Sunset in the Rice Fields

In early February I went out into the flooded rice fields of Glenn County to try to capture a dramatic sunset and the reflections off the still water. I was luckier than I imagined, and witnessed and incredible sunset.

Here are few images from that shoot (click on images to view full size):

"Ten Years Ago Today" e-book on sale now!

My ten year retrospective e-book, Ten Years Ago Today, is finally available for immediate download!

Order now for only $6.95!

Ten years ago, in 2002, I broke away from the clichés of landscape photography and began the long process of learning my own photographic vision in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California.

Today I am releasing Ten Years Ago Today, a retrospective and a celebration of my break from simply trying to recreate the images of others and setting off on the process of discovering my own vision style.

"It's a celebration of the year that I finally began to really see. It's a celebration of the images that emerged from that learning process. And most importantly, it's a celebration of freeing yourself from the common to explore something new; it's a celebration of the value and necessity of finding and expressing your own vision. If nothing else, I hope this book inspires to find your own vision." In the book, I examine 20 images I took in 2002 - ten years ago - why I took them, what I like about them, their compositional elements, and any special techniques or post processing used to make the final image stand out.

The book is a journey of photographic self-discovery and reflection. I learned a lot about myself in the process of writing this book. I learned the ways in which I've changed and grown in the past ten years, and some ways in which I haven't changed much at all.

The book contains 20 of my best images from 2002 - mostly from Northern California - and includes a detailed discussion of the thought process behind the image, as well as the composition, techniques, and post processing used to create the image.

Here are a few sample pages (click on the images to enlarge):

Anyone who is a photographer will learn something from this book. And anyone who appreciates beautiful landscape photography will enjoy the stunning images!

It's on sale now for immediate download!

Order now for only $6.95!

Details:

• Full Color
• PDF format
• 54 pages

Sacramento and Colusa Wildlife Refuges

I am blessed to live in one of the greatest wildlife areas in the country. The Sacramento Valley is one of the prime wintering destinations for ducks, geese and other waterfowl along the Pacific Flyway. More than three million ducks and a million geese call the Sacramento Valley home during the winter.

Colusa National Wildlife Refuge

As a result, we have incredible opportunities to photograph wildlife from November through February, and I try not to waste those opportunities!

Just before Christmas, I went out to the Sacramento and Colusa National Wildlife Refuges on three consecutive days armed with a Canon 600mm f/4 lens, 1.4x teleconverter and my Canon 7D. 

This combination is ideal for wildlife photography, giving an effective focal length of 1344mm and unparalleled sharpness, allowing me to capture detailed close ups. The weather was perfect, and there was no shortage of birds and other wildlife. 

It was a wonderful three days. Here are just a few images for your enjoyment (click on the images to view at full size):

Mule deer, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge

Red Tail Hawk, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

Northern Harrier on the hunt, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge 

Female Mallard, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

Snow Goose, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

Snow Goose, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

White-fronted Goose coming in for a landing, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge

White-faced Ibis, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge

Great Egret, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge

American Bittern, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

All photos:

• Canon 7D 
• Canon 600mm f/4
• Canon 1.4x Teleconverter

Ten Years Ago Today eBook Coming Soon

I'm almost finished working on my new ebook, Ten Years Ago Today, a retrospective of my photography from 2002, the year I got really serious about photography. At the end of 2002, I made the decision to shoot professionally.

This ebook is a celebration of my break from simply trying to recreate the images of others and setting off on the process of discovering my own vision and photographic style.

"It’s a celebration of the year that I finally began to really see. It’s a celebration of the images that emerged from that learning process. And most importantly, it’s a celebration of freeing yourself from the common to explore something new; it’s a celebration of the value and necessity of finding and expressing your own vision. If nothing else, I hope this book inspires to find your own vision."

In the book, I examine 20 images I took in 2002 - ten years ago - why I took them, what I like about them, their compositional elements, and any special techniques or post processing used to make the final image stand out.

The book is a journey of photographic self-discovery and reflection. In fact, I learned a lot about myself in the process of writing this book. I learned the ways in which I've changed and grown in the past ten years, and some ways in which I haven't grown at all.

