Tag Archives: trees

Photographs: Nature

Cherry Blossom, Hakone Garden

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Cherry Blossom, Hakone Garden
“Cherry Blossom, Hakone Garden” — Cherry blossom in evening light at Hakone Gardens.

This is another “spring” photograph from our afternoon and evening at the Hakone Estate and Gardens earlier this season. The gardens are open — and worth visiting — all year, but there are special events during cherry blossom season, including the evening hours when we visited. The visit began in late afternoon sunlight, but continued on into the evening when colorful lighting is turned on in the garden.

I have known about the Hakone Garden sfor a long time. Back in my cycling days I rode past many times on my way into the mountains. I went there for some workshops and off-site meetings many years ago. But somehow I had never really known the history of the place. It was created as a retreat in the early 1900s under the direction of a woman who was entranced by Asian gardens she saw at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. It passed through several private owners before the last one decided to donate it to the town of Saratoga to protect it from being turned into a housing development.

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, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Winter Sunrise, Central Valley

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Winter Sunrise, Central Valley
“Winter Sunrise, Central Valley” — Winter sun rises beyond the Sierra Nevada as thin fog drifts among trees.

This photograph is one of the final remaining photographs from this past winter in California’s Central Valley. (Who am I kidding? There are probably more that I’ll uncover when I eventually revisit the archive.) I made it on my final visit of the season to photograph migratory birds. This photograph is the result of an unfortunate situation that ultimately turned out OK. I arrived before dawn to find that the gate was locked. As I listened to thousands of birds begin their fly-out beyond that gate, I decided that it made more sense to head off to find other opportunities, and I found this sunrise view a few miles away.

These Central Valley locations fascinate me for a variety of reasons — the migratory birds, the fog, the long views of the Sierra Nevada (as in this photo), the open vistas. Years ago I would never have imagined that such agricultural areas could provide so many photographic opportunities, but then I “discovered” the winter birds. I was hooked, and I’ve gone back every year since then.

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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Morning Fog and Haze, Distant Mountains

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Morning Fog and Haze, Distant Moiuntains
“Morning Fog and Haze, Distant Mountains” — The Sierra Nevada seen through sunrise winter haze and fog in the Central Valley.

You may need to look closely at this photograph to understand what you are seeing. The foreground is perhaps obvious — a tule fog covered area of Central Valley winter landscape just before sunrise. Beyond that there is a slightly darker band of mountains. These are the Sierra foothills. But look above that. You are not seeing clouds. You are seeing a section of the distant Sierra Nevada crest.

It isn’t every day that the crest is visible from the Central Valley. In particular, foggy and stormy winter days often obscure the range from view. But at dawn — and on through the day when it is exceptionally clear — the range rises in striking fashion to the east and stretches as far as you can see from north to south.

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: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Wildlife

Winter Dawn, Central Valley

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Winter Dawn, Central Valley
“Winter Dawn, Central Valley” — Tule fog lingers among trees and fields as migratory birds fly though winter sunrise sky and the Sierra Nevada towers in the distance

One of the pleasures — yes, I wrote “pleasures” — of starting a long California drive before sunrise is the chance to see the Sierra Nevada profiled against the pre-dawn sky. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I often see variations on this view as I crest the western California hills and descend into the Central Valley. This is a variation on that view, not from the western edge of the Valley but out in its center.

For frequently obscures this long view when I am out in the Valley photographing winter birds. Even when the fog lifts, the atmosphere is often opaque. But from time to time in clears to reveal this striking view of ridges and peaks. This photograph was a “happy accident.” I had arrived at my planned destination only to find that access was blocked temporarily. Rather than wait, I decided to drive and see what I could find. It wasn’t long before I found this view across the agricultural landscape, draped in low tule fog, and extending toward the distant peaks.

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.