Tag Archives: evening

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Clouds Rest and Quarter Dome, Winter

August 4, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Early evening light breaks through winter mists shrouding the snow-covered summits of Clouds Rest and Quarter Dome, Yosemite National Park

In Yosemite Valley in late winter for the opening of the Yosemite Renaissance exhibit, I had several days of photographing in and around the Valley in winter conditions — or what passed for winter in this year of California drought. There had been snow a few days earlier, to the surrounding peaks and upper Valley walls were coated with white. As late afternoon arrived it was time to go photograph, but it seemed that the clouds were likely to kill the light in the Valley, so we headed higher.

From this elevated overlook there is, of course, a famous view of the stupendous panorama of Yosemite Valley. However, I’ve taken to mostly photographing smaller bits of the scene rather than continuing to photograph the whole darned thing — most of the time, though there are exceptions. As we watched, there were a lot of clouds. Some floated across high landmarks at the far end of the Valley. Others drifted upwards along closer rocky faces. Fog began to collect in spots along the valley floor. Clouds to the west of the Valley mostly blocked direct sunlight, which can be a good thing when it softens the light, but is much trickier and occasionally disappointing when it blocks it entirely. Shooting with a very long focal length I was able to focus on this small scene at the far end of the Valley, where drifting clouds parted enough to reveal a partially obscured view of sunlight on the snowy slopes of Clouds Rest and Quarter Dome.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Flight, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Departing Cranes

August 2, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A row of sandhill cranes takes to the air and flies toward Ross’s Geese above the San Joaquin Valley

This group of sandhill cranes was part of a much larger group that I had been photographing for some time on this winter day. A very large flock of them had settled in on a shallow pond and nearby field, much closer than usual to the spot from which I was watching them. They stood around as a group, with some smaller sub-groups occasionally breaking off to wander around a bit, and I watched them and made photographs as they assembled themselves in various configurations against backgrounds of water, pasture, trees, and sky.

Then they began to leave. Without any warning that I could perceive, small groups of a half-dozen or so would suddenly lift into the air and head off purposefully while those left behind seemed unaffected by their departure. A few minutes later another group would repeat the process. Eventually there were only a few left and I moved to where I could photograph them. A few more take-offs and this was the only group remaining, and when it left I quickly made a photograph of this line of cranes heading away toward evening sky, trees, and a large flock of Ross’s geese.

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

The Fly-In

July 29, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Ross’s Geese settle into a wetland pond during the evening fly-in

Often the most active times of day for migratory geese in California’s Central Valley are the morning fly-out and the evening fly in. (In the right conditions, it is also possible to see very active birds at other times, too — even in the middle of the day.) If you happen to be in the right place in the early evening you may see hundreds or thousands of geese descending towards you to eventually settle in for the night. (At the opposite time of day, you may catch the birds suddenly taking to the air in large numbers to depart for destinations that only they seem to know.)

These wetlands ponds in the San Joaquin Valley stretch off into the distance, broken only be a few scattered trees and some levees. Many birds pass overhead, but eventually more and more of them come in to land on the water and form into various sorts of groups.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Sky

July 4, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Evening winter sky above California’s San Joaquin Valley

From that hour between late afternoon and the sometimes-fiery colors of sunset, a winter sky over the San Joaquin Valley of California, photographed on New Years Day 2014. Every so often I see a sky and what to photograph it, separated from the landscape below, and forming its own sort vaporous cloudscape.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: evening

Clouds Rest and Quarter Dome, Winter

Departing Cranes

The Fly-In

Winter Sky

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.