Tag Archives: wetlands

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Wetlands, Before Sunrise

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Winter Wetlands, Before Sunrise
Wildly colorful winter pre-sunrise sky above California Central Valley wetlands.

Winter Wetlands, Before Sunrise. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Wildly colorful winter pre-sunrise sky above California Central Valley wetlands.

When I recently shared a different photograph of this same sky and tree, I mentioned that I might share a different version later on. This is that different version. (More in the next photograph about why I posted both versions.) The scene is a few minutes before dawn somewhere in California’s Central Valley, on a day when the clouds of the next approaching weather front were just starting to fill the sky in the early morning. Because the storms come from more or less the west (behind and to the right of the camera position), the sky remained clear far to the east beyond the Sierra, and the early light was able to illuminate the leading edge clouds of this front.

As I wrote in the earlier post, the intensity and saturation of the pre-sunrise color was more or less unbelievable. In fact, I assumed that at least some viewers of the photograph would think that I had simply pushed the saturation slider “to 11.” (Actually it would be to 100, but you get the idea.) But that’s not what happened here. There are a few hints in the photograph. The most obvious one here — and it was missing in the earlier photograph — is that fascinating patch of normal-looking blue sky in the upper left.

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

Marshland, Winter Sky

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Marshland, Winter Sky
Hazy winter sky over Central Valley marshlands.

Marshland, Winter Sky. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Hazy winter sky over Central Valley marshlands.

This is what I think of as a “quiet photograph.” It is more about the whole of the scene than any particular element or subject, and the relatively centered composition would not be described as “dynamic.” However, that is more or less the essence of the experience in this place at times like this. Things change slowly or not at all. It is quiet. Scenes are often devoid of obvious icons. I would argue that, at least in part, this is what defines the experience of such places.

When I started doing to such places to photograph birds a couple of decades ago, my first visits were full of Big Moments and surprises — seeing some kind of bird for the first time, learning their calls, experiencing the thick winter tule fog. But over time elements that didn’t register initially became primary features of these visits. These included quiet stillness, long waits between remarkable moments, and the quality of light and atmosphere.

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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Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Birds, Dormant Trees

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Winter Birds, Dormant Trees
Migratory geese fly above a copse of dormant wetland trees, Central Valley, California.

Winter Birds, Dormant Trees. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Migratory geese fly above a copse of dormant wetland trees, Central Valley, California.

This photograph is emblematic of a minor identity crisis I face this time of year when photographing in California’s Central Valley: Am I a landscape photographer or a wildlife photographer? I think the answer is… yes. A few years ago I collaborated with fellow photographers on a show that focused on what we call “birdscapes,” and that invented term encapsulates my approach. Sometimes I do photograph individual birds or small groups in isolation, but mostly I see them as part of this winter landscape.

I made this photograph on New Year’s Day, when a group of us met to ring in the new year and make some photographs. Photographically it was a bit of an odd day — not the greatest light, and not as many birds as sometimes, both the result of this winter’s wet weather in California. But in the morning we did have some nice light, including this moment when the soft light became a bit directional, illuminating these trees still bearing “autumn” color as geese flew past.

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: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Before Sunrise, Central Valley

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Before Sunrise, Central Valley
Winter pre-sunrise sky and clouds above wetlands and trees, Central Valley, California.

Before Sunrise, Central Valley. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Winter pre-sunrise sky and clouds above wetlands and trees, Central Valley, California.

Yes, I know. That color is too saturated to be real, right? But this is actually what we saw on the winter morning in California’s Central Valley. (I’ll share another photograph of the scene in a few days that will include some regular old blue sky for reference.) It just happened that the conditions were precisely right to create an unbelievably colorful pre-sunrise sky above the Sierra for a short time.

While the possibility of something like this wasn’t entirely unforeseeable, when we headed out a half hour earlier in near-darkness it certainly did not look likely. After the previous cloudy day, it looked like the sky was still covered, and it was almost a half hour later when we reached the edge of those clouds and found the sky more open to the east that we started to see hints of this light. It was like this for a short period before sunrise, and with the rising sun the intensity of the colors quickly diminished.

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.