Tag Archives: motion

Photographs: Abstract, Photographs: Night, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Balloons

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Balloons
Night photography in San Francisco

Balloons. © Copyright 2015 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Night photography in San Francisco.

On a summer evening back in 2015 a group of photographers met up on San Francisco for night of street photography. Actually, we began in the very late afternoon, paused for a group dinner before sunset, and then emerged from dinner before dark and began wandering through areas around the Chinatown district, looking for subjects and light.

I love to photograph the urban landscape at night, using handheld cameras and working quickly in street photography style. The particular location on this evening was a group decision, but any place with narrow streets, lots of shops open at night, and light spilling onto the sidewalks works for me. I photographed these balloons in a shop window, using a longer shutter speed and playing with motion blur.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Mountain Stream

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Mountain Stream
A Sierra Nevada stream cascades over and around rocks

Mountain Stream. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A Sierra Nevada stream cascades over and around rocks.

To be honest, photographing moving water like this can easily become addictive, and there are endless variations on how you might do it. Shutter speed variations allow a range of interpretations between stopped motion and motion-suggesting blur. Zoom in close and the water can be the entire subject, or work from a bit more distance and incorporate the surrounding terrain. Choose your time of day and get warm or cool coloration. Photograph at a time when the water reflects light on nearby objects and introduce a wider range of colors into the composition.

During our one-week stay high in the Eastern Sierra we were fortunate to have many opportunities to photograph water, ranging from many nearby alpine lakes to the abundant creeks and cascades that were still flowing despite the rather late date in the season. One evening I wandered a few hundred feet down below our base camp to this area where I had walked this creek a day or two earlier, and I spent a good deal of time photographing it.

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.

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

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

Twilight Flight

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Twilight Flight
A rush of (mostly) geese at the end of the day

Twilight Flight. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A rushing blur of birds at the end of the day

First, I do know how to make sharp photographs of birds, too… ;-)

There are many things I can’t really explain about winter bird populations. But as I have watched them (and listened to their remarkable sound) from Washington to California, I am starting to at recognize a few more patterns. At times some birds become increasingly active, and at the end of the day, as light fades, there may be opportunities to depict the motions of individual birds and flocks in a different way — rather than trying to stop motion I just go with longer shutter speeds, pan with groups as they fly by, and let the motion blur take over. Frankly, in many ways I think that this confusing blur may better evoke the wild actions of these evening flocks.

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

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

Into Evening Light

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Into Evening Light
A small group of geese takes flight in evening light

Into Evening Light. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A small group of geese takes flight in evening light

There are many ways to photograph birds: sharp images of birds filling the frame that reveal the details of color and shape and feathers, landscape photographs that show them in the worlds they inhabit, shots that capture them social groups ranging form groups of a few individuals up to flocks of many thousands, captures of them engaging in particular behaviors, and much more. (I’m occasionally amused by discussions of “the way” to photograph birds of or “the right” equipment to do this.)

This flock of geese suddenly took to the air as the very last golden hour light shone across this hazy landscape, and the birds were partially illuminated by the colors of the warm sunset light, but against the less vibrant colors of the local surroundings. A sharp-edged photograph was a possibility, but here I think the abstracting blur of camera motion and fast-flying birds may better suggest the feeling of the scene.

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 | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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