Tag Archives: fly-out

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Morning Fly-Out

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Morning Fly-Out
Migratory geese take to the air in morning light and thin tule fog

Morning Fly-Out. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Migratory geese take to the air in morning light and thin tule fog

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am (finally!) going back and revisiting my 2017 (!) photographs. I usually review the previous year’s raw files each December as I come up with my annual favorites post. However, I didn’t do that post (yet) for 2017, and I therefore missed that all-important opportunity look through the year’s raw file archive. Why is that important? For various reasons, which could be the subject of an article at some point, I miss some interesting photographs right after I make them — perhaps I had to move on to other subjects, I may not yet have been able to “see” the images for what they are, etc.

This comes from the very beginning of 2017, in the middle of winter. In many parts of the country winter is when migratory birds show up, as they arrive in our relatively warmer climate from areas that may be literally frozen during this season. Geese are among the long-distance travelers, and every fall and winter I look forward to their return all up and down the California flyway. I photographed this group early in the morning as the sun arrived and the birds began to leave their overnight accommodations in wetland ponds.

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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: Flight, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Wildlife

Ross’s Geese, Evening Fly-Out

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Ross's Geese, Evening Fly-Out
Ross’s Geese, Evening Fly-Out

Ross’s Geese, Evening Fly-Out. San Joaquin Valley, California. January 1, 2013. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Ross’s geese take flight in sunset light above California’s Central Valley

So much of this sort of photography is almost entirely not under the control of the photographer. For example, in this shot it just happened that the foreground group of Ross’s geese lifted off from the nearby pond as the further groups that had left earlier lined up beyond them. The lovely formation of the front group was entirely determined, as far as I can tell, by the geese and not by me! Of all the sky conditions that I had encountered on this day, it was fortuitous that the flock lifted off in the direction of this color gradient and then rose to the right height to be in front of it as they ascended. And it was especially gracious of them to lift off as the last golden hour sun hit them from the west, and on a side where I could see it.

So what does the photographer get to take credit for in cases like these? There are, of course, choices about when and where to park oneself to increase the odds that something interesting will happen in front of the lens. And there is the matter of instincts of various sorts, without which it would be very difficult (or should I say, even more unlikely) to have the camera pointed the right direction at the right time and to click the shutter button at an opportune moment. Exposures must be reasonably close to right, which is a trickier thing than some think. And then there is some combination of recognizing luck when it comes your way, intuitively recognizing and tracking what is happening, and being able to follow the birds and instantly recognize when an interesting visual pattern occurs.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.