Tag Archives: marsh

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Wetland Reflections, Winter Morning

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Wetland Reflections, Winter Morning
“Wetland Reflections, Winter Morning” — Fog envelops a wetland marsh reflecing the soft light of sunrise on a quiet winter morning.

Am I alone in always looking forward (or sometimes backwards) to the season that is not the current one? In summer I anticipate fall. In winter I look forward to spring. For some reason today I got to thinking about last winter, and I dug into some photographs I made back in January when regular trips to photograph this cold, foggy landscape and migratory birds were part of my routine.

The photograph reminds me of the other sensations of this place at that time of year. It was cold and the air was still and damp with tule fog. The opaque fog muted the landscape more than a few hundred feet away, except that the tule fog was shallow enough to barely reveal the sunrise and high clouds. You might think it was silent, but the sounds of winter birds filled the air.

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

Autumn Sunrise, Wetlands

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Autumn Sunrise, Wetlands
Autumn sunrise over California Central Valley wetlands.

Autumn Sunrise, Wetlands. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The sun rises over California Central Valley wetlands.

There is a seasonal pattern to my photography. One of my favorite subjects from late fall through winter is the return of migratory birds to California. This year’s first outing was near the end of November, when I spent a day in the Central Valley. This photograph isn’t just (almost) my first photograph of the day, but it is also the seasons first photo of this subject. As I expected, the number of birds was lower than it will be later in the season, but the stillness and quiet of the place at sunrise was no less profound.

If you passed by here during one of those oppressively hot Central Valley summer days, you might never imagine that it could be a beautiful place in the right season and at the ideal time of the day. But the transformations of season and time of day can do amazing things, and the annual arrival of the birds amplifies that here. It didn’t hurt that I was listening to the sound of sandhill cranes passing overhead as I photographed.

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

Marshland, Winter Sky

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Marshland, Winter Sky
Hazy winter sky over Central Valley marshlands.

Marshland, Winter Sky. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Hazy winter sky over Central Valley marshlands.

This is what I think of as a “quiet photograph.” It is more about the whole of the scene than any particular element or subject, and the relatively centered composition would not be described as “dynamic.” However, that is more or less the essence of the experience in this place at times like this. Things change slowly or not at all. It is quiet. Scenes are often devoid of obvious icons. I would argue that, at least in part, this is what defines the experience of such places.

When I started doing to such places to photograph birds a couple of decades ago, my first visits were full of Big Moments and surprises — seeing some kind of bird for the first time, learning their calls, experiencing the thick winter tule fog. But over time elements that didn’t register initially became primary features of these visits. These included quiet stillness, long waits between remarkable moments, and the quality of light and atmosphere.

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 | Facebook | Email

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.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Tule Marsh, Fog

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Tule Marsh, Fog
A Central Valley tule marsh on a foggy winter day.

Tule Marsh, Fog. © Copyright 2022.G Dan Mitchell.

A Central Valley tule marsh on a foggy winter day.

My winter exploits photographing migratory birds often place me in beautiful landscape under spectacular skies and in the presence of remarkable flocks of thousands of geese and cranes. But that does not capture the totality of this experience. (News flash: the photographs we share most likely focus on best moments rather than typical moments.) On a cold, foggy Central Valley morning things can be gray and still, though it is rare that the sound of birds isn’t part of the experience.

I have an extensive background in music, and this has taught me something that can be missing from photography at times, namely that there are many kinds of beauty, and that not all of them yell at us for attention. Some are quiet and some, at least at first, may not even seem beautiful at all. I won’t try to explain what I find in this photographs — you’ll just have to trust me that it is there.

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 | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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