Images

Photographs: Birds, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Redwing Blackbird

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Redwing Blackbird
A male redwing blackbird perches on winter vegetation.

Redwing Blackbird. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A male redwing blackbird perches on winter vegetation.

Redwing blackbirds, especially when they flock together, seem like some of the most exuberant birds in my part of the world. On the ideal morning, hundreds (or more!) of them may assemble on a tree or among reeds, chirping and singing enthusiastically… only to suddenly and unexpectedly take to the air in tightly spaced groups whose flight patterns are amazing.

I didn’t have quite that experience on this occasion, but it was still a worthwhile moment. This bird was perched by itself on this winter wetland vegetation. As the male birds do, he was showing off his bright red wing patches as he faced m , with the wetland landscape barely visible in the distant background

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 and Amazon.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Social Distancing

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Social Distancing
Late-winter dawn light relfected in a California Central Valley pond.

Social Distancing. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late-winter dawn light refected in a California Central Valley pond.

This week our vocabularies expanded to include new terms, such as “social distancing.” We didn’t chose this scenario, but it chose us and here we are. Looking out for ourselves and the rest of human society will disrupt our normal routines for a while. But life goes on, and part of that life for me involves photography. I know. Other things are more important. But let’s leave a bit of space for activities that allow us to experience moments of normalcy in the midst of circumstances that are not normal at all.

Yesterday I decided to head out to a quiet place where there would be few other people. I loaded my car with supplies so that I wouldn’t have to stop along the way, headed out well before dawn, and a couple hours later I was in a familiar, quiet place. The best thing that happened? Just after I arrived, a couple of dear friends showed up, too! We elbow-bumped (another of the new social practices) and went off to photograph one more beautiful dawn.

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 and Amazon.

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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: Nature

Narcissus Flowers

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Narcissus Flowers
A groiup of white narcissus flowers in bloom.

Narcissus Flowers. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A group of white narcissus flowers in bloom.

A short while ago I shared the first photograph of this set, a picture of a single narcissus flower. In this companion photograph, made on the same day and in almost the exact same spot, I decided to focus on a group of these flowers instead.

Photographing these flowers seems to me to be a bit more complicated than it might appear. Allow me to share a few things I had to think about. First of all, I wanted to blur out the background, but I also wanted many parts of the flowers to be relatively sharp. Photographers will recognize a conflict there between a small aperture and a large one! A second challenge comes with a subject where almost all of the tones are light. I want to retain the bright quality of the subject, but I must avoid overexposure or I’ll lose all of that subtle near-white texture and detail. So I underexpose just a bit, knowing that I can work the image in post a bit to get it where I want it.

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 and Amazon.

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.

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

Desert Mountains, Evening Clouds

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Desert Mountains, Evening Clouds
Dramatic clouds above Death Valley mountains at the end of the day.

Desert Mountains, Evening Clouds. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dramatic clouds above Death Valley mountains at the end of the day.

From time to time I like to revisit my black and white roots. I started photography quite a few years ago, and back then everything was black and white for me. (Color slide film was available, but I didn’t use that until some time later. ) I learned to develop and print in black and white, and I certainly learned to see that way. So black and white is still at the heart of my photography.

In this photograph I made a conscious effort to channel a particular (and perhaps familiar?) approach to monochromatic landscape, relying not just on capturing an image of a particular scene but also on producing an interpretation of that scene using the tools of the digital darkroom. The experience of photographing the scene was special and a bit surprising. After a day of decidedly so-so light I set up on an elevated vantage point in the early evening, not necessarily expecting great light but ready if it should arrive. And it did arrive during the final minutes of daylight just before the sun dropped below a desert mountain range behind my camera position.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | 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.

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