Tag Archives: flight

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

Final Approach

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Final Approach
“Final Approach” — A trio of snow geese lining up to land in a Central Valley pond.

Snow geese and Ross’s geese were my first interest years ago when I began paying serious attention to photographing birds. I had been tuned into California’s natural world for decades, but somehow I had missed the annual bird migrations, so “discovering” them was a thrill. Eventually the geese didn’t like the only thing worth photographing, and I no longer chase after them reflexively. But they still can be compelling — and there’s nothing quite like the sight and sound of thousands of them taking to the sky at once!

I photographed this trio on a late-December day when the numbers of geese were steadily increasing. There are more things to attend to when photographing these birds than you might think. Exposure can be tricky, as their brilliant white plumage can blow out in bright light or turn gray against the sky. Light needs to shine on them from the right direction or their features get lost in shadows. And, of course, you hope that the geese aren’t facing away from you! For this photograph I was in just the right spot as the birds turned toward me and into the breeze to land.

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: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Gull, Breaking Wave

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Gull, Breaking Wave
“Gull, Breaking Wave” — A seagull flies about a breaking winter wave along the California coast.

Given this spectacular day of heavy winter surf along the California coast, it should be no surprise that there are more photographs coming from the event. I made this one from a promontory on a peninsula that juts out into the ocean, giving me a close-up view of the powerful breaking waves. It had been quite cloudy, but when I made this photograph the clouds were breaking up a bit and sunshine was beginning to reflect on the water and light the spray from the surf.

I’m intrigued by the different ways in which waves break, I suppose in response to underwater contours that we cannot see. This wave began to break to the right and left of the center, and the two zones of roiling water gradually merged as a single gull flew overhead.

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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Wildlife, Post-processing Workflow

Pelicans, Winter Surf

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Pelcans, Winter Surf
“Pelicans, Winter Surf” — A quartet of brown pelicans flies above raging winter surf off the California coast below San Francisco.

During last week’s extremely big surf we headed right over to the coast to witness and photograph the conditions. Waves were up to 30′ tall and even higher, and a winter “King tide” sent those waves right up onto the shore in many places. You might have seen news reports of damage to some coastal areas. While staying safe, we were able to get pretty close to the action on a drive between Santa Cruz and Half Moon bay, and we made quite a few photographs.

Most of the photographs were essentially seascapes — the watery equivalent of landscape images, featuring the shapes and colors and so on of the moving water. But as I made a series of photographs of this huge wave a line of pelicans flew through the frame, passing just above the raging surf.

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.

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

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Two Cranes in Synchronized Flight

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Two Cranes in Synchronized Flight
“Two Cranes in Synchronized Flight” — Two lesser sandhill cranes in synchronized flight above California’s Central Valley.

Sandhill cranes always excite me. Aside from backyard birds like robins, they are the first birds that intrigued me — years ago when I read about them in Leopold’s “A Sand County Almanac” for a college class. Although I had not ever seen the birds, Leopold’s description stuck with me, and years later I was thrilled to learn that they are abundant in parts of California. I had not realized this, and it was an accidentally “discovery” made back when I started to photograph migratory geese.

Given that geese first brought me to the places where the cranes are found, the differences between the habits of these kinds of birds caught my attention. Geese often assemble noisily in flocks containing thousands of birds, but most cranes stick to somewhat smaller groups. (Though there are exceptions.) While geese flocks often take to the air in huge numbers, most of the time I see cranes in groups of a few dozen or less. Their pattern of flight usually (though, again, there are exceptions) features slower wing motion and often extensive periods of gliding. I photographed this pair flying above me in the very early morning 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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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