Tag Archives: fog

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

Sunrise Trees

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Sunrise Trees
“Sunrise Trees” — Sandhill cranes in a pond beneath winter trees turned red by sunrise light on a foggy morning.

There are birds in this photograph, but it is really (mostly) about these sunrise trees. I went to this spot early this winter morning because it has been a reliable place to find sandhill cranes as they fly out in the morning. There were cranes, though not that many. But as I waited for them the nearby fog began to thin, and the light of the rising sun turning eastern clouds blood-red illuminated the trees with intensely colorful light.

This photograph is in a category that I sometimes think of as “unreal light” images. We all understand that photographs are not objectively accurate “recordings” of the real world. They are subjective, personal views of how the photographer sees things. An aspect of this is that we “work” the colors in photographs in pleasing ways… and sometimes they get worked to excess, producing unbelievable results. Against that background, when nature produces such intense and saturated light, it is easy to chalk it up to something the photographer did. Sometimes that’s the case — but not here!

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

Sunrise, From the Valley to the Sierra

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Sunrise, From the Valley to the Sierra
“Sunrise, From the Valley to the Sierra” — A cloudy winter sunrise above the Sierra Nevada, as seen from the Central Valley.

There is a lot going on in this photograph. Of course, the most obvious first impression is likely to be the wild light. It was a cloudy dawn, and in the gap between the edge of a weather front and the distant Sierra Nevada the sky colors were very intense. And, yes, those mountains are the crest of the Sierra Nevada as viewed from the farmlands of the Central Valley.

It was also hazy, and that made the atmosphere between me and the mountains glow orange For a moment as the sky lit up. Closer, out there among the trees dotting the landscape, tule fog hugged the ground and drifted, occasionally rising over obstructions.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Morning Fog, Pacific Coast Highway Bridge

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Morning Fog, Pacific Coast Highway Bridge
“Morning Fog, Pacific Coast Highway Bridge” — Morning fog over the ocean and rugged rocks near a Pacific Coast Highway bridge.

I have a long relationship with this spot. I have photographed here for two decades. I recall the first time — I went to this part of the coast with a new long lens, ended up here more or less by accident, and the new lens was exactly the one I needed for the subject. Since then I have photographed it in all conditions — morning, midday, evening, fog, clear skies, sunset.

The main features in the scene remain the same, but the mood undergoes remarkable changes. In some of my photographs the details are much clearer than in this one, while in others the coastal fog almost completely obscures them. On this morning thin fog became luminous in the early light as the sun rose above the mountains of the Big Sur coastline.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Wetlands, Clearing Fog

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Winter Wetlands, Clearing Fog
“Winter Wetlands, Clearing Fog” — Winter tule fog clears and the sun begins to shine on Central Valley wetlands.

This “quiet photograph” of winter wetlands, clearing fog, and bits of sparse vegetation is as evocative of the experience of such places as those featuring flocks of birds and winter sunrises and sunsets. The latter are remarkable and compelling features of this landscape largely because they are exceptional. Most of the time these places are quiet and still, and never more so than on a foggy morning.

Fascinating transitions of light occur as tule fog clears. The day begins in muted, gray, even oppressive darkness, with visibility measured in feet. Because tule fog is shallow it often becomes luminous as the sun begins to rise. Then, here and there, it begins to thin and break up, and soft directional light appears. Then the blue sky becomes more clearly visible, more distant features being to appear, and remnant clouds float above the landscape, and soon it is day.

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.