Sunbeams and fog in a Sacramento Valley orchard, California
The last few winters I’ve spent some time in California’s San Joaquin Valley photographing migrating birds – mostly snow geese, Ross’s geese, and sandhill cranes. Last week Claudia and I ventured further north, into the Sacramento Valley (the northern half of California’s Great Central Valley), exploring some of the backroads and wildlife refuges there.
One morning, while driving an obscure little road in the Sacramento Valley, Claudia and I stumbled upon an orchard filled with fog. As far as we could tell there was no other fog within 50 miles, because there’s very little moisture anywhere, but for some reason this one spot had fog – possibly because the trees had been watered recently, creating moisture that condensed in the cool morning air.
Seeing the sunbeams cutting through the mist underneath the trees, I grabbed my camera and tripod, and quickly framed a few compositions, one of which is shown above. Within five minutes the fog had burned off, leaving us with yet another clear, warm, dry January day.
I’ve included a few other photographs here of birds we encountered, as well as a beautiful marshland sunset from our last evening as we drove back home. Most people wouldn’t consider the Central Valley to be as spectacular as some other parts of the state, like the Sierra Nevada, or the coast. But beauty can be found everywhere. Photography is more about moments than places, and I’ve experienced moments in the Central Valley – sunsets, sun breaking through fog, the sound and chaos of 10,000 geese lifting off – that are as memorable as anything I’ve encountered in Yosemite.
— Michael Frye
Snow geese in late-afternoon light, Sacramento Valley
White-fronted geese, Sacramento Valley
Snow geese and white-faced ibis (flying), Sacramento Valley
Sunset over marshes in the San Joaquin Valley
Sunset over marshes in the San Joaquin Valley
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Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom 5: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
Michael,
I love that line “Photography is more about moments than places.” So very true…
Jim
Thanks Jim — once in awhile I the words come out right. 🙂
Echoes the title of your blog and is a wonderfully crafted shot. The different patterns in the image are quite beautiful, you have captured vertical lines, horizontal lines, diagonal lines and branching lines in a simple mixture where each one maintains its presence. It’s a powerful image..
Thanks so much Peter!
Wow Michael.
These are all very beautiful, but the orchard fog photo just blew my mind.
Aren’t you absolutely awed when it all comes together just for that one brief moment right before your eyes and you’re able to preserve that small sliver of time.
It takes my breath away.
–Deborah
Thanks Deborah, and yes, it’s wonderful when everything comes together!
Hi Michael,
It looks like you and Claudia had a magical day out. I’ve always thought the orchards in the Central Valley could make for a pretty scene, and you’ve just shown that they could look spectacular in just the right conditions.
Thanks Vivienne! Of course the orchards are especially beautiful when they’re blooming, but this fog was an unexpected bonus.
I really enjoy the orchard photograph. I’ve tried to get a good sun beam photograph like that but they are so hard to plan! Like you mentioned, sometimes you just have to stumble across that scene.
Thank you David. Sunbeam photographs are indeed hard to plan. You need sun breaking through fog, with trees. It’s hard to plan that, but you can be alert for the right conditions.
Michael, Thank you for sharing the photos, they also took my breath away. I was in awe of all of them. I especially loved the sunset picture with the reflection of the pink sky. You captured some amazing images.
Thanks so much Vicki! I’m really glad you like these images.
Wow. That orchard probably looked totally dull five or six hours later. Pure magic in that shot. I won’t say “f/8 and be there”, since your planning had a lot to do with being there when the opportunity came up, but it proves your point about photography being a moment in time.
Thanks Eric. Actually it was pretty dull-looking five minutes later when the fog left!
Hi Michael,
Would you be willing to share what lens you were using for the orchard photo?
No worries either way, thanks!
AP
Sure – 70-200mm zoom at 118mm.
Nice light! Nice shadows! Nice lines. This is my favorite of this year. What golden land.
Thanks so much Hugh! Glad you like it.
HI Michael, just been going through your blog after reading your Sony A7r article (very interesting !) You have so many magnificent images, especially of Yosemite, but it was the image at the top of this post that made me stop, rather than just keep going backwards through your archives – its stunning!
cheers from Australia
Thanks very much Andrew!