Tag Archives: dusk

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

Cranes at Dusk

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Cranes at Dusk
“Cranes at Dusk” — The evening fly-in of lesser sandhill cranes at dusk.

We spent New Year’s Day with friends, after getting up early to greet the literal dawn of the new year. OK, it was kind of cloudy and we didn’t see the sun until later. But still, it was a great day and a fine group to share it with. We photographed birds and landscape, and we shared food and drink that each of us had brought for the occasion. The day culminated with the evening fly-in of sandhill cranes.

The sandhill cranes stay in nearby ponds overnight, and around dawn many of them get up and fly away for the day. Typically they return at dusk, when there’s barely enough light left for photography, and their characteristic cries mark the end of the day. This small group was cooperative enough to pass through a patch of beautiful, colorful twilight sky just before landing.

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: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel

Hazy Sunset, Florence and the Arno River

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Hazy Sunset, Florence and the Arno River
Hazy sunset over Florence, Italy and the Arno River.

Hazy Sunset, Florence and the Arno River. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Hazy sunset over Florence, Italy and the Arno River.

A few weeks ago I shared a black and white photograph of this same subject, with almost the very same framing. We had gone to the famous PIazzale Michelangelo for sunset… and the giant party that seemed to happen spontaneously that evening as perhaps thousands of people gathered to watch the day come to an end above Florence, Italy.

While the previous photograph was made a bit earlier in the evening — I made this one just as the setting sun disappeared behind the distant hills, with the sunset sky light reflecting on the Arno River as it flows past the old center of Florence and under a series of famous bridges.

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

Sunset Sand Storm

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Sunset Sand Storm
A sunset sand storm partially obscures sand dunes in Death Valley National Park.

Sunset Sand Storm. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A sunset sand storm partially obscures sand dunes in Death Valley National Park.

This is another photograph from the tremendous wind and sand storm that blew though on our last afternoon in Death Valley at the end of March. These storms are common there, and if you spend much time in the park you have a good chance of experiencing one. If the prospect sounds exciting, well, it is… but it can also be very uncomfortable and even dangerous, and the romantic notion of wandering the wind-whipped dunes during a sand storm is quickly trumped down by the reality of flying sand and dust.

I positioned myself just outside the maelstrom and put a long lens on my camera. The winds were so strong — likely in the 50mph range — that my tripod was useless, especially with the long lens. I resorted to handholding the camera, switching on image stabilization, bracing myself against the nearest solid object, and trying to time exposures for brief moments when the gale diminished a bit.

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

Dunes at Dusk

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Dunes at Dusk
Soft dusk light on low sand dunes, Death Valley National Park.

Dunes at Dusk. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Soft dusk light on low sand dunes, Death Valley National Park.

This subject is going to appear in several photographs from our late-March visit to Death Valley National Park. Some of them will focus on the astonishing power of a dust storm that swept through near the end of the trip. However, this one comes from a different evening, a quiet one with gentle winds and soft light.

The conditions make all the difference when photographing dunes, More than almost any other sort of landscape, the appearance of sand dunes varies greatly depending upon intensity, quality, and color of light. Here I photographed in the early twilight just after the sun had dropped behind distant mountains in the west. The dunes picked up the pink of the sunset, the blue of the sky, and the softness of indirect 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 | 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.