Tag Archives: stock

Photographs: Wildlife

Gull in Flight, Blue Sky

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Gull in Flight, Blue Sky
Gull in Flight, Blue Sky. Pacific Coast, California. March 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

On the first day of March I went out for some “target practice” – trying to track gulls in flight from a bluff above the Pacific Ocean north of Santa Cruz, California.

I was using a new zoom that provides a 400mm focal length at the long end. Although I’m not primarily a wildlife photographer – not that I don’t give it a try from time to time – I have to say that trying to photograph gulls as they pass by in flight is a real challenge, and renews my appreciation for the skills of those who do specialize in “birds in flight” (or “BIF,” as they refer to it) photography.

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Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Shop Buildings at Night

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Mare Island Shops at Night
Mare Island Shops at Night. Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California. March 22, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

At least once a year I join The Nocturnes (the San Francisco Bay Area night photographers’ group led by Tim Baskerville) to photograph the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. This amazing historical site near Vallejo, California was the first US Navy shipyard on the west coast and dates to the mid-1800s. It was active until the late 1990s. It is a night photographer’s paradise with wonderful old buildings ranging form officers’ homes to dry docks to huge cranes to wonderful old brick factory buildings

keywords: night, nocturnes, mare island, naval shipyard, vallejo, california, usa, stars, artificial, lights, brick, quonset, door, road, street, fence, windows, smoke, stack, blue, yellow, brown, shadow, urban, landscape, travel, historic, stock

Photographs: Pacific Northwest, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Abandoned Structures, Seattle Gasworks Park

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Abandoned Structures, Gasworks Park
Abandoned Structures, Gasworks Park. Seattle, Washington, August 21, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

These abandoned tanks and related equipment dominate this historic Seattle park. I return here almost every time when I visit Seattle and I especially like the cloudy conditions like those on the day I made this photograph.

keywords: black and white, seattle, gas, works, gasworks, park, industrial, equipment, structures, tanks, ladders, railings, pipes, valves, steel, rust, tower, urban, landscape, travel, historic, washington, stock, railing

Photographs: Night, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Moonlit Cove, Thousand Island Lake

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Moonlit Cove, Thousand Island Lake

Moonlit Cove, Thousand Island Lake. Ansel Adams Wilderness, California. July 27, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

I spent a few hours on this cold, clear July evening photographing the light of the full moon, star trails, and reflections on the surface of Thousand Island Lake.

When using a digital camera to make such long exposures one must adopt a very patient attitude. First, find the spot for your photograph and set everything up in the dark. Then make an exposure of perhaps 15 minutes. Because DSLRs are subject to noise on these long exposures, you then wait another 15 minutes while the camera completes a “dark frame” exposure to determine how to compensate for the noise in the original exposure. Yes, it takes 30 minutes (and lots of battery power!) to make a 15 minute exposure.

You could become impatient. Or you could, as I do, sit back and enjoy the peace and quite of a beautiful moonlit Sierra night.

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