Tag Archives: road

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Wildlife

The Cranes Return

January 31, 2018 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

I understand that the “Super Blue Blood Moon” or something similar occurred early this morning. I missed it. (Well, not quite. I did look out my window before sunrise, and I saw a bit of the eclipse over my neighbor’s house.) However, almost exactly 12 hours earlier I was in a position to look at and photograph that very same moon as it rose over the Sierra Nevada and climbed into the sky above California. It was a beautiful, quiet, peaceful moment at the end of a long day photographing birds.

I chose this particular day to visit the wetlands for a couple of reasons. First, I knew there would be ground fog in the morning and that fog often leaves behind a soft and hazy atmosphere. Second, I knew that the moon would rise from behind the Sierra about a half hour before actual sunset, putting it at an interesting elevation above the horizon at sunset and during the blue hour, that period when the moon seems bright but the ambient light is still sufficient to illuminate the landscape. I began watching for the rising moon at the appointed time, but it did not immediately appear, because it still had to clear the Sierra and because the atmosphere above the valley was so thick with haze. Perhaps twenty minutes later it began to emerge from the haze, and I quickly moved to a spot I had previously considered, where some trees break up the otherwise flat landscape here where a gravel road winds among them. I hoped that the cranes might appear — they often do during the moments shortly after sunset — and hoped even more that they might pass through the scene. Sometimes one does get lucky, and a long string of the birds flew just above the moon as the sky turned pink and deeper blue.

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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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

Forest, Wildfire Smoke

October 31, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Smoke from the Empire Fire drifts among forest trees in the early morning

In late October I spent a few days photographing in and around Yosemite National Park. I was in the area for the opening reception for the last hurrah of this year’s Yosemite Renaissance Exhibit, which has been installed at Gallery Five in Oakhurst. I took advantage of the visit to photograph various autumn subjects including the (somewhat early this year) fall colors in Yosemite Valley. But I also photographed another Sierra Nevada fall subject that we often aren’t as easily attracted to, namely wildfire smoke.

Like most Americans brought up with Smokey The Bear, I used to think that wildfires were uniformly evil things. We are more enlightened today, and we now understand that fire is actually a healthy part of the forest ecosystem. (Some fires at not so healthy, such as some during recent years that have completely destroyed large areas of forest.) Periodic fire clears out underbrush and forest litter, doesn’t kill mature trees, and tends to prevent the truly dangerous fires may otherwise occur. While I understand this intellectually, it has been harder for me to begin to see wildfires as attractive photographic subjects. However, on this morning, it was a bit easier! I had decided to get up early and head for Glacier Point at dawn — but I was soon distracted by an opportunity to photograph autumn dogwood trees. By the time I finished that I knew that I wasn’t close to being on schedule for dawn at Glacier Point, but I decided to head that direction anyway. As the road turns toward Glacier Point and overlooks a vast expanse of Sierra to the east, the view of this valley filled with early morning smoke that

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

Photographs: Pacific Northwest, Photographs: People, Photographs: Urban/Street

Beecher’s

September 25, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Seattle street scene

I made this photograph on a recent visit of several days to the Seattle, Washington area. Much of this visit was not photographically oriented, but I did have a couple of days that I could devote to photography. Seattle has a particular character that I enjoy — to generalize, it is partly about the light and weather, partly about the nature of the city itself, and partly about the people. The light is softer and lower angled than what I’m used to in California. The “nature” of the city is a bit hard to explain — though it has both the woodsy quality of being built-in forest as another quality that is shared with San Francisco and its older buildings. There is something, again to generalize, about the people as well. Perhaps more beards and more informal and slightly outdoorsy clothing?

I made this photograph in the Pike Place area, and I just happened to notice the little tableau of people, buildings, and colorful bicycles and other elements as I walked by. If the photograph is about anything, that anything might include the contrasting square shapes of the building and the angled lines of the road and sidewalk, plus something about the positioning of the people. It is also about color, from the yellow line to the colorful elements sprinkled throughout the frame.

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

Two Trees, Granite, and Forest

August 25, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Two trees stand at the base of a granite dome with forest ascending further hills

When I first photographed this pair of trees some time ago, I thought I had discovered something special. From my perspective that was true — my personal discovery was special. But it wasn’t too long afterwards that I “discovered” a beautiful print of these same trees by photographer and friend Charles Cramer, at which point I recognized that perhaps my photograph was just a bit less unique than I imagined! Yet, something about these trees and their surroundings sticks in my mind, and from time to time I stop and photograph them again.

That was the case on this late-July morning, when I passed by on my way to some other place. I noticed that the morning light seemed just about perfect, and that the slight haze produced a bit of atmospheric recession to add depth to the subject. So, once again, I stopped and made a few photographs. In this one I decided to include just a bit of the foreground trees, one on either side, so that I could also include a bit more of the forest zigzagging up the side of the more distant slopes in the morning light.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: road

The Cranes Return

Forest, Wildfire Smoke

Beecher’s

Two Trees, Granite, and Forest

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.