Tag Archives: valley

Photographs: Abstract, Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Geese in Motion

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Geese in Motion
Long exposure photograph of an airborne flock of migratory geese.

Geese in Motion. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Long exposure photograph of an airborne flock of migratory geese.

A day of my wildlife photography typically begins and ends in darkness — I arrive and set up before sunrise and “don’t pack until it’s black.” During the earliest and latest times there’s often barely enough to light to make photographs, especially with the long lenses that I favor for this subject. In the early morning I often just crank up the ISO and do the best I can. But in the evening I frequently go the opposite direction in my final shots of the day — lowering the ISO and intentionally working with rather long exposures that allow the birds’ motion to blur.

Given the popularity of sharp pictures of birds — something that I often aspire to, as well — this might seem counterintuitive. But it occurred to me some years ago that the mass of blurred motion actually better evokes the wild seeming-chaos of these mass flights. They are not so much about any particular bird as they are about the half-seen motion of the group.

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: Birds, Photographs: Flight, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

An Eruption of Geese

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An Eruption of Geese
A large flock of migratory geese takes flight in early evening light.

An Eruption of Geese. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A large flock of migratory geese takes flight in early evening light.

The first time I witnessed one of these mass lift-offs, quite a few years ago, I could not. believe what I was seeing — the density of the flock, the sound of their wings and their calls, the tumult. I’ve seen hundreds of these events since then —sometimes many on a single day. But the thrill and astonishment remains. This group of (mostly) snow geese was settled in a field very close to us, and they would periodically take off in groups ranging from a few hundred individuals up to nearly the entire flock.

The light was fortuitous. Due to where the geese had settled, late afternoon and early evening light came from the right. (Full front or back light can be quite challenging with this subject.) Although rain had threatened earlier in the day, it cleared in the afternoon… and tremendous winds arrived. In nearby locations they were sweeping up large dust clouds, but not here — yet the slightly milky atmosphere softened the light just a bit.

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

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Badlands Canyon

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Badlands Canyon
Badlands hills and slopes rise from a Death Valley wash.

Badlands Canyon. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Badlands hills and slopes rise from a Death Valley wash.

The impetus for this photograph was originally the dark rocks distributed across the smooth, hard surface in the foreground. I started from a camera position to the right of this scene, photographing across the rocks and into the light, which backlit the rocks and made the smooth surface glow. But I wasn’t quite happy with the result so I moved around a bit… and eventually decided to place this ascending canyon behind the rocks.

This part of Death Valley National Park, like other locations there, features stratified deposits of remarkably contrast colors and textures. Here nearly back layers alternate with other layers that are almost white. The formations go on for great distances, and you can see that a bit here by looking up the valley in the center to distant peaks with similar erosion patterns.

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.

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Great Egret Over Water

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Great Egret Over Water
A great egret in flight about a wetland pond, Central Valley, California.

Great Egret Over Water. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A great egret in flight about a wetland pond, Central Valley, California.

Great egrets are all over the place in California. Years ago when I used to do long bicycle commutes to work, one of my routes took me along a drainage ditch in an area transitioning from rural to urban. Almost every time I passed I would see at least one of these beautiful birds near the water. They are found all over the Central Valley and elsewhere in the state, even along the ocean shoreline.

For being so common, they can be difficult to photograph. Typically they depart if you get too close, and then they fly away from you. So it is easy to make pictures of… the rear end of great egrets! Every so often one gives a side view. Much rarer is a direct frontal approach. This one took off and almost did a half circle around me.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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