Tag Archives: fog

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Oak Tree, Sun and Fog

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“Oak Tree, Sun and Fog” — Sunlight streams through thinning fog on a hillside behind an old oak tree.

This is the third and final photograph from my recent local “foggy morning” photography. To recap, when low fog stuck around here for hours (it usually dissipates very early) I headed out to the local rural landscape to make some photographs. This tree is in an area south of San Jose that was once destined to be a technology park. There’s a lot of history there, but the short story is that after the local government gave in to developer pressure there were no takers for the technology park. Today it remains relatively rural and is increasingly protected. I’d call that a victory!

The tree is on private land, from what I can tell, though clearly visible from a nearby roadway. The hills in the background form a low ridge that roughly parallels the edge of the valley for miles. At the moment I made the photograph the tree was out of the fog, but it was just thinning in the hills, and beautiful slanted columns of light formed between the shadows of trees.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Wetland Plants, Tule Fog

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“Wetland Plants, Tule Fog” — Tule fog clears over wetlands plants at dawn.

We arrived here well before sunrise, paused long enough to assemble our photography gear, and then started on a slow drive along narrow gravel levee roads through a landscape of wetlands and scattered trees. Tule fog was still drifting about, but it was thinning and the clouds overhead in the colorful sky were visible. Before long we arrived at a spot along the west side of the ponds, where we had a view to the east and the light of dawn.

In the winter this is a slow and quiet place… except for the many thousands of migratory birds who arrive here every fall and leave right before spring. Most of them were off in distant parts of the landscape when I stopped here, so this became a pure landscape photograph featuring the colors of the predawn sky and the thinning fog drifting across the ponds.

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 | BlueSky | Email

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

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Winter Oak and Fog

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“Winter Oak and Fog” — An old winter oak tree silhouetted against clearing fog glowing in morning sunlight.

Plans change. On this morning I was going to take a walk in the neighborhood, but low fog seemed to be sticking around longer than usual so I decided to go for a more extensive hike at a location that I thought might be interesting in these conditions. I drove that direction and saw the fog doing all sorts of interesting things — so I abandoned my hiking plans and instead devoted the morning to chasing that boundary between the fog and the sunlight. I caught a glimpse of this tree as I passed a crossroad.

I was on a narrow road with no turnouts, so I continued for a distance until I found a place where I could turn around and head back to the tree. Arriving there I discovered that the best viewpoint didn’t permit parking, but I spotted a pull-out nearby on the other side of the road. This entailed more driving to find a suitable turn around point. I finally got back and parked my vehicle and got out with my gear… just as the first blue sky was starting to appear behind this lovely old oak tree as the fog began to thin.

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 | BlueSky | Email

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

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Fog and Tree at First Light

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“Fog and Tree at First Light” — A winter tree silhouetted against foggy dawn sky in California’s Central Valley.

I photographed this tree on the last morning of our New Year’s visit to California’s Central Valley. We were out there for three days — New Year’s Eve through January 2. Our targets were migratory birds (geese, cranes, and more) and the often-foggy valley landscape. Unlike most of the people who live out there — who prefer sunshine — we seek out the mysterious and moody qualities of the fog.

We arrived here right around the very first faint pre-dawn light — a slight glow in the eastern sky. It was foggy, just as we hoped, but the fog wasn’t all that dense or deep. We could see the sky overhead and there was enough visibility (barely) to drive safely. In places the fog thinned and we could see more of the landscape, albeit muted by haze. I photographed this tree well before sunrise and against the first color in the morning sky.

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 | BlueSky | 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.