I think anyone who is a photographer will learn something from this book. And anyone who enjoys beautiful landscape photography will enjoy the images!

I've included a few sample pages here (click on the images to view full size):

When the book is ready (scheduled for February 17th), I will post a link to where you can purchase it here in my blog, and also on my website.

New eBook Coming Out in February

In February - if I finish it on time - I will be publishing a new eBook titled Ten Years Ago Today. The book is a retrospective of 20 landscape photographs I took in 2002, the year that I got serious about landscape photography and the year before I decided to turn pro.

A big part of this book is about my journey to break away from the expectation that in order to be a good landscape photographer, I had to photograph all the 'usual suspects' - Tunnel View in Yosemite, the Tufa Towers in Mono Lake, the slot canyons of Arizona, star trails in the bristlecone pines, etc., etc.

And although I have shot some of those places, this book is about how I learned to find beauty in the place that I lived - the unglorious Sacramento Valley. The book is a celebration of finding your own vision, of cutting loose of images and expectations of others to find your own way of seeing the landscape - whatever landscape you have in front of you.

The book contains intimate details and descriptions of 20 images I took in 2002, including an examination of the composition, techniques used, and post-processing of every image. The book shows my growth and evolution as a photographer over that year - leading up to my decision to shoot professionally on January 1, 2003.

In my next post I'll include some samples from the book.

Under the Endless Sky Book on Sale Now!

My self-published book of photography of the Sacramento Valley, Under the Endless Sky, is on sale for $29.95 until January 31st! That's a savings of $6! Order here.

Under the Endless Sky by Anthony Dunn | Make Your Own Book

Consisting of photographs taken over the past ten years of the Sacramento Valley and its surroundings, Under the Endless Sky showcases the often hidden beauty of the north state.

From the Introduction:

"For most people, the Sacramento Valley is not a beautiful place. To them, the valley is only what they see through their windshield as they rocket up the Interstate at 80 miles an hour in their rush to get through its oppressive summer heat to some cool, green destination in Oregon or Washington. And what they see are endless flat miles of dusty fields and orchards: rice, tomatoes, corn, almonds, olives and walnuts. Hot, boring, flat and repetitious. Not a beautiful place. Not beautiful at all. 

"But the Sacramento Valley is a true California landscape in its own right. It is a landscape not of wild rock or majestic forests, but of emerald rice fields under an endless blue sky and of golden sunsets reflected in the placid Sacramento River. It is a landscape of farms and of rolling hills; a peaceful and pastoral landscape, reminiscent of a California long gone in other parts of the state. And despite its wide open spaces, it is an intimate landscape that can’t be seen at 80 miles an hour, and so remains unknown – and unknowable – to the travelers whose only goal is to get through it as quickly as possible. 

"To know and appreciate the beauty of the Sacramento Valley and its surrounding hills, you have to get off the freeway and wander at a more deliberate pace down the dirt roads that wind over rounded hills and through mazes of orchards that seem to go on without end. In order to truly see the landscape of the Sacramento Valley, you have to slow down to its pace. Unlike Yosemite or the Sierra Nevada, which force their grandeur on you, the Sacramento Valley landscape is a hidden landscape, one that takes time and patience to know before it begins to reveal its true beauty."

 I'm basically selling the book at cost during this sale, so don't miss out!

My Ten Favorite Photos of 2011

2011 was an odd year, very busy in the first half, with nothing at all in the second half. However, I did take a lot of great photos during the first half of the year, and here are my 10 favorites.

This year I'm not going to break them out by category or put them in any particular order. These are just 10 photos that I particularly liked that I took in 2011.

Road to Lazy Creek Winery, Anderson Valley

Rows of Hills near Newville

Hills near Paskenta

Midnight Poppies, Table Mountain

Snow Geese in Flight from the Air, Llano Seco Wildlife Preserve

Snow Geese in Flight from the Air, Llano Seco Wildlife Preserve

Irrigation Boom

Bald Eagle

Mount Shasta

Summit of Mount Shasta