Tag Archives: dormant

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Morning Clouds, Dormant Tree

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Morning Clouds, Dormant Tree
Morning sky filled with blue clouds behind a winter-dormant tree, Central Valley, California.

Morning Clouds, Dormant Tree. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning sky filled with blue clouds behind a winter-dormant tree, Central Valley, California.

This photograph is from New Yea’s Day morning, when a small group of us met in a wild place to photograph birds and, a bit later, to break out goodies and champagne to toast the arrival of 2023. The day was a rousing social success… which made up for the overall less-than-thrilling photographic conditions. It was far from a “bust,” but moments of good light were separated by many more with gray skies and wind.

This complex tree is an “old friend” of mine — a tree that I see many times each year. Every time I pass I think about how to photograph it and realize that it isn’t an easy subject! My most successful efforts have been in fog, when details of the scene are muted and the background disappears. On this day I had some unusual colors and light to work with — the blue-toned sky and the more colorful breaks in the clouds.

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

Winter Birds, Dormant Trees

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Winter Birds, Dormant Trees
Migratory geese fly above a copse of dormant wetland trees, Central Valley, California.

Winter Birds, Dormant Trees. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Migratory geese fly above a copse of dormant wetland trees, Central Valley, California.

This photograph is emblematic of a minor identity crisis I face this time of year when photographing in California’s Central Valley: Am I a landscape photographer or a wildlife photographer? I think the answer is… yes. A few years ago I collaborated with fellow photographers on a show that focused on what we call “birdscapes,” and that invented term encapsulates my approach. Sometimes I do photograph individual birds or small groups in isolation, but mostly I see them as part of this winter landscape.

I made this photograph on New Year’s Day, when a group of us met to ring in the new year and make some photographs. Photographically it was a bit of an odd day — not the greatest light, and not as many birds as sometimes, both the result of this winter’s wet weather in California. But in the morning we did have some nice light, including this moment when the soft light became a bit directional, illuminating these trees still bearing “autumn” color as geese flew past.

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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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Oak Silhouette

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Oak Silhouette
A dormant oak tree silhouetted against glowing winter light and hzae.

Oak Silhouette. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A dormant oak tree silhouetted against glowing winter light and hzae.

As the grand alpine landscapes of the Sierra backcountry become mostly inaccessible to me in the winter, my attention inevitably turns to the low country — the Pacific coast, the inland valleys, and the oak/grassland hills not far from where I live. This photograph comes from the latter, a small county park less than a half hour from my home, a place where I have hiked for many years. There are still surprises there, though, including this tree, which I had not noticed before this hike on Christmas Eve Day.

At first glance the conditions might not have seemed to promising for photography. A period of stagnant winter air around here had produced a lot of haze — so much that there were prohibitions on fireplace use and some warning about particulate levels. But that same haze glows in a luminous fashion when the light is right, and here it mutes the background details and sets off the form of this old oak tree.

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: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Toward the Playa

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Toward the Playa
A dry wash heading toward the playa in late afternoon light, Death Valley National Park.

Toward the Playa. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A dry wash heading toward the playa in late afternoon light, Death Valley National Park.

This is one small desert wash, one occasional watercourse among uncounted numbers of them in this landscape. At the risk of repeating myself, this is yet another illustration of the ubiquitous presence of water in this desert. In prehistoric times, this was a very large lake, believe it or not, and the distant playa is essentially the lake’s remnant, a place were water still collects in wet years. When storms pass through and drop sometimes-torrential rain, these washes carry more water out to the low places.

On one hand this photograph could be seen as evidence of the role of water here. But when I look at it I think about the experience of walking across such terrain. (And because I do walk there sometimes, I go during the cooler times of the year!) When you start out, your goal seems not so far away. But distances are deceiving here, and your objective often ends up being much farther away. As I walk, there is a fascinating combination of senses — one is the feeling of being very tiny in an immense landscape, but another is an intense focus on immediate surroundings: the sound of wind, the clatter of stones, the footing changing as I move from rocks to sand, perhaps a breeze, the intensity of 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 | 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.