Tag Archives: two

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Two Sandhill Cranes in Flight

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Two Sandhill Cranes in Flight
Two sandhill cranes in synchonized flight against blue sky

Two Sandhill Cranes in Flight. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two sandhill cranes in synchonized flight against blue sky

Photographing birds in flight can be rewarding in a number of ways. Careful attention to the birds may reveal a species you haven’t seen before or an interesting variation on a familiar bird. I have developed a greater awareness of the infinite variations of wing position and motion and the relative positioning of birds in groups. And, to be honest, there is the technical challenge of trying to keep the critters in the viewfinder, get focus, and produce a decent image.

Other than the fact that they tend to not come as close as I might like, sandhill cranes aren’t among the most difficult birds to photograph in flight. There are the usual issues of light (it tends to leave the bottom of the birds in shadow except early and late in the day) and distractions from extraneous subjects. But they move fairly slowly and steadily. The pair flew above me, uncharacteristically close to my position, and I made the photograph as their wings were almost perfectly synchronized.

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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 and Amazon.
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Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Pedestrian With Bucket

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Pedestrian With Bucket
Two men walking, one with safety vest and bucket

Pedestrian With Bucket. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two men walking, one with safety vest and bucket

I share this in my ongoing effort to perplex those who like my landscape photography… but aren’t so sure about the other stuff! Don’t worry, my intentions are entirely positive. I’ll remain a bit circumspect, but not entirely so. I like photographing urban scenes for a bunch of reasons, ranging from aesthetic to practical. On the practical side, they are often much more accessible — I can literally step out my front door and make photographs or perhaps find them at the end of a one-hour train ridge. They also challenge me to see in ways that are not in my native comfort zone, and they hone my ability to see quickly… which is a good thing. On the aesthetic side, if you know much about the history of photography and photographers, it is obvious that good work can be done in these places.

As to what is going on in this photograph, you shouldn’t view it though the lens of landscape photography. Well, OK, perhaps you could do that. This is a kind of landscape. It even includes some native “wildlife.” When you look at photographs of natural landscape, you probably look beyond the pure “beauty” of place and subject to consider the abstractions of from and color and implied motion and so forth. It might be worth trying the same thing with other subjects!

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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

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

Two White-Faced Ibises

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Two White-Faced Ibises
Two white-faced ibises interacting in a San Joaquin Valley wetland pond

Two White-Faced Ibises. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two white-faced ibises interacting in a San Joaquin Valley wetland pond

The white-faced ibises have intrigued me since before I knew what they were — in fact, I suppose I could say that I photographed them before I realized that they existed. Some years back, on my very first more or less accidental exposure to bird photography, I found myself “out there” on an early morning, with no more clue about what was going on than “someone told me I should go here and see the birds.”(That someone was a colleague where I taught.) I barely knew a goose from a swan, at least when they were flying quickly overhead, but I was amazed by the number and variety of birds that morning. I photographed like a madman, not really knowing at all what I was photographing. Later on, back home and looking at files, I recall finding a series of photographs of a line of birds overhead that had oddly long and curving beaks. I wondered what they were. It turns out they were ibises.

Ibises are not always the most common specimens. In addition to their unusual beaks, they have another particular visual characteristic. In many situations you would regard them as dark and fairly drab-looking birds. Photographing them in flight is often difficult, partly because they frequently just end up looking black against any lighter background. But catch them in the right light and the texture, patterns, and colors of their feathers begin to appear. On this morning I happened upon a group of ibises, perhaps a couple dozen, in shallow water. I stopped and watched quietly and was able to photograph a variety of behaviors, including this interaction between two of the birds.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Two Geese Landing

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Two Geese Landing
Two geese descend to land in a wetland pond

Two Geese Landing. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two geese descend to land in a wetland pond

Since we’re well into my “bird season,” focused on migratory and other birds, I’ll stick with that theme a bit longer. I photographed this pair of geese (I’m pretty sure they are Ross’s geese) back at the beginning of December. Near the end of the day I moved to where the light would come in from the right, highlighting light and shadow and the textures of the birds features. Not too long before sunset, geese began to arrive and land in the pond, and I was able to photograph their descent.

I often marvel at the contortions of these birds during the final instants of their flights. In the air they are often graceful, but the landings vacillate between that grace and nearly-out-of-control clumsiness as they transform from creatures of the to earthbound animals. They glide in, instinctively facing into the breeze, and can sometimes then seem to almost drop right out of the sky. Wings go upwards, feet extend down, and necks stretch forward, and quickly they are on the ground.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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