Summer Evening, Scott Creek Beach. Near Davenport, California. June 23, 2010© Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Fog rolls in on a summer evening at Scott Creek Beach, on the Pacific Ocean coastline near Davenport, California.
I’m fortunate to live close enough to the California coastline that I can occasionally just decide on the spur of the moment to “drive over the hill” and step out of the world of work to watch the sunset over the Pacific. This is what I decided to do yesterday. I drove over that hill with only a vague plan to see what conditions looked like and then most likely head north from Santa Cruz toward and perhaps beyond Davenport.
I almost never know exactly what I’ll find on the coast until I get there. Yesterday I had suspicions about the possibility of fog, but I also thought that clear sky might linger a while before the fog rolled in. For the most part it turned out that there was fog but that in most places it was a good distance offshore though starting to form in closer. However, it also turned out that there was a good amount of high cloudiness blocking the sunlight. In other words, the prospects were mixed – might be interesting light at the last minute, fog might roll in and cover everything, the clouds might thicken instead of thin. So I continued with no specific images in mind, driving past various familiar locations. As I descended toward Scott Creek Beach I caught a quick glimpse of a panorama across the beach that seemed like it might work as a wide angle shot, so I quickly turned around and returned to the spot. Once I got set up I realized that while it was a beautiful scene it wasn’t going to work as a photograph. But this scene, which required a longer focal length, caught my attention instead.
G Dan Mitchell Photography
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I like the timeless quality to the B&W rendition, Dan. Looks like a beautiful beach.
Thanks, Richard. This is a beach that I visit year round – in storms and fog and even in gentle light such as that on this evening.
Dan
Dan, that is a stunning image; when I first saw it I just thought “wow!”. It speaks of power and grandeur in a way that some images of the more hackneyed and familiar subjects no longer succeed in doing. I shall be able to see it in my mind’s eye for some time to come.
Colin, thanks so much for saying that – I appreciate it! This is a beautiful section of the coast that I’ve come to know well, and I love to photograph there.
Dan