Tag Archives: sky

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Sprawling Tree, Clearing Fog

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Sprawling Tree, Clearing Fog
“Sprawling Tree, Clearing Fog” — An old, sprawling tree emerges from thinning morning tule fog, Central Valley.

Trees like this sprawling, old giant are remarkable fixtures in this flat landscape. Not only do they stand out visually against the surrounding flatlands and marshy ponds, but they support their own plant and animal communities. It is common to find raptors perched in their branches. Their decaying autumn leaves and dropped branches nourish the soil. And on hot summer days they provide cooling shade.

This one is an old friend by now, as it is along a route that I often follow when photographing winter birds. This morning began with very dense tule fog, but as I worked my way to the location of this tree it began to break up and thin. The sun was breaking through and turning the remaining fog luminous.

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

Levee Road, Trees, Fog

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Levee Road, Trees, Fog
“Levee Road, Trees, Fog” — Morning tule fog clears beyond a pair of Central Valley trees next to a levee road.

I love tule fog and the mysterious atmosphere it creates. But even more, I love what happens as it clears. Out here in the Central Valley the fog often seems to drift and thin unevenly. It moves away in one place to reveal a hazy landscape, but nearby the fog lingers and blocks longer views. Visible overhead through the shallow layer is combination of blue morning sky, high clouds, and sometimes soft remnants of the dissipating fog.

This scene is along a levee road, one of a seemingly infinite number of similar roads out in the wet parts of the valley. Many Californians, including me, tend to think of the summertime Central Valley, a place that is known for heat and dryness. But in the winter it can be the opposite, a cold and damp place, often dotted by seasonal ponds and lakes.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Wetland Pond and Trees, Dawn

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Wetland Pond and Trees, Dawn
“Wetland Pond and Trees, Dawn” — A line of trees along a levee between wetland ponds silhouetted against winter Central Valley sunrise sky. with the Sierra Nevada in the distance.

I made this photograph in a quiet corner of a place where I often photograph in winter. Trees grow along a levee separating a small pond from a much larger body of water where migratory birds sometimes land. I had a brief window of sunrise light on this morning, as clouds from an arriving weather system moved overhead and on toward the east, darkening the sky except for a narrow strip above the distant Sierra Nevada.

I have photographed these trees before, though in quite different light. Birds often are found here, though not typically the larger geese and cranes. (By good luck, a line of geese passed along the trees as I made the exposure, but you might have to look for them.) More common birds are the various “little brown birds,” plus some raptors and the occasional owl.

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

Winter Geese, Winter Pond

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Winter Geese, Winter Pond
“Winter Geese, Winter Pond” — Migratory geese (including Rosss, snow, and cackling geese) settle in a California Central Valley pond as a weather front approaches.

On the best winter days, migratory birds gather by the hundreds of thousands (millions?) up and down California’s Central Valley, especially where the winter wetland ponds form. I first became vaguely aware of this decades ago on a winter drive up the Sacramento Valley on my way to Washington, when for the first time I saw multitudes of birds in the winter sky. Later a chance comment by a friend led me to a location in the delta where birds gather by thousands. Since then, I’ve been addicted to experiencing and photographing this annual wonder.

I made this photograph on a cloudy morning. The cloud shield overhead extended to the edge of the Sierra, which meant we had a brief but brilliant sunrise above the mountains. Then everything went mostly gray and hazy, and the light turned soft. These geese — largely a mixture of Ross’s, snow, and white-fronted — settled into a pond where I paused.

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.