Category Archives: Photographs: Central California

Richardson Bay and Morning Haze

Richardson Bay and Morning Haze

Richardson Bay and Morning Haze. San Francisco Bay, California. October 25, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Richardson Bay and morning haze over San Francisco Bay, California.

On a late October morning – usually the most fog-free time of year in the San Francisco area – I began my day photographing the San Francisco skyline from Treasure Island at dawn before heading north over the Golden Gate towards Muir Woods National Monument. Is I approached the high point on the ridge section of the road to the park, I saw this brightly backlit haze over Richardson Bay, Tiburon Peninsula, and the San Francisco Bay and East Bay Hills beyond. Richardson Bay, in the foreground, is the body of water next to Sausalito from which the view is sometimes clear across the Golden Gate to San Francisco.

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

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Merced Canyon and Sierra Crest, Morning

Merced Canyon and Sierra Crest, Morning

Merced Canyon and Sierra Crest, Morning. Yosemite National Park, California. November 1, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

View of Merced River Canyon and the Sierra Crest from Glacier Point in early morning fall light.

I like to visit Glacier Point at dawn at least once each autumn, and the later in the season the better. This year I got up early on the second morning of my Yosemite Valley fall color shoot and drove up there, arriving as the first pre-dawn light began to arrive. Dawn at Glacier Point, especially at this less-busy time of year is special. For one thing, I’m often nearly alone there rather than being part of the typical sunset crowd.

This photograph was made after the sun had risen above the peaks of the Sierra Nevada crest and had begun to backlight the layers of ridges stretching back along the Merced River drainage towards the highest peaks beyond.

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

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Autumn Oak Trees, Cliff Face – Yosemite Valley

Autumn Oak Trees, Cliff Face - Yosemite Valley

Autumn Oak Trees, Cliff Face – Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. November 1, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn oak trees and meadow with background cliff face towering above – Yosemite Valley, California.

Having posted all of the better photos from last week’s shoot at Point Lobos, I’m back to the fall photographs from Yosemite Valley once again as I complete the process of going through all of the images I brought back from my October 31 and November 1 visit. This is another in the “tree with hazy cliffs in the background” series that I seem to have spent a lot of time on during this visit. These trees were photographed during the bright midday hours, at a time when I might usually knock off from photography for awhile. However, with the right backlight on the colorful black oaks and a background of hazily distance valley walls, I continued to shoot almost straight through on this day.

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

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Sea Lions and Gulls, Sunset – Point Lobos

Sea Lions and Gulls, Sunset - Point Lobos

Sea Lions and Gulls, Sunset – Point Lobos. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. November 22, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sea lions and gulls on offshore rocks at sunset in heavy surf – Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

As I photographed this group of offshore rocks in heavy surf near sunset, a group of gulls suddenly came into the scene and tried to land on the sea-lion-covered rocky island. The season beginning at about this time of year until early spring is my favorite for photographing the California coastline – the time when the great Pacific Ocean weather fronts roll through and bring huge surf conditions.

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

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