Tag Archives: mornign

Photographs: Abstract, Photographs: Imaginary Landscapes, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Morning Forest

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Morning Forest
“Morning Forest” — An “imaginary landscape” photograph of a foggy morning forest scene, using in-camera motion bur.

From time to time I experiment with ways to portray the landscape in a more abstract fashion. I often refer to these photographs as “imaginary landscapes.” While the line between “real” and “imaginary” can be pretty fuzzy in photography, these photographs make no pretense of portraying the objective facts of the scene. (To be clear, no photograph is fully objective, but I digress…)

In this case I used intentional (or perhaps unintentional — you decide) techniques to blur the details of the scene, leaving the biggest elements intact but leaving a lot to the imagination. The original scene is the edge of the forest next to a small lake on a foggy morning.

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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

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Trees in Morning Light, Granite Dome

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Trees in Morning Light, Granite Dome
“Trees in Morning Light, Granite Dome” — Trees grow on a bit of talus at the base of a Yosemite dome.

Scenes like this are a big part of what characterizes Yosemite, especially the park’s high country: trees growing on granite, domes, forests, and that “range of light” atmosphere. The features are so common that it is possible for a longtime visitor to almost take them for granted.

I have paused at this spot on virtually every visit to the Yosemite high country for decades. The dome rising to the left in the photograph was my original interest — it is a beautiful dome in an especially aesthetic location. But later on the trees became an equal attraction — easy to overlook among millions of other trees, but once you see them you don’t forget.

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

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

Perching Finches

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Perching Finches
A flock of house finches perches on utility lines in winter morning sun.

Perching Finches. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A flock of house finches perches on utility lines in winter morning sun.

Looking at this little group of colorful birds hanging out on utility lines against a backdrop of perfect blue sky, you might image that this is a summer scene, photographed on a warm June day. You would be wrong. I made this photograph on a very cold January morning out in California’s Central Valley.

The reason I was there, of course, was to photograph much bigger and more impressive birds — the annual winter migration of geese and cranes and lots of other birds that over-winter here. I had been photographing those subjects since before dawn, and as the morning wore on the migratory bird action was slowing down. I had stopped to look at some cranes, but I looked up to find these wonderful little birds.

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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