Tag Archives: mnwr

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Grasslands, Winter Morning

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Grasslands, Winter Morning
“Grasslands, Winter Morning” — A foggy winter morning in a region of grasslands and vernal pools in California’s Central Valley.

One of my favorite John Muir stories concerns how he first traveled to the Sierra. He Walked! From the Bay Area! From what I recall he went via Pacheco Pass (today’s state route 152) before entering the Great Central Valley. I often take this route when heading east, so I’m frequently reminded of his journey. Concerning his arrival in the Valley he wrote,” “At my feet lay the Great Central Valley of California, level and flowery, like a lake of pure sunshine, forty or fifty miles wide, five hundred miles long, one rich furred garden of yellow Compositae.”

It is difficult to imagine what he experienced at a time when the Valley was a quiet, largely unpopulated place. Today it focuses on agriculture and business and the rapidly increasing populations in towns and cities along highways 99 and 5. But occasionally, in the right places, you can sometimes find yourself where it is possible to imagine an immense, still, quiet landscape in that valley.

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

Levee Road, Tree, and Fog

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Levee Road, Tree, and Fog
“Levee Road, Tree, and Fog” — Thick morning tule fog obscures the view past a tree on a gravel levee road.

This unassuming photograph of a rural levee road, tree, and fog in California’s Central Valley encapsulates the feeling of winter in this place for me. If you know the area or one like it, perhaps you can fill in the sound of bird calls, feel the cool and damp air, remember the unhurried feeling of moving along such a road early in the morning. I go here to photograph birds, but always end up focusing on the landscape, too.

As lovely as this light is, it can be challenging to photograph. A motto for me when I work on prints is, “more light!” However, here I have to suppress that urge a bit since the fog diminishes the brightness. (Though the high clouds are so bright they are hard to look at.) Color can also be challenging, with a tricky balance between the inherent blue of the foggy light and the warmer colors of plants and (sometimes) the sky.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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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

Wetlands, Dawn Fog

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Wetlands, Dawn Fog
“Wetlands, Dawn Fog” — Dawn fog obscures the view of a wetlands pond in California’s Central Valley.

Have I mentioned how much I like photographing fog? Why, yes, I have! Fog can make almost any subject mysterious and moody. Even a banal urban or natural scene can become magical under its influence. This is especially true in places like this, an agricultural landscape that otherwise includes utilitarian elements — cattle barns, power lines, buildings with lights, roads. But fog mutes those distractions and leaves us with just atmosphere, light, color, and bits of solid reality. The landscape becomes less literal, and we fill in our own stories.

It was initially too foggy (and too dark!) to photograph here, so I just headed out to potential locations and watched to see what would happen. Tule fog is often shallow, and I could see high clouds as the sunrise colors suffused the fog as it began to thin. The density of fog adds up across distance, and here makes it impossible to tell where the land and water end and the sky begins.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

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

Two Cranes, Reflection

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Two Cranes, Reflection
“Two Cranes, Reflection” — Two sandhill cranes and their reflections in a wetland pond.

Sandhill cranes have the remarkable ability to look both comically clumsy (watch them land!) and remarkably graceful. This pair managed to produce the latter impression as they crossed paths in a shallow wetland pond. It helped that they were between me and the sun, placing their reflection in the water in front of them.

Sandhill cranes are remarkable birds and have become my favorites among the migratory birds I photograph . They are here between autumn and late winter in large numbers. Their characteristic cry is one of the defining features of my winter photography experience. One of the best moments comes when they return at dusk. I hear their cries before I see them, but soon hundreds arrive and land for the night.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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