Tag Archives: field

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Winter Sunrise, Central Valley

Image Leave a comment
Winter Sunrise, Central Valley
“Winter Sunrise, Central Valley” — Winter sun rises beyond the Sierra Nevada as thin fog drifts among trees.

This photograph is one of the final remaining photographs from this past winter in California’s Central Valley. (Who am I kidding? There are probably more that I’ll uncover when I eventually revisit the archive.) I made it on my final visit of the season to photograph migratory birds. This photograph is the result of an unfortunate situation that ultimately turned out OK. I arrived before dawn to find that the gate was locked. As I listened to thousands of birds begin their fly-out beyond that gate, I decided that it made more sense to head off to find other opportunities, and I found this sunrise view a few miles away.

These Central Valley locations fascinate me for a variety of reasons — the migratory birds, the fog, the long views of the Sierra Nevada (as in this photo), the open vistas. Years ago I would never have imagined that such agricultural areas could provide so many photographic opportunities, but then I “discovered” the winter birds. I was hooked, and I’ve gone back every year since then.

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 | Post | 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.

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

Flock of Cranes

Image Leave a comment
Flock of Cranes
“Flock of Cranes” — A flock of lesser sandhill cranes feeding in an agricultural field.

Unless and until I return to my old files to review them later on, this is likely this season’s last photograph of migratory birds. I photographed this group of lesser sandhill cranes in an old corn field on my final seasonal visit back in early March. By that date the departure of geese was perhaps a week away and the cranes would leave soon after that. This was nearly the last photograph of them I made this season.

There is a familiar arc to “migratory bird season,” as I think of the period between about November and March. Although the cranes arrive earlier, I usually make my first visit to photograph them in November. At that point they are fewer in number and likely to be off in some distant inaccessible area, and mostly I photograph them during the morning and evening fly-in/out. As the season continues they seem to become more comfortable in their surroundings, and I can often find them close enough to photograph in the middle of the day. But mid-February they and the geese become extremely active in the weeks before their northward migration.

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 | Post | 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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Gravel Road, Carrizo Plain

Image Leave a comment
Gravel Road, Carrizo Plain
“Gravel Road, Carrizo Plain” — A one-lane gravel road winds across the Carrizo Plain as spring vegetation comes to life.

OK, I admit it. This is a bit of a “record shot,” considering how this place can look like the peak of the spring bloom in an exceptional year. However, it does give me a chance to write a bit about the location and how I came to be here on this day. I was doing the long drive from the SF Bay Area to Death Valley from the San Francisco Bay Area. Since I had decided to stop overnight in Ridgecrest before continuing to the valley, I had a bit of extra time on the first day’s drive. So I detoured through the Carrizo Plain. (Yes, I have driven that gravel single-track, though not on this visit.)

At its best, this place can be remarkably full of spring wildflowers. But my mid-March visit was too early for that, so I had to settle for a landscape just beginning to build toward that climax. In this photograph, the wildflower bloom is just getting started. In exchange, I had the place largely to myself, without the huge crowds that come later. While most who visit for the flowers think of this as a green and wildflower-colorful place, the truth is that most of the time it is quite dry and desertlike.

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 | Post | 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.

Photographs: Agriculture, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Corn Stalks

Image Leave a comment
Winter Corn Stalks
“Winter Corn Stalks” — Winter corn stalks, with the crop left behind.

This is where I should share a corny joke, maybe one about stalkers. Sorry… What we have here is a photograph of a corn field that is maintained all the way into the new year. Why are these stalks still standing on New Year’s Day, and why has the corn not been harvested? This crop is grown to provide feed to migrating waterfowl.

Over the next month or two, before the birds begin to depart the California Central Valley for distant summer homes, the stalks will be gradually knocked down so that the birds can feed on the corn. On our visit we passed this spot when the midday bird activity had declined, so I paused next to the field and made a few photographs of these textures, shapes, and colors.

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 | Post | 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.