Tag Archives: grasses

Wetlands, Winter Clouds and Fog

Wetlands, Winter Clouds and Fog
“Wetlands, Winter Clouds and Fog” — Winter clouds and fog mute the colors and details of a wetland landscape.

Who can resist the symmetry of clouds and their reflections in still water? I know I cannot. I have photographed such things many times, but more typically the photographs feature some kind of overpowering sky — thunderstorms or a brilliantly colorful sunrise or sunset. (In fact, I’ve made a few of the latter at this very location.) But here I wanted to focus on something different, a subject that suggests the quiet and stillness of this wetlands landscape.

It was a foggy winter morning. As the fog began to thin the high clouds and their reflections became visible, although the horizon just beyond the rushes was still obscured by tule fog. Aside from the sounds of birds, it was quiet. The air was nearly still, and the scene was almost static — though to be accurate, it was simply changing very slowly.


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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Among the Globe LIlies

Among the Globe LIlies
Spring globe lily flowers and grasses.

Among the Globe LIlies. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Spring globe lily flowers and grasses.

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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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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Pink Mallow Bouquet

Pink Mallow Bouquet
A mini-bouget of spring pink mallow blossoms in meadow grasses.

Pink Mallow Bouquet. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A mini-bouget of spring pink mallow blossoms in meadow grasses.

Photos are temporarily being shared without additional commentary. Watch for commentary to resume in late summer.


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 | Twitter | Flickr | FacebookEmail

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Wetlands Tree, Tule Fog

Wetlands Tree, Tule Fog
A wetlands tree in thick autumn tule fog.

Wetlands Tree, Tule Fog. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A wetlands tree in thick autumn tule fog.

Believe it or not, this is a color photograph, made on a late-autumn morning in California’s Great Central Valley. The dense tule fog did not simply reduce visibility — it also drained the color right out of the landscape. Foggy landscapes can have color — the blue tones of thick fog in the very early hours, and the warmer tones of shallow fog glowing in sunrise light. But in this case it was a bit later, and the colors of the earliest light had faded and backlit fog glowed and muted the color.

When photographing a subject like this I find myself on a fine line between not enough fog and not enough detail. Sometimes the fog is so thick that a subject that seems visible in person has so little contrast that it almost is invisible in a photograph. But too much definition and the mystery of the fog diminishes. Here I think I have hit the middle ground — there’s perhaps just enough detail to delineate the broad features, but many fine details are missing or softened.


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 | Twitter | Flickr | FacebookEmail

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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