Tag Archives: above

Row of Pelicans in Flight

Row of Pelicans in Flight
Row of Pelicans in Flight

Row of Pelicans in Flight. Pacific Coast, California. May 15, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Seven pelicans fly wing-to-wing above the Pacific coastline of California.

I have been meaning to post this photograph for some time, but only now found the space to insert it into the photo stream. I made it back in May of 2010 and rediscovered it during my end-of-year review of all of my thousands of raw files from 2010.

The photograph was shot from the top of a coastal bluff on a section of highway (the “coast highway”) north of Santa Cruz, where the road climbs rather high above steep coastal cliffs. There is a spot that I know of where the birds often skim right along the top of the cliff, riding the updrafts from the ocean winds that blow onshore here. In just the right conditions, these birds come past frequently, and they are often very close to my shooting position.

Most often you’ll see them in small groups or clusters, but this group was special. They were flying wing-to-wing as they approached my position and managed to stay that way as they angled past me.

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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.

Pelicans Skimming the Waves

Pelicans Skimming the Waves
Pelicans Skimming the Waves

Pelicans Skimming the Waves. Waddell Creek Beach, California. June 23, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A flock of pelicans skims inches above the surface of the Pacific Ocean off of Waddell Creek Beach, Big Basin State Park, California.

Low flying pelicans skim just inches above the surface of the water near the shoreline at Waddell Creek Beach in Big Basin State Park along the California coastline. Having spent some time staring at these birds as they fly along the coast, I’m more and more amazed by their ability to closely track contours of beach and waves as they fly so low – they flow over this moving “terrain” like water over rocks. In this photograph the water picks up subtle light reflected by the slightly foggy evening sky beyond.

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.

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Cloud Forms #2 – June 23, 2010

Cloud Forms #2 - June 23, 2010
Cloud Forms #2 - June 23, 2010

Cloud Forms #2 – June 23, 2010. Near Davenport, California. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Evening cloud forms above the Pacific Ocean coastline near Davenport, California.

This is the second of a pair of abstract images of evening clouds that I photographed earlier this week along the California coastline north of Davenport. The photographs were shot with fairly long focal lengths and then converted to black and white in post, where additional modifications to the original images were also made.

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
About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

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.

(Basic EXIF data may be available by “mousing over” large images in posts. Leave a comment if you want to know more.)


Cloud Forms #1 – June 23, 2010

Cloud Forms #1 - June 23, 2010
Cloud Forms #1 - June 23, 2010

Cloud Forms #1 – June 23, 2010. Near Davenport, California. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Evening cloud forms above the Pacific Ocean coastline near Davenport, California.

This is the first of a pair of abstract images of evening clouds that I photographed earlier this week along the California coastline north of Davenport.

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
About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

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.

(Basic EXIF data may be available by “mousing over” large images in posts. Leave a comment if you want to know more.)