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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

The Levee Road

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The Levee Road
Autumn sunshine breaks through the morning fog along a gravel road following a Central Valley levee

The Levee Road. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn sunshine breaks through the morning fog along a gravel road following a Central Valley levee.

California’s Great Central Valley, comprised of the San Joaquin Valley to the south of the Delta and the Sacramento Valley extending to the north, is a more complex and rich place than we might imagine, especially those of us who so often simply use the valley as a route to go somewhere else. We drive it heading north to Oregon and Washington, south to Los Angeles, or east/west between the coast and the mountains and deserts. As a result, we mostly see it at 70mph from roadways, or during rest and meal stops at interchanges. But get away from the main routes and slow down a bit and there are surprises. One surprise is just how much water plays into this landscape… and its politics. Along the major river drainages, especially where there is agriculture (which is practically everywhere) the allocation and control of water is a very big thing. In fact, this levee road is just one small example of something much larger.

I was out on this road recently, enjoying a late-fall foggy morning and searching out migratory wildlife. These fall and winter tule fog days are my favorites in the valley, though I can certainly understand that they aren’t usually viewed with enthusiasm. They can make driving treacherous and can affect residents’ moods. But they also produce beautiful and mysterious effects on the landscape. One of the most beautiful and most transitory effects comes when the shallow but thick fog begins to clear — the air is still obscured and soft clouds are everywhere, but beams of gentle light begin to move across the landscape.

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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Beaver Pond, Autumn Aspens

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Beaver Pond, Autumn Aspens
A beaver lodge in an eastern Sierra Nevada pond reflecting autumn aspen trees.

Beaver Pond, Autumn Aspens. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A beaver lodge in an eastern Sierra Nevada pond reflecting autumn aspen trees.

As the end of 2019 approaches… I’m still working my way though photographs from much earlier this year. That is actually typical for my work process. I tend to “work over” images in phases. I often start immediately with some images that jump out at me, frequently photographs that seemed like highlights at the time I made them. Then I dig a bit more deeply into the collection, and photographs that weren’t quite so central in my memory and those that take a bit more work appear. Over the following weeks or months I continue to dig into the archive, and I often find things that I missed earlier. (I’m near the end of this phase with the end-of-summer and early autumn work.) Beyond that I usually do a year-end review of the past year’s work, and periodically I go through even older files.

This photograph comes from a familiar location that I have visited many times over the year, an eastern Sierra canyon where active beavers (are rarity in the Sierra) have transformed the landscape by knocking down trees and damning the stream to flood a valley with shallow ponds. Although I’ve go to this place every year, this autumn was the first time I’ve actually paused to photograph one of the beaver dens.

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.

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

Four Sandhilll Cranes Taking Flight

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Four Sandhilll Cranes Taking Flight
Four sandhill cranes take to the air above California Central Valley fields.

Four Sandhilll Cranes Taking Flight. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Four sandhill cranes take to the air above California Central Valley fields.

Some folks are perpetual bird photographers, but I (mostly) photograph them on a seasonal basis. My serious interest began with migratory geese coming to California along the Pacific Flyway, and I got in the habit of heading into the field during their season. Along the way my interest expanded to include other birds I saw on my excursions: sandhill cranes, white pelicans, ibises, various herons, egrets, the occasional eagle, hawks, and more. Each year, about half way into the fall season, my attention turns back to the birds. I made this photograph back in early November on an early foray out into California’s Central Valley.

Sandhill cranes are marvelous birds in many ways. They flock but typically in much smaller groups than geese, so it is much more possible to photograph individual animals. (They do collect in larger numbers at times, too.) They are fairly large birds, and when they take to the air there is an initial interval when they can appear a bit awkward. They get a bit of forward motion, launch themselves upwards, and flap strongly to get altitude. In this photograph the four birds are nearly, but not quite, past that point in the take-off, and there is still a bit of what seems like flailing going on.

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.

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

Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

Emergency Exit Only

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Emergency Exit Only
Two trash containers in the doorway of a San Francisco building, with “Emergency Exit Only” signs.

Emergency Exit Only. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two trash containers in the doorway of a San Francisco building, with “Emergency Exit Only” signs.

So, yes, trash bins in the doorway of a San Francisco business — photographed on one of my street photography walks in The City. I’m tempted to just leave that there with no further explanation.

OK, a few hints. You could just look at it as two trash bins in a doorway — after all, that is what you see here. But if you enjoy such things, you could look at it in a variety of other ways, ranging from the mundane (code violations?) to more metaphorical. Your choice.

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.

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