Tag Archives: valley

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

Ross’s Geese, Dusk

December 5, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A flock of Ross’s geese suddenly takes to the air at dusk

The truth is that there are whole long periods of “nothing exciting” when photographing a subject like this. The photographs might deceive the viewer into imagining a morning, an afternoon, and an evening spent in constant wonder at the marvel of the birds and the landscape they live in, surrounded by clouds of birds in beautifully colorful skies. The truth, as it often is, tends to be more complicated. In fact, I spent a good part of this day sitting in my car grading papers. I napped a bit — important when you get up at 3-something o’clock in the morning and start your day with a two-hour drive in darkness. Yes, I even checked in on social media during the slow times.

There are at least two things to say about this. First, a quiet day in a place where time moves slowly is not a bad thing in and of itself — and it is sadly a rarity for too many of us. Second, and perhaps more optimistically, there are moments that reward patience and occasional boredom. They are not really predictable and often they arrive unexpectedly, and this only makes them more powerful. I had come to what I thought was the end of the day’s photography as the light faded and the birds quieted and I was simply standing by my car next to a small patch of bird-free water… when something triggered a mass eruption of geese into the air. They circled and the circle gradually expanded until its edge was right above me, and soon a large part of the flock began to land in that small patch of water.

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: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Geese, Sunset Sky

December 4, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Geese settle in for the evening as dusk sky comes to the San Joaquin Valley

The approach of winter in California’s Great Central Valley reminds me of a number of great seasonal cycles — the days shorten, temperatures drop, mornings are again often foggy, and the monumental migration of birds brings geese and cranes and more back to the state. This area, which can be less than compelling in the visual sense during the summer (though it has its attractions then, too) becomes one of the most special places in California if you know when and where to look. Yesterday I made this season’s first trip back to this landscape.

We can make some predictions about things like the birds and the weather in this place, but there will still be many surprises. Yesterday’s visit brought two such wonderful surprises. I had been watching weather forecast, hoping for tule fog, but had been consistently disappointed to see nothing but predictions of clear weather. But as I left the last small town before my destination the fog appeared, and by the time I arrived it was so thick that driving was a challenge and the rising sun was invisible. Then, late in the day, I felt that my photographic opportunities were ending, and I stopped at an out-of-the-way corner to just watch the sky after sunset. Suddenly a huge flock of geese rose noisily into the air far across the ponds, circled for a moment… and then suddenly landed directly in front of me in the fading light!

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

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Early Fall Color, Rocky Basin

November 19, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Early fall season color comes to a rocky basin on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada

This photograph has sat on my computer’s “desktop” for weeks — perhaps even months now — since I completed most of my autumn Eastern Sierra photographs for the year and moved on to other things.

It wasn’t first to be posted because it isn’t either an impressively colorful photograph nor one that is of an unusual subject. In fact, the spot is one that I know well — I photographed from a high place that I visit every year. This time I was there early, more mid-September than my usual early October. I was surprised to find this much color in this area so soon.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Tree Trunks, Autumn Leaves

November 12, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Against a background of Yosemite Valley granite cliffs, tall tree trunks tower above autumn color

It isn’t unusual for me to try both a portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal) version of a photograph when both are possible. If for no other reason, sometimes a client may wish to license an image in a specific orientation, and I hate to say, “Uh, no” when asked if the other one is available! But in other cases, the subject really works both ways, and I feel like this is one such subject. A few days ago I shared a landscape orientation photograph of this subject. In some ways that wider-than-tall approach to trees can do a better job of suggesting the height of something by perhaps creating a subliminal impression that the subject is so tall that it doesn’t fit the frame — and the viewer gets to imagine what is “up there.” On the other hand, the portrait orientation can actually present the strong verticals with fewer distractions.

This photograph, and others in the series, were made near a popular and iconic Yosemite Valley location where I had stopped for a moment. Nearby, and in the opposition direction from that icon, there is a lovely bit of dry grass meadow dotted with small oak trees, and my object was to go photograph there. One thing led to the next and I soon found myself in a small clearing next to these tall trucks that had recently been burned a bit in a management fire.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: valley

Ross’s Geese, Dusk

Geese, Sunset Sky

Early Fall Color, Rocky Basin

Tree Trunks, Autumn Leaves

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.