Tag Archives: fog

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

Storm Clouds, Pinnacles

March 2, 2015 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Winter storm clouds swirl around pinnacles above Yosemite Valley

We were in Yosemite Valley during the late-February season so that we could attend the opening reception for the 30th Yosemite Renaissance exhibit reception. For three decades this juried exhibition has been presenting work by a wide range of wonderful artists who focus on Yosemite and the Sierra. I am grateful that one of my photographs was included in the show again this year. It was wonderful to see so many Yosemite artists of all sorts, their beautiful work, and the large group of art lovers who came to view the opening.

Since we were in the Valley for the exhibit, we figured we might as well make some photographs! The weekend brought the promise of some much-needed snow in the Valley and the higher country. In the end the amount of precipitation was woefully small, yet colder temperatures, and small amounts of snow, and the swirling clouds reminded us of what Sierra winters are supposed to look like. As I stood at a famous overlook, in the company of many other people, I aimed my camera away from the main scene before us, angled it up toward the upper rim of the many, and captured this little scene.

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Cranes and Geese, Winter Fog

February 27, 2015 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A foggy San Joaquin Valley winter landscape filled with geese and cranes

This photograph comes for exactly two weeks ago, when we took a detour through a favorite migratory bird area on our way to Yosemite for the opening reception of a show. Driving into the San Joaquin from the west it looked like most of the fog was gone — and I wanted fog! — but we took a chance and headed out into this area, which seems to be one of the most consistently foggy around. And luck was with us — we drove into the tule fog just before out goal. And when we arrived we found stupendous conditions of fog and birds.

A very large bunch of birds had settled in on a recently cleared field this is very close to the access road. Among there were a few egrets, more white-fronted geese, yet more sandhill cranes (as many as I’ve seen here at one time), and then thousands and thousands of Ross’s geese. Within minutes the fog began to thin and areas of light began to move among the birds. The birds were in constant motion, with one or another group taking of at every moment. At times something would cause them to go on alert (note the heads held straight up) and then, quite often, to suddenly take to the air in wild, flapping clouds of birds.

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

Wetlands, Winter Fog

February 26, 2015 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Wetlands with thick early morning tule fog, San Joaquin Valley, California

The initial draw of this area of the San Joaquin Valley, with its wetlands and winter tule fog, was birds — the many thousands of seasonal migratory birds including geese, sandhill cranes, and ibises along with egrets, herons, pelicans, owls, hawks, an occasional eagle, and more. During winter, this agricultural area is given over almost completely to the is wildlife — something that I did not know for many years, despite living in California almost my entire life. However, the more I’ve photographed out here, the more my interest has evolved beyond just the birds to include the landscape itself, and especially the foggy landscape.

It is hard to describe the experience of being here in winter to a person who doesn’t share the experience. Frankly, the terrain is easily dismissed as the sort of thing you would drive through or past on your way to some place more interesting. That was certainly my notion, as I passed though here for years on my way to and from the Sierra. But out here on a cold, foggy and still winter morning, when your world closes down to perhaps a radius of a few hundred feet at best, and the sounds of birds come through the fog from all directions, this becomes a very special kind of place unlike any other that I know in this state.

Photographs: Southern California, Photographs: Urban/Street

Umbrellas and Fog

February 23, 2015 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

This is a photograph from about five years ago when we made a winter trip to Southern California and ended up spending a day at the Getty Center. Since the time our oldest son went to UCLA I have been a fan of the Center, at least as much for the architecture and the grounds as for the art displays. (The art is wonderful, too, and they have a special focus on photography that often takes me back there.)

This was just the sort of day when normal people might not want to visit the Getty: it was cold and rainy and eventually the rain mixed with fog. I had a wonderful time photographing the fog-obscured architectural landscape and made many photographs with people passing through it. In fact, I came back from this single day of shooting with a group of photographs I like a great deal. At this moment I happened to be in an upper courtyard in a place that overlooks the garden as groups of people carrying umbrellas approached the sharp bend in the walkway from both directions.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: fog

Storm Clouds, Pinnacles

Cranes and Geese, Winter Fog

Wetlands, Winter Fog

Umbrellas and Fog

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