Tag Archives: mnwr

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

Sunrise, Fog, Marsh

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Happy Thanksgiving 2013!

Sunrise, Fog, Marsh
Sunrise, Fog, Marsh

Sunrise, Fog, Marsh. San Joaquin Valley, California. November 24, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn sun rises through fog about California Central Valley marshland

I wanted to photograph migratory birds at sunrise in the San Joaquin Valley, so I was on the road from the San Francisco Bay Area shortly after 4:00 AM. As I drove it seemed like it might be a perfectly clear day, but on the last few miles of my drive I hit fog – thick enough fog to slow my progress considerably. I regard this as good news when I’m photographing birds out here, as drifting fog and mist makes for interesting conditions for photography, far more than clear skies.

I arrived at my destination, and the fog was so thick that I couldn’t see the morning light beyond the general increase in ambient light levels. However, as I stopped to see what birds might be about I noticed that the sun was barely visible through the low fog and some more distant clouds. At first it was so faint that it was possible to miss it, and as the fog drifted it occasionally completely muted the light of the sun. But after a few more minutes, as the sun rose higher the fog drifted and dissipated just a bit, and the globe of the rising sun become visible through the thick atmosphere, partially blocked by a layer of mid-level clouds.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Marsh Grasses and Fog, Dawn

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Marsh Grasses and Fog, Dawn
Marsh Grasses and Fog, Dawn

Marsh Grasses and Fog, Dawn. Central Valley, California. November 24, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Golden dawn light illuminates autumn fog drifting above marshland grasses in California’s Central Valley.

I went to this place to photograph birds – at least that was my excuse. In the past few years I have become quite passionate about photographing the migratory birds that may be found all over the Great Central Valley of California between late fall and early spring – geese, cranes, herons, ibises, and more. I think that once you hear the cries of these birds as thousands of them flock together on the ground or in water or, better yet, as they fly overhead, they get in your blood. In the fall I anticipate their return and watch for early signs. A few weeks ago we managed to find cranes further up the valley, and I knew that the geese wouldn’t be far behind – so this trip was, literally, a “wild goose chase.”

But the truth is a bit more involved. As much as I love the birds, I think that I’m at least as attracted to landscapes where they are found at this time of year, and to the weather conditions of this season. You might think that a bird photographer would want clear skies and bright light, but I look forward more to fog, clouds, and mist and other kinds of interesting atmosphere. In fact, at times it occurs to me that the birds may at least partially be my excuse for being in this landscape. On this morning I was expecting that it might be clear, so I was happy (strange photographer!) when I drove into thick fog a few miles from my destination. I arrived just before dawn as the sky was somewhere in that color range between blue and purple and pink, but just barely visible though the murk. I made a few true sunrise photographs that included a barely visible sun behind fog and clouds, then moved on along a gravel road to see if I could see the cranes that I could hear. As I came to a right angle turn on this road, the fog stretched beyond the nearby grasses and straight toward the low sun in front of me, thick enough that all details in the distance disappeared (with the exception of a few barely visible birds) into a luminous glow that was too bright to look at.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.