Tag Archives: thick

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Pond, Clearing Fog

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Tule fog begins to clear above a Central Valley pond on a late-autumn morning.

Pond, Clearing Fog. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Tule fog thins above a Central Valley pond on a late-autumn morning.

The core of my landscape photography follows a pattern linked to the seasons — no surprise, I suppose, since the landscape is so profoundly affected by seasonal changes. Every year at this time my attention turns to California’s Great Central Valley, where the combination of migratory birds, tule fog, and its minimal landscape become my focus. I finally made it out there this week for the first time this season.

I suppose “normal people” would avoid this area on a day like this. Objectively speaking, this thick fog is not conducive to travel, and those who live there get tired of days and weeks of the cold and damp. But these conditions turn a landscape that can be a bit pedestrian into something mysterious and atmospheric. When I arrived before dawn the fog was so thick that I couldn’t see more than perhaps a hundred feet. But shortly after sunrise the fog began to drift and thin, faint windows opened in the sky above, and soft light began to subtly illuminate the landscape.

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: Nature, Photographs: New England

New England Woods #4

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New England Woods #4
Thick green woods along a road in Southern Vermont.

New England Woods #4. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Thick green woods along a road in Southern Vermont.

I am not quite done with the New England photographs yet, not by a long shot. Stay tuned. This is another one from our August visit to the East Coast, when we joined members of our extended family for a week at a place near Wilmington in Southern Vermont. The main goal of this event was family-oriented — lots of eating, talking, sitting around — but nearby rural roads provided lots of opportunities for learning about and photographing these woods.

This is, it almost goes without saying, not at all like my familiar haunts on the West Coast. At the time of year when California is largely golden-brown, the Vermont countryside was lush and green. Remarkable, and almost unbelievably, Vermonters were talking about this year’s drought! It sure didn’t look like any drought I’ve seen before in the West! The trees and undergrowth are so dense and green that it can be hard to photograph them — so I often found myself photographing into the edge of the forest from roads and trails.

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: Nature, Photographs: New England

New England Woods #2

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New England Woods #2
Dense hardwood forest along a Vermont roadway.

New England Woods #2. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Dense hardwood forest along a Vermont roadway.

We spent most of the last two weeks of August on the East Coast of the United States, first in New York City and then with the extended family at a lodge in southwestern Vermont. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that my East Coast experience has been almost entirely limited to Florida and New York — plus, of course, the inevitable trips between Manhattan and the Newark-Liberty Airport. Friends have told me that I must see New England, especially in autumn, and I’ve always thought it sounded interesting… but I had just never made it there before. Part of this, of course, is due to my landscape “regionalism,” otherwise known as my love of the lands of the America West.

I can’t say that I’ve quite “gotten” the New England landscape after one week spent there, but I most certainly can say that I’m intrigued and want to go back. For this near-native Californian, whose summer “normal” is golden-brown dryness, the lush and dense greenery of Vermont was a revelation. I understand they are having a drought there, but if that is what qualifies for drought in New England, count me in. (I know that this is a serious matter, but you get my drift, right?) I made this photograph on a walk up a gravel road from the lodge where we spent the week.

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: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Tall Trees

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Tall Trees
A stand of tall trees in Yosemite Valley.

Tall Trees. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A stand of tall trees in Yosemite Valley.

This is not what a Sierra Nevada forest looks like during most of the year. It is easy to miss that fact, since it may be the most appealing time and when we are most likely to visit, when there is still moisture and the undergrowth is thick and green. But the reality is that the forest is dormant or nearly so for many months, and that between the spring thaw and autumn much of the Sierra is quite dry… and becoming drier every year recently.

This little bit of Yosemite Valley forest has long fascinated me, which might see odd given that there are other more compelling views nearby. The location is near a lovely meadow full of flowers and grasses in the spring, and oak trees all year long. From that meadow there are impressive views of towers and cliff faces, including nearby El Capitan.

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.