Tag Archives: pre

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Eastern Sierra From Afar

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Eastern Sierra From Afar
The pre-dawn eastern Sierra Nevada viewed from an aspen-covered ridge far to the east

Eastern Sierra From Afar. East of the Sierra Nevada, California. September 17, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The pre-dawn eastern Sierra Nevada viewed from an aspen-covered ridge far to the east

This may be the final photograph in this series. (But you never know!) On a mid-September day, when autumn aspen color was just beginning to show in the Sierra and the nearby ranges to the east, I arose early and headed off to a place that I had wondered about on an earlier visit. On that previous trip I had also done a bit of wandering out the east of the crest, by chance deciding to turn off of a paved road near the top of a pass, and then following gravel tracks out along a high ridge. I suspected there were aspens here, but I didn’t realize how many, and I made a mental note to come back here in the fall.

So this was my return. Arriving before sunrise I wasn’t quite sure what I would find. I knew there was a panoramic view back toward the eastern Sierra and I knew there were aspens. I also knew of a couple of likely place to stop. As I arrived near the location of the photograph it was still rather dark and very cold, so I went for something I knew and I looked for a very short spur road through the trees to a viewpoint I had visited earlier. I got out and set up camera gear in the pre-dawn cold — my first really cold morning of the season — and waited for light. As it arrived I could see that the color transition was much farther along than I expected, and I was able to frame a composition that included a few of the most colorful trees, the mountain of aspens beyond, the Sierra in the far distance, and the first pink light of the new day above.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Birds, Fog, First Light

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Birds, Fog, First Light
Birds fly above pre-dawn fog at first light

Birds, Fog, First Light. February 15 2016. Central Valley, California. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Birds fly above pre-dawn fog at first light

If you think to hard about photography, things can quickly become quite confusing. Why do we make photographs? I have some ideas, but I’m not certain. (They involve searching for ideals, in the classic sense, along with dealing with the inexorable march of time, but it is a long story.) We often focus on the practical matters, partly because it is necessary but also because it is easier. Where should I go? What lens should I use? What are the right settings? What is the best subject? What is the ideal time? What if I come back empty handed? Am I on the right track? And much more.

But occasionally there are perfect moments of clarity, both mental and visual. In my experience, they almost always come as a surprise, though there are ways to increase the likelihood of encountering them. They may come when one is alone or in the company of others. These ephemeral experiences of near perfection may be found in mountains, along the ocean, in a city, almost anywhere if you are looking. Cold, a long drive, waking in darkness — they seem a small price for a few seconds of birds against a softly colored sky in the moments before dawn

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Before Dawn, Wetlands

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Before Dawn, Wetlands
Pre-dawn clouds and misty light above the Sierra and San Joaquin Valley wetlands

Before Dawn, Wetlands. San Joaquin Valley, California. December 6, 2015. © Copyright 2015 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Pre-dawn clouds and misty light above the Sierra and San Joaquin Valley wetlands

This photograph comes from one of my first trips of this season to photograph migratory birds in California’s Great Central Valley, an endeavor that has come to fascinate me more and more over the past few years. Somewhere in the post-Thanksgiving time frame I become aware that the birds have begun to return, and I soon find time to be out there on beautiful, cold, and often foggy days to photograph them and the winter landscape.

On this season’s first trip I arrived, as I always do, before dawn. The range of possible conditions out here is quite large, and I might find anything from dense fog to rain to perfectly clear skies. This morning brought some high clouds, especially to the east over the Sierra crest, and some scattered pockets of fog. At first the cloudiness made me wonder if there would even be much of a sunrise, but as the light began to appear the sky above the clouds became a bit more

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+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

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

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

Pre-Dawn Light, San Joaquin Valley

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Pre-Dawn Light, San Joaquin Valley
Pre-Dawn Light, San Joaquin Valley

Pre-Dawn Light, San Joaquin Valley. Central Valley, California. December 2, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Pre-dawn light and thin fog above marshland in California’s San Joaquin Valley

A foggy fall landscape with birds from California’s San Joaquin Valley, where I often go at tho time of year to photograph migratory birds and the often foggy, cold, and damp places they live. The region is largely agricultural, with lots of cattle being raised nearby – but in the winter the pastures are flooded and a huge variety of birds can be found here, including geese, herons, white pelicans, cranes, ibises, egrets, and more.

As I usually do, I left the San Francisco Bay area very early in the morning, well before dawn, so that I could arrive here before the sun came up. I had already been shooting a while when I stopped next to this pond where a small group of coots (?) were clustered together. I had been looking for some sort of foreground focus around which to build a photograph that included those interesting clouds over in the direction of the Sierra Nevada, clouds that here are just beginning to pick up the dawn light that had yet to reach the valley, were there was still a light blanket of fog.

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.