Category Archives: Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Monterey Cypress Trees, Cliffs and Surf

Monterey Cypress Trees, Cliffs and Surf
“Monterey Cypress Trees, Cliffs and Surf” — Pacifc surf crashes against the base of cliffs with Monterey cypress trees.

Point Lobos and I go back a long ways. Shortly after my parents moved to the San Francisco Bay Area — I was four years old then — they began to take us on interesting day trips. A favorite was going to Monterey, which was a much smaller and quieter place then. A highlight of those visits was traveling a few miles south to Point Lobos, where we explored tide pools, walked the trails, and watched sea lions. This was one of the first places where I began to make photographs, likely with a simple Brownie camera and some black and white film.

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Shoreline Rocks, Offshore Islands

Shoreline Rocks,Offshore Islands
“Shoreline Rocks, Offshore Islands” — Two small islands in faint sunshine, shoreline rocks, Big Sur Coast.

It was a quiet moment at the Pacific Ocean shoreline on the upper Big Sur coast. It would not last, of course, as the area is overrun by visitors during the warmer months. I go very early in the morning to beat the crowds, and I had a couple of good hours before the Monterey and Carmel tourists finished breakfast and drove down the coast. (If you want to see the Big Sur coast in relative solitude, try a winter weekday morning.)

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Little Sur River and Beach

Little Sur River and Beach
“Little Sur River and Beach” — The Little Sur River meets the Pacific Ocean on the Big Sur Coast.

I confess to having photographed this scene quite a few times. I live close enough to Big Sur that I can drive down for a morning of photography and be home for a late lunch. This spot, where the Little Sur River flows across Little Sur Beach and into the Pacific Ocean, has always intrigued me. I stop and at least take a look almost every time I am down there.

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Duncansby Stacks

Duncansby Stacks
“Duncansby Stacks” — Sea Stacks at John O’Groats on Scotland’s North Sea Coast.

Our big loop through northwest Scotland began at Inverness, went to Skye, then headed north with stops at Ullapool and Altnaharra. From there we crossed the northern coast to John O’Groats. Why John O’Groats? it feels like one of the more remote places in Scotland – it is on the North Sea and beyond there are only the Orkney Islands. I also recall running into a cyclist on our previous visit to Scotland who was riding from the furthest south point in England to John O’Groats, and that piqued my interest.

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