Tag Archives: spider

Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Red Alder Leaves, Autumn

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Red Alder Leaves, Autumn

Red Alder Leaves, Autumn. Muir Woods National Monument, California. October 25, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sunlight filtering through the canopy of the redwood forest back-lights overhead red alder leaves at Muir Woods National Monument.

I posted a black and white version of this photograph yesterday – and I still go back and forth on which I prefer. The luminescent green color of the backlit alder leaves against the pattern of the branches on which they grow is what first attracted me to this subject, but I like the more abstracted nature of the black and white version. I probably won’t be able to decide until I print the photographs… if I can even decide then!

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Textures

Red Alder Leaves, Autumn

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Red Alder Leaves, Autumn

Red Alder Leaves, Autumn. Muir Woods National Monument, California. October 25, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sunlight filtering through the canopy of the redwood forest back-lights overhead red alder leaves at Muir Woods National Monument.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

I made a black and white and a color version of this image – since I think I prefer the black and white version I’m posting it first.

This year I have been returning to Muir Woods in all seasons and, among other things, I’ve watched the red alder trees as they have gone through the cycle from the first spring leaves to the deterioration of the leaves as they begin to change color before dropping from the trees as winter approaches. In many places along the main trails at Muir Woods the path travels directly beneath a canopy of these trees and when the light comes through the trees, filtered by passing through the upper levels of the forest, it highlights the curving and twisting shapes of the branches.

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keywords: muir, woods, national, monument, recreation, area, golden, gate, marin, san francisco, california, usa, forest, tree, leaf, leaves, branch, twig, spider, web, thread, glow, bokeh, nature, flora, foliage, landscape, black and white, red, alder, redwood, coast, sun, light, sunlight, filter, canopy, back, overhead, stock

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

Red-Winged Blackbird on Fence, Foggy Morning

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Red-Winged Blackbird on Fence, Foggy Morning

Red-Winged Blackbird on Fence, Foggy Morning. Calero Hills, California. April 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A female redwing blackbird stands atop a post of an old weathered fence among grasses.

I photographed this bird on an early mid-April morning just before fog began to clear. I frequently walk past this small pond – Castillero Pond – when I begin my hikes into the hills, oaks, and grassland of Calero Park. I’ve learned that it is often possible to find an egret here, so I usually approach the pond slowly and quietly so as not to scare the bird off if it happens to be there. On this morning it wasn’t, but I was pleased to see that the pond had filled after late-season rain, and I found that a flock of redwing blackbirds was flying around – it seems like must be mating and nesting season for them. So I left the long lens on the camera and remained quiet and was able to get fairly close to some of these small birds. While this shot doesn’t exactly fill the frame with the bird, I like the curving form of the fence as it blurs into the distance and the subdued colors in the background.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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