Tag Archives: red

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

Sunrise Trees

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Sunrise Trees
“Sunrise Trees” — Sandhill cranes in a pond beneath winter trees turned red by sunrise light on a foggy morning.

There are birds in this photograph, but it is really (mostly) about these sunrise trees. I went to this spot early this winter morning because it has been a reliable place to find sandhill cranes as they fly out in the morning. There were cranes, though not that many. But as I waited for them the nearby fog began to thin, and the light of the rising sun turning eastern clouds blood-red illuminated the trees with intensely colorful light.

This photograph is in a category that I sometimes think of as “unreal light” images. We all understand that photographs are not objectively accurate “recordings” of the real world. They are subjective, personal views of how the photographer sees things. An aspect of this is that we “work” the colors in photographs in pleasing ways… and sometimes they get worked to excess, producing unbelievable results. Against that background, when nature produces such intense and saturated light, it is easy to chalk it up to something the photographer did. Sometimes that’s the case — but not here!

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

Sunrise, From the Valley to the Sierra

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Sunrise, From the Valley to the Sierra
“Sunrise, From the Valley to the Sierra” — A cloudy winter sunrise above the Sierra Nevada, as seen from the Central Valley.

There is a lot going on in this photograph. Of course, the most obvious first impression is likely to be the wild light. It was a cloudy dawn, and in the gap between the edge of a weather front and the distant Sierra Nevada the sky colors were very intense. And, yes, those mountains are the crest of the Sierra Nevada as viewed from the farmlands of the Central Valley.

It was also hazy, and that made the atmosphere between me and the mountains glow orange For a moment as the sky lit up. Closer, out there among the trees dotting the landscape, tule fog hugged the ground and drifted, occasionally rising over obstructions.

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

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

Sierra Silhouette, Wetlands Winter Sunrise

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Sierra Silhouette, Wetlands Winter Sunrise
“Sierra Silhouette, Wetlands Winter Sunrise” — Intensely colorful winter sunrise light above a Central Valley wetlands pond and the distant outline of the Sierra Nevada.

On a recent early morning visit to the Central Valley I was lucky to run into a couple of friends who were also there to see the wintry landscape and photograph migratory birds. We conversed casually during slow moments when we found ourselves in the same spots. One of them noted that a lot of my recent photographs have relied on pastels. True! I’ve been focusing those colors recently, and they are common in the winter landscape. This is not one of those photographs.

Indeed, these colors are almost lurid. I photographed just before the sun came up, when the pre-dawn light is at its most saturated. I used a long lens to focus on the brightly-lit clouds and their reflection, and to eliminate much of the surrounding darker landscape. Wild displays of color like this — and sky filled with migratory birds — are among the reasons that I’m willing to get up at “oh-dark-thirty” and drive for hours in the darkness.

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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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Porto Rooftops

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Porto Rooftops
“Porto Rooftops” — The view across the rooftops of Porto toward the Duoro River.

During our summer 2023 visit, Portugal we stayed in lodgings not far from Porto’s Ribiera district, whose waterfront is visible at the far upper right of the picture. Because we like to walk a lot in such towns, we spent most of our time on that side of the Duoro River, the main waterway flowing through Porto and shortly after to the sea. But on this evening we had business across the river as we began our walk.

We walked to the east and then crossed one of the eye-catching bridges, the Ponte Luis I. This is mainly a rail bridge, but there are walkways for pedestrians. As the bridge reaches the far bank, the river-side hills rise quickly to meet it. I paused here to photograph over the tops of the characteristic red roofs toward the Duoro as it continues downstream toward the ocean.

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.