Near the end of October last year, while returning from a fall color visit to the Western Sierra Nevada, I decided to make a stop at a Central Valley location where I have photographed migratory birds in the past. I wasn’t expecting to find the winter birds that I usually see there, but I was surprised to find large numbers of other birds that usually diminish at this spot later in the season. Among them were large groups of great egrets.
Continue reading Egret and Chick, Evening
This photograph comes from my second-to-last trip of the season to photograph migratory birds in California’s Central Valley. (See ya’ next year, geese!) Early in the season I try to time my visits for the best bird photography weather — a bit of morning fog, clearing later in the morning, and interesting clouds for sunset. But at this point, merely weeks before the geese would depart, I could not be as choosy!
Continue reading Stilts and Geese
Fog can make photography wonderful… or difficult when I photograph migratory birds in California’s Central Valley. There are practical issues, such as driving on roads that are dangerously obscured, or not being able to see the birds in the murk. It is cold and damp. But I love the atmosphere that tule fog brings to this landscape, and that’s why I keep going back.
I also like the way that it lets me “minimize” the landscape. Fog blanks out any subjects that are not close to the camera position. On a clear day you would see trees, possibly utility lines and poles, a sky with clouds, and who knows what else. But when the fog is thick all of those distractions disappear and I can work with the most minimal of materials.
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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.
This is a place I visit frequently, to the point that some individual trees start to feel like old friends. Among these trees there is a small observation platform, placed there for people who wish to view birds in the nearby ponds. I have stood on the platform many times!
I would not usually photograph this scene — though I have done so in thick fog on a few occasions. But on this evening the scene was a bit special. The warm late-day light was part of it, and the reflection was clear in the unusually still water.
Leave a comment or question using the form. (Click the title to see the full article and to comment if you are viewing it on the home page.)
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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.