Tag Archives: san joaquin

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Three Winter Trees at Sunrise

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Three Winter Trees at Sunrise
Three winter trees in soft sunrise light on a misty Central Valley morning.

Three Winter Trees at Sunrise. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Three winter trees in soft sunrise light on a misty Central Valley morning.

This is another photograph from my first-week-of-March visit to the Central Valley. My objective was to photograph migratory birds one more time before their March departure for the far north. Once on the scene my goals shifted more towards landscape photography, as many of the birds had dispersed a bit more widely than usual and were in areas that were not accessible. Recent heavy California rains had produced pooling water nearly everywhere, so the birds were not all in their familiar locations. Fortunately, the trees had not moved.

In other recent posts I have mentioned the surprise appearance of tule fog on this morning. The day started out crystal clear, and lacking the expected bird subjects I decided to photograph these trees at sunrise. I was so intent on this that the slightly muted quality of the light didn’t trigger my “maybe there will be fog” instincts. But when I look at this photograph now I can see that the conditions were already starting to develop. But at the moment I made the photograph, all I saw was the soft, reddish sunrise light on the trunks of these trees.

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

Winter Tree and Pond

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Winter Tree and Pond
“Winter Tree and Pond” — A winter-barren tree at the edge of a foggy pond.

Winter Tree and Pond. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A barren winter tree at the edge of a foggy pond.

This scene was an unexpected opportunity on my Central Valley visit during the first week of March. When I arrived in the predawn light, the sky was completely clear — so clear that the sunrise photography was actually a bit disappointing. But I try to make the best of what I have to work with, so I did some photography in the first dawn light and then moved on. Then, perhaps an hour later and to my complete surprise, tule fog began to develop, and before long the visibility was down to, well, what you see in this photograph.

I headed back to this spot, which I had passed without bothering to pause in that earlier light, and now the fog turned this bare tree and pond into quite an atmospheric scene. The fog often transforms rather unremarkable scenes into something much more interesting, mostly by muting the visibility of distracting elements and leaving the main features and forms.

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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

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Photographs: Agriculture, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Orchard in Bloom, Country Road

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Orchard in Bloom, Country Road
A narrow country road runs past a Central Valley orchard in bloom.

Orchard in Bloom, Country Road. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A narrow country road runs past a Central Valley orchard in bloom.

In general, most people don’t think of the Central Valley as the scenic highlight of California. I suppose that makes sense in a state that includes redwood forests, the Sierra Nevada, the beautiful desolation of deserts, the Pacific Ocean coast, and some great cities. Many Californians think of the Great valley as something to drive through on the way to some other place. But there are beautiful things out there, even in some of the agricultural areas — and recently I have heard that “going to see the almond orchards in bloom” has become a thing.

Every winter when the trees suddenly blossom it seems like “they bloomed early this year.” I finally realized that, no, this is just when they blossom — though the sudden appearance still takes me by surprise. I took a break from bird photography on this morning to drive around a bit, and I found this scene of a narrow road heading down the edge of one of these huge orchards, in morning sun but with sky muted a bit by thin fog.

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

Blackbirds in Trees, Sunrise

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Blackbirds in Trees, Sunrise
A flock of red-winged blackbirds perches in a bare winter tree at sunrise.

Blackbirds in Trees, Sunrise. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A flock of red-winged blackbirds perches in a bare winter tree at sunrise.

This photograph fits squarely into that hybrid genre that I refer to as “birdscapes.” A lot of bird photography focuses on somewhat tightly framed photograph of individuals or small groups. I make those photographs, too, but often I include more of the landscape than the birds. In other words, I tend to be interested in the place of the birds in their landscapes. As such, I often treat them as part of the larger place and less as individual specimens.

When I arrived here before dawn, my general plan — which often works pretty well — was to look around for an interesting flock of birds, probably cranes or geese. Then I would look for a camera position that put them in the best sunrise light, which might be some kind of sidelight with an interesting background or perhaps backlight if there is some haze or fog. Unfortunately, there were hardly any such flocks, and those I found took off before sunrise! So I looked for an alternative sunrise subject, and soon remembered this group of three trees.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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.