Category Archives: Photographs: Ocean & Coast

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

Rocky Knoll with Monterey Cypress Trees

January 16, 2011 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A grove of Monterey Cypress trees grows on top of a rocky ridge above the Pacific Ocean at Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

In my continuing attempt to mine every bit of ore possible from this scene… this is a closer study of the same tree-covered knoll that I posted recently. The rocky hill is near the end of a thin peninsula between Whalers Cove and Bluefish Cove at Point Lobos. It is covered with a wild confusion of plants, Monterey cypress trees, and rocks and the whole thing drops suddenly to the edge of the Pacific Ocean right below.

This is another in a group of photographs that I sort of think of as “how much dense detail can I cram into one frame” photographs. For this reason, I’m pretty certain that this will have a better chance of making sense in a decent sized photograph in which the detail can be enjoyed a bit more than it can be in this small jpg.

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.

G Dan Mitchell Photography
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Monterey Cypress Forest, Point Lobos

January 13, 2011 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Winter light on the Monterey Pine forest growing on a hillside at Point Lobos State Reserve.

The photograph is the color version of the same scene that I recently posted in a black and white rendition. My initial reaction to the image, and the idea I had in the back of my mind when I photographed it, was that it would be black and white. I wanted to “abstract” the dense shapes and textures of the trees and ground plants and rocks, and I sometimes think that the intrinsically unreal quality of black and white can work for that. However, when I worked up the photograph in color I started to like it, too, though in a different way. At least in the small versions that I looked at on the screen, the color version creates a bit more separation among objects in the scene and seems to have a bit more depth. I guess I won’t know until I make prints!

I have often looked at the straight and upright trees on this rocky prominence as I walked past on a trail that passes by just beyond the left side of the frame. This formation sits between two coves at Point Lobos and rises to a high point (to the right of the photograph) before dropping abruptly to steep rocks and then the sea. From the trail you look up the slope toward the high point and through these trees. But I could never quite see a composition. On this winter day the light was a bit unusual. There was a bit of haze and mist in the air, though not a lot – if I stood with the sun at my back I could not really see it, but if I faced into the sun it was apparent. In any case, even though this was photographed during the harsh light midday time period, the light was softened at least a bit, but still a bit stark from side lighting, the shadows among the trees, and the bright and cloudy sky beyond. It is difficult to find a clear line of sight to this grove that isn’t either very, very far away or else right inside of it. I looked around for a bit and finally found a place not far away along the trail from which I could shoot between tree branches.

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.

G Dan Mitchell Photography
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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Monterey Cypress and Coastal Cliffs at Bluefish Cove

January 12, 2011 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Monterey Cypress trees grow atop cliffs above Bluefish Cove at Point Lobos State Reserve.

One fun thing about photographing places that I have visited for nearly my full life is that it sometimes encourages me to learn things about places that I had taken for granted – like names of features and places. Although I’ve been to Point Lobos since I was a child and I have seen this area of the reserve many times, I had no idea there was a place called Bluefish Cove, much less that this was it. More accurately, the small patch of water at the foot of this wonderful bit of rocky cliff and cypress forest is Bluefish Cove. I am surprised to note that the point itself seems to be unnamed, at least according to several maps I checked, each of which names many lesser places. The ridge rises from the water to form a peninsula between Bluefish Cove and the larger Whalers Cove. Beyond and above are some of the first coastal hills at what I think of as the north end of the Big Sur coastline.

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.

G Dan Mitchell Photography
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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Twilight Surf

January 12, 2011 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Many times the most interesting late-day light comes after the sun set, and I have learned to stick around as long as I can in these situations. The colors can become more intense as the details become softer, especially when the low light allows me to use longer exposure times with moving subjects in the very low light. By the time I made this photograph my exposure time was up to four seconds. (Shortly after this it was too dark to continue shooting – I could hardly see my camera any more!)

This image falls into my “minimalist seascape” category, without any particular central subject – though there are some points in the scene that do, I think, draw a bit more attention. There is a certain element of chance in these photographs since, obviously, I cannot control the waves. However, by watching their patterns and thinking about how their sharply defined shapes might form more diffused shapes over the longer exposures, I can make some reasonable guesses about when to trip the shutter release. Besides the sky, there are three things in the water portion of this scene that “worked” for me: the single darker wave just below the horizon, the row of three parallel waves in the middle of the frame, and the blurred and reflective area closest to the shore.

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.

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.