Category Archives: Photographs: Central California

Tree Trunks, Cypress Forest

Tree Trunks, Cypress Forest
Tree Trunks, Cypress Forest. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. August 24, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of forest floor and cypress tree trunks. Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

This was a tough photograph, and one that I’ll probably return to work on again. It was a foggy morning at Point Lobos and I had arrived in time for the hoped-for clearing that I expected to occur within the hour. I found this composition and set up and waited for the light. I got just a bit of filtered light through the fog but then the transition from fog to sun stopped. While I never got quite the light I was looking for, I am pleased with how this turned out.

It was a bit amusing to see the reactions of other hikers as they walked past. Some perhaps assumed that there must be a “great photograph” there since my tripod supported what probably looked like substantial equipment and I was standing there holding a remote release. Some would walk past and take a sneaky glance along the cameras line of sight – and I could tell they were perplexed. During the wait for decent light, however, I did get to indulge in one of my favorite little hobbies – offering to take group pictures of other visitors with their cameras so that no one would be left out. :-)

keywords: black and white, forest, floor, cypress, tree, trunk, point lobos, state, reserve, california, usa, monterey, peninsula, carmel, bay, nature, landscape, travel, scenic, grass, rock, stock

Pacific Ocean and Rock – Big Sur

Pacific Ocean and Rock

Pacific Ocean and Rock. Big Sur, California. July 21, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Color photograph of the Pacific Ocean with an offshore rock along the Big Sur coast of California.

These minimalist seascapes have been something of an on-going project for me during the past year or so. I’m intrigued by the sense of deep and quiet space in these views – best appreciated from outside of your car and away from the road. I have no idea how well they work as images for others, but they are a bit more complex to capture than you might think from a quick glance.

keywords: big, sur, california, landscape, nature, ocean, pacific ocean, seascape, seashore, summer, travel, usa, water, waves, sky, blue, reflection, island, rock, offshore, horizon, minimalism, stock

Windsurfing at Sunset

Windsurfing at Sunset

Windsurfing at Sunset. Near Davenport, California. March 8, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A windsurfer heads out into winter Pacific Ocean surf at sunset – near Davenport, California.

This is another in a series of photographs of windsurfers I made one afternoon/evening near the end of winter earlier this year.

keywords: California, Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Seascape, Water, waves, Wind, windsurfing, Winter, sunset, evening, surf, sky, cloud, fog, landscape, sport, usa, stock

Big Sur Coastline

Big Sur Coastline
Big Sur Coastline. Big Sur, California. July 21, 2008. © Copyright G Dan MItchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of Big Sur coastline with tree covered ridges descending to the shoreline and fading into the distance.

This is yet another in the series of photographs I made on a long drive up the Big Sur coastline during the summer of 2008. The landscape photographer goes into overload on this drive – there is just too much to shoot. This photograph is a stitch of a couple 12MP full frame DSLR images.

keywords: afternoon, atmosphere, bay, beach, big sur, california, cliff, coast, cypress, fog, Forest, haze, kelp, landscape, mist, nature, ocean, pacific ocean, Road, rock, sand, seascape, seashore, sky, summer, travel, tree, usa, water, waves