Category Archives: Photographs: Central California

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Headlands, Incoming Autumn Storm

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Headlands, Incoming Autumn Storm
An incoming Pacific weather front darkens the skies above Big Sur coastline headlands.

Headlands, Incoming Autumn Storm. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An incoming Pacific weather front darkens the skies above Big Sur coastline headlands.

This location is both a rather famous one (or, perhaps more accurately, right beneath a famous one) and typical of many of the more dramatic sections of the California coastline. I am very fortunate to have been brought up close to the center of this geography, and I can head north or south to find many such places where the ocean and the land meet in such an impressive fashion. Here the Pacific runs right up against coastal cliffs rising to headlands, with narrow beaches and rocks marking the margins of the continent.

In most cases I might try to photograph this scene in different sorts of light — perhaps the bright early morning (when the cliffs are still in shadow), the evening when sunset light hits the coast directly from the west, or in dramatic fog or clouds. But those conditions were not to be seen on this late-autumn day when an incoming Pacific weather front was covering the sky in a thin shield of clouds. In my view, these conditions also bring a special sort of light, with the diffusive effect of the clouds revealing subtler color and filling in and lighting areas that would otherwise be in shadow.

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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Autumn Road

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Autumn Road
A gravel road under foggy skies winds among cottonwood trees and other Central Valley autumn foliage

Autumn Road. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A gravel road under foggy skies winds among cottonwood trees and other Central Valley autumn foliage.

The natural attractions of California’s Great Central Valley can be a bit more subtle that those of, say, the coast, the Sierra, the redwoods, or the great desert landscapes. This area lacks, for the most part, the spectacular features of those other places. (Though it can provide rather striking views of the Sierra, the coastal mountains, and even Mount Shasta when the conditions are right.) It is mostly a flat place, and most of what we see along the main highways is agricultural land.

But by getting off the main highways, slowing down, and looking around a bit it is possible to find some beautiful and quiet subjects out here. They can be related to the agricultural scene — especially if you can look past “factory farms” — and they can also be found in areas where there is water along rivers or in the wetlands. This photograph comes from the latter, an area where nearby wetland ponds support abundant wildlife, especially in the winter. This day began in thick fog, and I made the photograph as it was starting to thin and break up, adding some texture to the sky and producing soft, directional light on the trees along this rural roadway.

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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

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

Photographs: Central California

Late-Autumn Coastal Forest

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Late-Autumn Coastal Forest
The Big Sur River runs past late-autumn deciduous forest.

Late-Autumn Coastal Forest. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The Big Sur River runs past late-autumn deciduous forest.

Scenes like this one are actually easy to find all over coastal California and even at many inland locations. These low elevation forests, especially those where the climate is moderated by proximity to the Pacific Ocean, tend to be quiet and gentle places. As such, it is easy to overlook them, especially when far more dramatic landscapes about.

In fact, on this December day I found myself here after realizing that the conditions were far from ideal for photographing some of those nearby dramatic landscapes. The gray skies of an incoming Pacific weather front made the long views at the coast less than exciting, so I headed a few miles inland and found this beautiful section of the Big Sur River, where the water flowed past quietly and autumn big leaf maple leaves littered the ground.

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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Big Sur River, Autumn

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Big Sur River, Autumn
Fallen leaves and trees along the banks of the Big Sur River.

Big Sur River, Autumn. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Fallen leaves and trees along the banks of the Big Sur River.

There is a little lesson or reminder in this photograph that I made earlier this week along a quiet stretch of the Big Sur River. I had planned to head south to photograph along this coastline. This is my favorite time of year along the California coast — the season when the surf can be huge, lots of spray gets thrown up, and there are often interesting clouds. Oh, and there are far fewer tourists in this sometimes-crowded location. However, the light was not cooperating, at least not with my original plan of photographing grand coastal landscape. A Pacific weather front was on its way, and the sky was rather gray and there was some ugly atmospheric haze.

However, as is so often the case, light conditions that may not be wonderful for one subject can work to your advantage with another. The high clouds were still thin enough that they allowed somewhat directional but very diffused light to pass. While that may not be great for those long landscapes, this light can be beautiful inside forests, even during the daytime hours when more typical sunny conditions can produce the nearly unphotographable “pizza light.” So I started looking for different sorts of subjects, and I soon noticed the green water of this river and the bare trunks of these trees standing above a carpet of newly-fallen autumn leaves.

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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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