Tag Archives: snow

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

Geese in Motion

Image Leave a comment
Geese in Motion
Long exposure photograph of an airborne flock of migratory geese.

Geese in Motion. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Long exposure photograph of an airborne flock of migratory geese.

A day of my wildlife photography typically begins and ends in darkness — I arrive and set up before sunrise and “don’t pack until it’s black.” During the earliest and latest times there’s often barely enough to light to make photographs, especially with the long lenses that I favor for this subject. In the early morning I often just crank up the ISO and do the best I can. But in the evening I frequently go the opposite direction in my final shots of the day — lowering the ISO and intentionally working with rather long exposures that allow the birds’ motion to blur.

Given the popularity of sharp pictures of birds — something that I often aspire to, as well — this might seem counterintuitive. But it occurred to me some years ago that the mass of blurred motion actually better evokes the wild seeming-chaos of these mass flights. They are not so much about any particular bird as they are about the half-seen motion of the group.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Flight, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

An Eruption of Geese

Image Leave a comment
An Eruption of Geese
A large flock of migratory geese takes flight in early evening light.

An Eruption of Geese. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A large flock of migratory geese takes flight in early evening light.

The first time I witnessed one of these mass lift-offs, quite a few years ago, I could not. believe what I was seeing — the density of the flock, the sound of their wings and their calls, the tumult. I’ve seen hundreds of these events since then —sometimes many on a single day. But the thrill and astonishment remains. This group of (mostly) snow geese was settled in a field very close to us, and they would periodically take off in groups ranging from a few hundred individuals up to nearly the entire flock.

The light was fortuitous. Due to where the geese had settled, late afternoon and early evening light came from the right. (Full front or back light can be quite challenging with this subject.) Although rain had threatened earlier in the day, it cleared in the afternoon… and tremendous winds arrived. In nearby locations they were sweeping up large dust clouds, but not here — yet the slightly milky atmosphere softened the light just a bit.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Distant Ridge, Dusk

Image Leave a comment
Distant Ridge, Dusk
A distant ridge in dusk light, viewed from a high point in Death Valley Naitonal Park.

Distant Ridge, Dusk. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A distant ridge in dusk light, viewed from a high point in Death Valley Naitonal Park.

This was just about the final photograph that I made at this location high in Death Valley National Park’s Black Mountains. I had arrived here well before sunset, remaining to photograph the light transitions as the day came to an end. The valleys directly below had gone dark by this point, so I quickly moved to a nearby spot and switched my attention from the west to the east, where a distant snow-capped ridge in Nevada was visible beneath the dusk sky.

In a previous post I mentioned that landscape photography isn’t always a slow, sedate process. It can be, but the light, sky, and landscape can also change very quickly. When I saw this late light I had to switch into “fast landscape” mode as the light quickly faded, and I managed to make a couple of exposures before the show was over and it was time to head back to camp.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

From Valley To Peaks

Image Leave a comment
From Valley To Peaks
In morning light, he Panamint Range rises from below sea level in Death Vally to over 11,000 feet at Telescope Peak.

From Valley To Peaks. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The Panamint Range rises in morning light from below sea level in Death Vally to over 11,000 feet at Telescope Peak.

Earlier I shared another photograph of this series of impressive ridges, rising in the dawn light from the below-sea-level playa of Death Valley to the 11,000’+ summit of Telescope Peak. The other photograph took in a wider view of the landscape. In this one I narrowed the focus to emphasize the immense mass of these mountains and their astonishingly tall escarpment.

It is very hard to get an accurate sense of scale for this scene. This was true when I was there, and I suspect it is even more true when looking at the photograph. The base of the mountains is many miles away — I don’t have an accurate measurement, but it must be more than ten miles. If you look closely, you may notice that it takes four ridges to reach that highest summit, whose distance is likely something like 25-30 miles. And if you look closely you can pick out a series of four ridges as the mountains rise to the summit.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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