Rocky Creek Bridge, Surf and Fog. Big Sur Coastline, California. February 9, 2008. © Copyright 2008 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
I’d like to claim that this photograph was the result of a lot of careful planning and familiarity with the geography and conditions of the area. But it wasn’t.
Lucky for me I arrived too early at Point Lobos on the day I made this photograph. Rather than waiting around for 20 minutes, on a whim I decided to drive south, where I encountered fog clinging to the coastline above the huge Pacific winter surf—in fact, it was the surf that was creating this misty effect as the huge waves lifted spray into the air, not the usual coastal fog. This haze was found only down by the water, and overhead the sky was crystal clear and the temperatures were warm for this time of year. So, it was essentially by coincidence that I found myself in this spot at all.
Second, because it happened to be morning and because the mist was very shallow the light from above shone into and through the fog, creating the light beams that cut diagonally through the scene.
Third, although this spot is known to other photographers, I had not shot it before nor did I realize that I was there until after I happened to look around a spot this cave.
Fourth, I happened to have with me for the very first time a new, long lens – with a long enough focal length to make a photograph out of this scene. (It was shot at 400mm on a full frame DSLR.)
Sometimes a shot is the result of careful planning and vision. Sometimes it isn’t.
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.