Tag Archives: landscape

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

Geese, Dusk, Pond, and Tree

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Geese, Dusk, Pond, and Tree
Geese take off over pond and tree at dusk, San Joaquin Valley

Geese, Dusk, Pond, and Tree. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Geese take off over pond and tree at dusk

This day in the wetlands was something of a surprise. When I arrived before dawn, the light was dreary, with a shield of clouds from a passing cold front hiding the sky and the sun, with the exception of a very narrow band along part of the eastern horizon. There was little photograph in this light, but before long the sun rose though that gap and provided perhaps ten minutes of beautiful light… and then that show was over and the flat light returned. All morning long it remained cloudy, though that band of open sky in the east gradually expanded and worked its way toward my position.

Just past midday I finally took a break and left to grab a bite to eat. An hour later I was back, and now the clouds above this area were breaking up and the light was starting to be interesting. By evening most of the sky was clear, though the air remained hazy — not unusual for this part of the world in winter. I looked around for the birds that I wanted to photograph, but wasn’t finding any large flocks. Finally I made it back to where I started… just as geese began to fly out from their resting place in nearby ponds. I put a long lens on the camera and continued photographing well past sunset, as the sky darkened and waves of birds continued to fly away. In the end, this day was a reminder that sometimes finding beautiful conditions requires facing some less exciting light… and being persistent and patient.

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 and Amazon.
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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

Trees, Marsh, Fog

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Trees, Marsh, Fog
Trees grow in flooded San Joaquin Valley marshland pond

Trees, Marsh, Fog. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Trees grow in flooded marshland pond

On January 1st, New Year’s Day 2018, a group of friends and photographers gathered to greet the dawn (literally!) of the New Year, raise a toast or two, hang out, and photograph birds and the expansive landscape. It meant going to bed early on New Year’s Eve, but I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the first day of the new year. (Though that 4:00 AM alarm and two-hour drive in the dark was perhaps just a bit less festive…)

After photographing all morning the bird action seemed to slow and we all gathered for a quiet little party in a parking lot near large ponds. A bit later all of us felt like we needed a walk, so we broke off into groups and followed a trail around a marsh and to some tall trees. I was the last one to start, and I decide to simply bring along my smallest camera with a single little lens, foregoing the usual Big Bag Of Gear and Gigantic Tripod. As much as I was more of a mind to walk and think than to photograph, I couldn’t help but stop and make a few handheld photographs of the complex landscape of the marsh.

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 and Amazon.
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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, Photographs: Night

San Joaquin Valley Moonrise

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San Joaquin Valley Moonrise
Winter full moon rises over San Joaquin Valley utility lines

New Year’s Moonrise. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Winter full moon rises over California utility lines

I have to admit that one reason I made this photograph was simply because I could. Such a photograph likely could not have been made just a few years ago, and certainly not in the way I made it. The photograph is, believe it or not, handheld… using a 300mm focal length on a 100-400mm zoom lens. Because this technical capability is so wonderful, I think it is worth mentioning it in this case. The moon is relatively bright, producing about as much light as daylight on our planet. However, it does not shed much light on the landscape, yet here I was able to retain some color in the sky and even make the details of the very dark utility lines and poles visible.

The genesis of the photograph is also significant. I was not here to photograph the full moon, and I actually was unaware that it had risen. I was focused on another subject, a large flock birds assembled in twilight in front of me, when someone said, “Look over there!” I turned around and saw the moon rising through the thin clouds above the valley. I could not take time to use a tripod — I photograph the birds handheld — so I simply took a chance that I might be able to hold the camera still enough and come up with the right exposure. I grabbed a few shots, then turned my attention back to the birds.

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 and Amazon.
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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 Marsh

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Winter Marsh
Skeletal trees and dormant grasses in a winter San Joaquin Valley marsh

Winter Marsh. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Skeletal trees and dormant grasses in a winter marsh

We celebrated New Year’s Day as we have for the past few years — meeting before dawn a group of friends and photographers out in the wintry California Central Valley to greet the literal dawn of the new year. We arrived before sunrise, spent the first few hours making photographs, then gathered for a morning champagne toast and shared snacks and stories. After lunch we went back into the field to photograph birds and the landscape until it was so dark that we could barely see one another by the light of the rising full moon. Great times!

While most of my photography on such trips and in such places at this time of year involves birds, occasionally I photograph other things in this valley. During the late morning hours we all felt that need for a walking break. (Most bird photography involves a lot of standing and sitting around.) We wandered out on a trail through a marsh, I got started a bit later than the group. I took only a small, handheld camera with a single lens, not thinking there would be much to photograph. But it was quiet, a gentle breeze moved the grasses, and soft light shone through the hazy atmosphere, so I stopped to make a few photographs of this peaceful and almost silent landscape of trees, grasses, and water.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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