First Light, Winter Wetlands

2022-03-20 20:18:59

G Dan Mitchell posted a photo:

First Light, Winter Wetlands. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Migratory geese fly in the first light of a winter morning, Central Valley.

My drive began in darkness and nearly two hours later as I approached my destination the faint pre-dawn light appeared above the silhouette of the Sierra Nevada to the east. As usual, I arrived before sunrise on this late-winter morning, and began getting set up to photograph birds before the first direct light arrived. One of the best moments after these long, dark drives is when I first open the car door and hear thousands of geese and cranes nearby.

I had a particular location in mind for this morning, a place where I knew that the dawn light would come from the ideal direction if I could find birds still there. But almost immediately groups of snow geese began to rise from nearby ponds against the colorful predawn sky, flying in circles above the wetland terrain.

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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