Tag Archives: wetlands

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Sunrise Reflections

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Winter Sunrise Reflections
“Winter Sunrise Reflections” — Winter sunrise over the distant Sierra Nevada reflected in a Central Valley wetland pond.

This is another photograph in the (very!) “not pastel” series, contrasting with some of the subtler winter photographs I have shared this winter. It was a very intense sunrise — as another photographer there said, it was almost too intense. I arrived before sunrise, and the cloud shield from a weather front approaching from the west extended over and past me toward the sunrise. This left the eastern sky quite bright, and the edge of the clouds glowed in morning light.

The view looks toward the Sierra Nevada from the Central Valley. While the fog and haze in the valley often obscure the range, in clearer conditions you can see virtually all of it along the eastern horizon. This gives a sense of the scale of these mountains, and the fact that we see light in the sky beyond them reinforces the extraordinary distances that are in view.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Sierra Silhouette, Wetlands Winter Sunrise

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Sierra Silhouette, Wetlands Winter Sunrise
“Sierra Silhouette, Wetlands Winter Sunrise” — Intensely colorful winter sunrise light above a Central Valley wetlands pond and the distant outline of the Sierra Nevada.

On a recent early morning visit to the Central Valley I was lucky to run into a couple of friends who were also there to see the wintry landscape and photograph migratory birds. We conversed casually during slow moments when we found ourselves in the same spots. One of them noted that a lot of my recent photographs have relied on pastels. True! I’ve been focusing those colors recently, and they are common in the winter landscape. This is not one of those photographs.

Indeed, these colors are almost lurid. I photographed just before the sun came up, when the pre-dawn light is at its most saturated. I used a long lens to focus on the brightly-lit clouds and their reflection, and to eliminate much of the surrounding darker landscape. Wild displays of color like this — and sky filled with migratory birds — are among the reasons that I’m willing to get up at “oh-dark-thirty” and drive for hours in the darkness.

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

Winter Wetlands, Clearing Fog

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Winter Wetlands, Clearing Fog
“Winter Wetlands, Clearing Fog” — Winter tule fog clears and the sun begins to shine on Central Valley wetlands.

This “quiet photograph” of winter wetlands, clearing fog, and bits of sparse vegetation is as evocative of the experience of such places as those featuring flocks of birds and winter sunrises and sunsets. The latter are remarkable and compelling features of this landscape largely because they are exceptional. Most of the time these places are quiet and still, and never more so than on a foggy morning.

Fascinating transitions of light occur as tule fog clears. The day begins in muted, gray, even oppressive darkness, with visibility measured in feet. Because tule fog is shallow it often becomes luminous as the sun begins to rise. Then, here and there, it begins to thin and break up, and soft directional light appears. Then the blue sky becomes more clearly visible, more distant features being to appear, and remnant clouds float above the landscape, and soon it is day.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Pond, Fog, and Sun

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Pond, Fog, and Sun
“Pond, Fog, and Sun” — Winter sun rises over a fog-shrouded Central Valley pond.

Fog turns mundane landscapes into things of mystery. It was quiet and still along the edge of the pond reflecting the rising sun . On a clear day this is a place of long views across a flat landscape of water and sky. But thick tule fog limits the view to perhaps 100 feet, and even the furthest extent of that short distance is nearly opaque.

This was one of those days that began with fog so thick that photography was almost impossible. I edged along a levee road, car windows open, listening for birds that were hidden from sight. The fog was shallow and luminous, and at times I could look up and see the sky.

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.