Tag Archives: white

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Redwood National & State Parks

Edge of the Forest

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Edge of the Forest
Deciduous trees at the edge of a forest, Redwood National Park.

Edge of the Forest. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Deciduous trees at the edge of a forest, Redwood National Park.

This photograph comes from a section of forest that always surprises and pleases me when I visit Redwood National Park. In a place where the giant coast redwoods are everywhere… here there aren’t any! Instead these densely-spaced deciduous trees with their thick green foliage line both sides of the road. Although the spot is not marked as an iconic location, there are always others stopped there when I arrive.

Part of the attraction of subjects like this is the challenge of finding some sort of logical composition in all of the extremely complex detail of trunks, branches, and leaves. It is there, but I often have to look for it. Typically I spot something that seems like it might anchor the photograph… and then as I look over the scene I discover some element that doesn’t fit or a spot that is too dark or otherwise seems empty. At the same time, I don’t want it to be too perfect — without some formal tension the scene can easily become completely static.

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: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Two Geese in Flight

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Two Geese in Flight
A pair of snow geese in flight just above the ground.

Two Geese in Flight. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A pair of snow geese in flight just above the ground.

Snow geese and other types of geese can sometimes seem graceful, but they can also manage to put themselves into some quite awkward and even odd positions at times. This is often true then they are taking off or landing — perhaps less so when you look at them with your own eyes and more so when the camera halts the motion. The acts of landing and taking off require some brief and extraordinary efforts — especially the landings when the birds need to find a clear spot in the flock, slow their flight, and finally descend almost vertically with feet extended and nicks craned.

Frequently, photographs of creatures like these come from times of day with especially beautiful light and/or atmosphere — perhaps in fog or during the morning and evening golden hours. This is partly due to the appeal of those conditions but it is also because the birds tend to do more interesting things at the edges of the day. But in February, at least where I photograph them, the birds begin to be much more active and there may be no lull in the middle of the 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.

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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: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

White Pelicans and Geese

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White Pelicans and Geese
White pelicans and geese in the winter landscape of California’s Central Valley.

White Pelicans and Geese. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

White pelicans and geese in the winter landscape of California’s Central Valley.

This flock of white pelicans almost seems like family now — since the beginning of this season they have been hanging out in almost this exact spot every time I have visited. It used to be that I’d catch them in flight in the morning, but more recently they seem to stay right there almost the entire day. While the opportunities to photograph them flying over my position have been limited, this spot is close enough that I can photograph them on the ground… or, more accurately, on the muddy spot where they hang out in the middle of this pond.

The more distant birds are geese, almost certainly snow geese, though it is a bit difficult to make a 100% certain identification from this distance. Large groups of them were on the ground beyond the middle distance levee, and they were periodically taking off or being joined by new arrivals on this mostly-sunny morning.

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: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

White Pelicans, Sunset Light

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White Pelicans, Sunset Light
A small flock of white pelicans clusters together, rellected in a wetland pond at sunset.

White Pelicans, Sunset Light. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A small flock of white pelicans clusters together, rellected in a wetland pond at sunset.

One of the things I like about white pelicans is that they were always here, in the places I frequently visit, and I somehow managed to remain completely unaware of them for decades. I have long known about and photographed brown pelicans along the California coast, but I had no idea that they had cousins in California, too. My ignorance of them was so great that the first time I saw white pelicans, far off in the distance in thick fog, I speculated that they might be some kind of strange goose or perhaps swans. That sounds ridiculous, as I soon understood when I saw them more clearly. And once I saw the first flock they magically appeared in other locations I had long visited.

I’ve seen them everywhere from coastal areas to inland waterways and ponds. This group hangs out at an inland location, and I’ve seen them or their relatives off in the distance many times, usually just hanging around on small islands like this one. When I’m lucky I manage to be under their flight path as they take to the air. But this group had taken up residence on this little bar, close enough for me to photograph them very late in the day, only minutes before sunset, while I was on my way to another spot.

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 | 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.