Monthly Archives: January 2009

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Last Light, Boulders and Sand

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Last Light, Panther Beach

Last Light, Boulders and Sand. Pacific Ocean North of Santa Cruz, California. January 11, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The last light shines on surf and rocks near Santa Cruz, California.

After posting a long string of urban landscapes, I figured it was time to post some natural landscapes once again – so I drove over to the coast north of Santa Cruz on Sunday evening to photograph. This photo was more or less an afterthought – I had set up the tripod just on the ocean side of the natural bridge that provides access to the south section of this beach and I had finished shooting a pair of large boulders with the more distant surf and sea stack in the background. The light was going fast, and I was starting to pack up when I saw this arrangement of rocks nearby. Because I was anxious to get off the beach before dark, I just took a few frames using the lens that was already on the camera, a 35mm prime.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: panther, beach, state, park, santa cruz, davenport, california, usa, park, surf, wave, rock, boulder, cliff, spray, sky, cloud, sunset, twilight, evening, last, light, seascape, landscape, ocean, pacific, coast, highway, one, 1, reflection, sand, water, stock

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If you follow this blog you know that the majority of the photographs posted here (though certainly not all of them) tend to gravitate in the direction of landscapes, mostly natural but also urban. You may also have noticed that during the past month or so I’ve focused on urban images that are somewhat atypical. There are perhaps another half dozen or so of these in the pipeline… but starting tomorrow I’ll take a bit of a break from posting the urban photography and start with a series of about a half dozen photographs from Panther Beach north of Santa Cruz, California.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Tree, Brick Wall with Window and Pipe

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Tree, Brick Wall with Window and Pipe

Tree, Brick Wall with Window and Pipe. San Jose, California. January 4, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A very old brick wall with a pipe and boarded up window and an adjacent tree catching late afternoon winter light – San Jose, California.

This shadowed wall, terribly weathered, covered with moss, and growing plants where the downspout has leaked is on an old cannery building that is rapidly being “redeveloped” west of downtown San Jose, California. Given that nearby buildings of the same vintage have largely been boarded up and many knocked down to make room for condominiums, I am very surprised that this one still stands and may even still be in use – though not by a cannery. The texture and form of the shadowed wall caught my attention, along with the bit of direct light (and light reflected from the unseen left wall of the building) striking the tree.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: afternoon, building, california, city, county, downtown, evening, san jose, santa clara, urban, brick, wall, old, dilapidated, worn, weathered, moss, plant, pipe, downspout, window, boarded up, texture, pattern, structure, historic, tree, light, branch, leaf, sky, blue, california, usa, cannery, abandoned, industrial, urban, street, stock