Tag Archives: mnwr

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

Geese in Fog

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Geese in Fog
Geese feed in a California Central Valley pasture on a foggy morning.

Geese in Fog. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Geese feed in a California Central Valley pasture on a foggy morning.

As I work my way through the raw file archives from past years — a wonderful exercise in this pandemic-limited times — I don’t just think about the images as photographs. I also recall the experiences of making them — the feelings of the locations, the people who were with me, the surrounding non-photographic activities. During the past few days I’ve been thinking about the overall experience of a full day of photographing a subject such as these migratory birds, and as I do so I’ve considered how different it is from what many folks might imagine.

When people think of bird photography I believe that they relate to the “hunt” aspect of it — searching for a subject and focusing in on some amazing specimen or specimens. Sounds pretty exciting, right? But the truth about this sort of photography (and, to be honest, lots of photography) is that it tends to involve a lot more “not photographing” than actual photographing. A typical day of photographing a subject like this one involves quite a bit of just being there with my eyes open, hoping I’m in the right place at the right time. It tends to be a slow and quiet activity, punctuated by occasional bouts of intense activity. I’ve been in the field with folks who weren’t used to this, and I can often sense their anxiety of slowing down enough as they wait for something to happen. Over time I have learned to love these slow, quiet periods — like the very quiet scene in this photography. I often think nostalgically about them more than about the brief, intense moments.

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

Sudden Flight

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Sudden Flight
“Sudden Flight” — A flock of Ross’s geese takes to the air at the end of the day.

As an afternoon of migratory autumn/winter migratory bird photography runs on into sunset and then twilight, it is inevitable that there will eventually be too little light to photograph as I do during the day. But I usually continue until it is virtually dark — to the point that I may need a headlamp to stow my equipment when I finish. During that final low-light period I often end the cycle of increasing ISO and pushing shutter speed, and instead I drop ISO down to the minimum and let the exposure times lengthen, working with motion blur of birds in flight.

We had positioned ourselves near a large flock of geese in a pasture, and they were gradually become more restless, beginning to take off in small groups and leave for parts unknown. Groups tend to depart together, and as they do they take to the air en masse with little or no warning. It is hard to say what makes a photograph “realistic,” but I often feel that these masses of blurry birds suggest the quality of these departing flocks as truthfully as stop-motion photographs.

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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.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature

Autumn Wetlands

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Autumn Wetlands
Late-autumn colors in California Central Valley wetlands.

Autumn Wetlands. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late-autumn colors in California Central Valley wetlands.

As I continue my pandemic project of reviewing years of raw files — and discovering and rediscovering all sorts of interesting things — I have now arrived at the very end of 2012. I’m currently working on the final week or so of autumn and about to move into winter and then on to 2013. One silver lining behind the dark coronavirus cloud is that I have had the time and inclination to revisit these old images and relive some of the experiences I had as I made them.

Every fall migratory birds return to overwinter in California’s Central Valley. Starting in about November I turn my attention that way and start to anticipate visits to this landscape — one that I don’t tend to photograph during the warmer months of the year. But in the cooler and wetter seasons, when the birds can be abundant, this part of California calls to me. I made this photograph on a cold and foggy late-autumn morning as the tule fog was beginning to thin, casting soft light on the autumn foliage of the scattered trees.

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 | 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

Sunset Through the Copse

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Sunset Through the Copse
Winter sun setting beyond a thicket of Central Valley wetland trees.

Sunset Through the Copse. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Winter sun setting beyond a thicket of Central Valley wetland trees.

My last real photographic expedition (aside from the ongoing neighborhood walks) was to more or less this place. That was more than three months ago now, back on March 13. I recall the trip well. In California we were in that phase where we knew what was coming, though no one had actually issued the state-at-home orders yet. I made a one-day out-and-back trip to one of my favorite winter locations, packing so that I would not have to stop at all on the road. This place was nearly deserted — most of the birds had even departed!

This photograph comes from a few years earlier, before virtually any of us could even conceive of how our lives have now changed. It was a wonderful winter day, and as it came to and end and the sun dropped behind the distant ridge to the west of the Central Valley, I photographed through this dense stand of trees.

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 | Facebook | Email

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

Scroll down to leave a comment or question.

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