
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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Leaf and Sand

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Leaf and Sand
An autumn leaf in the sand of a California north coast beach

Leaf and Sand. Northern California Coast. November 19, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An autumn leaf in the sand of a California north coast beach

In many ways the spectacular and rugged Pacific ocean coastline of Northern California is a landscape of huge scale, from the ocean itself to the long views of rocky cliffs, shoreline bluffs, coastal mountain ranges, sea stacks, clouds and fog. I love this country and many of my photographs of this landscape focus on these very things.

But sometimes I do look down at my feet as well. On this afternoon we had stopped at a beach where the road dropped down to nearly the water level and the wintry ocean was wild with the energy of a passing storm, producing surf and swells so large that it seemed that we looked up at them. I wandered out toward the waterline and began to photograph the surf and some sea stacks that stood in the path of the waves. As I turned to walk down the beach I happened to look down and see this autumn leaf, stuck in the sand near the high water mark, with the faintly visible paths of water that had detoured around the leaf on its way back into the ocean.

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

Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Mountains and Lake, Autumn Haze

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Mountains and Lake, Autumn Haze
Hazy autumn light at dawn on Mono Lake and desert mountains

Mountains and Lake, Autumn Haze. Mono Lake, California. October 2, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Hazy autumn light at dawn on Mono Lake and desert mountains about autumn light in California.

I’ve written about the “golden” color, the muted quality, its softness, and otherwise tried to put my finger on what it is. I’ve known, for example, that something special happens to the light in the Sierra from late September onwards. But I’ve never been able to quite put my finger on the nature of the change. Is it the angle of the sun, changing weather, the colors of vegetation, or something else? It finally occurred to me — sometimes I’m slow! — after all these years that this is the wildfire season in the state and that this might be an important factor.

It surely is a factor in this early October photograph of morning light over Mono Lake. I’ve been poking around this area and making photographs for years, moving more and more towards images that are about the gigantic spaces and forms of this remarkable lake and its surroundings. On this morning I had gone to a different location, high above the lake, from which I had an overview of much of the lake and out to the east toward the rising sun as that autumn haze filled the air, muted details of the landscape, and filled the atmosphere with warm, golden light.

For decades I have recognized the obvious, that there is something different and special

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 and Amazon.
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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: Flight, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Geese, Sunset Clouds

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Geese, Sunset Clouds
A line of Ross’s geese fly in front of sunset clouds, San Joaquin Valley

Geese, Sunset Clouds. San Joaquin Valley, California. February 28, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A line of Ross’s geese fly in front of sunset clouds, San Joaquin Valley

It is summer… and I miss winter! I used to think that it was more of the case that I simply look forward to whatever season it isn’t, but I have come to realize that summer just isn’t my favorite time of year — at least not for photography. (Don’t take this the wrong way, though. There is plenty to photograph all year long, and I make a lot of photographs during the summer, too.) Over the past few years I have come to love the winter Central Valley, especially when I can photograph migratory birds, fog, and the immense skyscape.

This late-February day was special for photography. Surprisingly, it began in Yosemite Valley, where we had been for several days for the opening on the Yosemite Renaissance exhibit. Up early, we photographed in the Valley until midday, and then we began a lazy westward drive though the foothills that would take us to San Joaquin Valley wetlands to photograph birds at the end of the day.  In the evening there was a tremendous fly-in of geese and cranes, and large flocks passed in front of beautiful clouds. Here a flock of Ross’s geese is backlit by the light from the west.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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