Tag Archives: red

Cranes at Dusk

Cranes at Dusk
“Cranes at Dusk” — The evening fly-in of lesser sandhill cranes at dusk.

We spent New Year’s Day with friends, after getting up early to greet the literal dawn of the new year. OK, it was kind of cloudy and we didn’t see the sun until later. But still, it was a great day and a fine group to share it with. We photographed birds and landscape, and we shared food and drink that each of us had brought for the occasion. The day culminated with the evening fly-in of sandhill cranes.

The sandhill cranes stay in nearby ponds overnight, and around dawn many of them get up and fly away for the day. Typically they return at dusk, when there’s barely enough light left for photography, and their characteristic cries mark the end of the day. This small group was cooperative enough to pass through a patch of beautiful, colorful twilight sky just before landing.


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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Pier 57, Crane Barge

Pier 57, Crane Barge
A crane barge docked next to Pier 57, Manhattan.

Pier 57, Crane Barge. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A crane barge docked next to Pier 57, Manhattan.

Manhattan’s Hudson River waterfront fascinates me. It is a busy place with lots of vehicle traffic, but many facilities along the shore have been and are being transformed. Old piers fall into ruin, others are converted to new purposes. New structures extend the city over the water. I made this photograph at one of those new places, the “Little Island.” It seems to grow organically from the water, and it houses a busy little park with enough elevation to provide good views of the surroundings.

This photograph looks up the shoreline to Pier 57, a renovated structure that is now a commercial space and which includes its own park. The relationship between the building’s green paint and the red-orange color of the crane caught my attention, as did the colorful reflection in the water just beyond the old pilings.


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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Autumn Reflections, Central Park

Autumn Reflections, Central Park
The Manhattan skyline is reflected in the water of The Lake on a hazy autumn day, Central Park.

Autumn Reflections, Central Park. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The Manhattan skyline is reflected in the water of The Lake on a hazy autumn day, Central Park.

We arrived in New York City late in the day, too late to do much other than meet up with family, get a bite to eat, and head back to the hotel. We stayed on the Upper West Side, more or less to the west of the Natural History Museum, and thus a short walk from Central Park. So the next morning — after coffee, of course! — we headed that way to walk and do a bit of photography. We were happy to see that there were still many trees with autumn foliage.

We casually ambled around this lake, known by the descriptive name of “The Lake.” To get photographs from the park that include the Manhattan skyline, I usually seek out open areas that are less obstructed by trees, such as meadows and lakes. The lakes have the added attraction of providing interesting reflections. So here the scene is the lake (oh, sorry, “The Lake”), the autumn foliage of the surrounding trees, and beyond that the skyline of Manhattan just south of the park.


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 to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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Hernshead, Autumn

Hernshead, Autumn
A person sits on the Hernshead outcropping among fall colors, Central Park, Manhattan.

Hernshead, Autumn. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A person sits on the Hernshead outcropping among fall colors, Central Park, Manhattan.

We were in New York City for a few days before Thanksgiving. (We left early to avoid the holiday rush.) Our two sons and daughters-in-law live and work there, and they have told us for years to come during spring and autumn instead of our usual winter and summer visits. They are right. — Manhattan was full of lovely fall colors, not just here in the “wilds” of Central Park,” but even along busy streets and avenues. This photograph juxtaposes one of the park’s rocky outcroppings, “The Lake,” autumn trees, and a bit of the Manhattan skyline.

There is always something new to discover or learn about the place. For example, take the name “Hernshead.” Before sharing this photograph I looked at maps to see if the spot has a name, and I discovered that it does. But it is a strange word. If you asked me what “Hernshead” means I might have said, “Don’t know, but maybe someone’s name?” I would have been wrong. According to the Park Conservancy, it was named when the park was created in the 1800s because the outcropping’s shape suggested the form of a heron’s head… and “hern” is apparently an old, alternate spelling of “heron.”


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 to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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