Tag Archives: reflection

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Sunrise Reflections

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Winter Sunrise Reflections
“Winter Sunrise Reflections” — Winter sunrise over the distant Sierra Nevada reflected in a Central Valley wetland pond.

This is another photograph in the (very!) “not pastel” series, contrasting with some of the subtler winter photographs I have shared this winter. It was a very intense sunrise — as another photographer there said, it was almost too intense. I arrived before sunrise, and the cloud shield from a weather front approaching from the west extended over and past me toward the sunrise. This left the eastern sky quite bright, and the edge of the clouds glowed in morning light.

The view looks toward the Sierra Nevada from the Central Valley. While the fog and haze in the valley often obscure the range, in clearer conditions you can see virtually all of it along the eastern horizon. This gives a sense of the scale of these mountains, and the fact that we see light in the sky beyond them reinforces the extraordinary distances that are in view.

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

Sierra Silhouette, Wetlands Winter Sunrise

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Sierra Silhouette, Wetlands Winter Sunrise
“Sierra Silhouette, Wetlands Winter Sunrise” — Intensely colorful winter sunrise light above a Central Valley wetlands pond and the distant outline of the Sierra Nevada.

On a recent early morning visit to the Central Valley I was lucky to run into a couple of friends who were also there to see the wintry landscape and photograph migratory birds. We conversed casually during slow moments when we found ourselves in the same spots. One of them noted that a lot of my recent photographs have relied on pastels. True! I’ve been focusing those colors recently, and they are common in the winter landscape. This is not one of those photographs.

Indeed, these colors are almost lurid. I photographed just before the sun came up, when the pre-dawn light is at its most saturated. I used a long lens to focus on the brightly-lit clouds and their reflection, and to eliminate much of the surrounding darker landscape. Wild displays of color like this — and sky filled with migratory birds — are among the reasons that I’m willing to get up at “oh-dark-thirty” and drive for hours in the darkness.

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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Curving Street, Rain

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Curving Street, Rain
“Curving Street, Rain” — A narrow street curves though the Italian town of Arezzo on a rainy day.

Part of what I love about Italy is that many cities’ central areas are so old that they were laid out before motor vehicles existed. Consequently streets are quite narrow — in some cases only wide enough for pedestrians. The entrances to homes and businesses are right on the streets — no “front lawn, and no fences. These streets usually don’t follow a geometric grid design, instead radiating from a central square or following the contours of the landscape.

The old, central part of Arezzo, Italy includes areas that follow this formula — though there are also newer streets that are wide enough for some vehicle traffic. We wandered streets like this one on a rainy afternoon, when the showers made the cobblestones glisten.

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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Light on Water, Big Sur Coast

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Light on Water, Big Sur Coast
“Light on Water, Big Sur Coast” —Brilliant winter sunlight reflects on the surface of the Pacific Ocean as morning fog thins along the rugged headlands of the Big Sur ciast.

Near the end of February I made a quick trip down the Big Sur coast — though I was eventually stopped by road closures resulting from this winter’s storms. Before I turned around I stopped above this scene, one of my favorites for its long views of receding headlands, and for the frequent presence of fog and haze.

I often go in the morning, before the inevitable crowds arrive. Morning light can be tricky here, as the sun has to rise above tall mountains inland of the highway. However, when that light comes down canyons and into fog and haze it produces spectacular light. Another hint: people often think of this coast as running north-south, but it is northwest to southeast. This means that by late morning the sun often reflects directly off the surface of the water, as in this photograph, creating strong contrasts between dark land and bright water.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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