Tag Archives: bay

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

Coastal Bluffs and Trail

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Coastal Bluffs and Trail
A trail crosses springtime coastal bluffs to approach the rugged Big Sur coast south of Carmel, California.

Coastal Bluffs and Trail. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A trail crosses springtime coastal bluffs to approach the rugged Big Sur coast south of Carmel, California.

This is a fairly “straight ahead” photograph of a popular section of the Big Sur coastline. There are several reasons for is popularity, not the least of which is the impressive number of sea stacks and the rocky junction of sea and land. It is also in the upper section of this area, not that far from locations like Carmel and Monterey. In addition, it provides fairly close access to the coast, including the trail crossing the bluff in the lower section of the photograph.

Most of the time I would hesitate to photograph a scene like this one, instead preferring something a bit more unusual — perhaps some dramatic light or maybe some fog. But it occurred to me that in many ways this scene on this spring day embodies the ideal of “normal” along this coast with the green hills, blue sky, and darker blue water. Oh, and about that trail… should you ever decide to try it or one like it, may I remind you that a lot of poison oak grows here?

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Mendocino Bay Bluffs, Morning

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Mendocino Bay Bluffs, Morning
Morning light on Mendocino Bay and rocky coastal bluffs.

Mendocino Bay Bluffs, Morning. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light on Mendocino Bay and rocky coastal bluffs.

Mendocino still seems to have some of the feeling of the California coast from some decades ago. When I was quite young my family used to visit Carmel, and back then it seemed like a very different and more intimate place than the touristy mob scene that it has become now. While Mendocino is most certainly a place that attracts and relies on the tourist trade, it still feels more like a real place than something contrived. It is small. There aren’t that many restaurants. Most of the lodgings are relatively unobtrusive.

It also is just about as close to the ocean as you can get in such a town along this part of the coast. To make this photograph I got out of bed, got dressed, (likely paused for coffee), headed out the door, and walked about five minutes to the edge of the coastal bluffs. There was hardly anyone else there — perhaps they were busy enjoying brunch still. The photograph looks along the edge of Mendocino Bay, back toward the outlet of the Big River.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Sea Stacks, Cliff, and Beach

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Sea Stacks, Cliff, and Beach
Morning fog above a beach, cliffs, and sea stacks, and coastal hills, Mendocino, California.

Sea Stacks, Cliff, and Beach. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning fog above a beach, cliffs, and sea stacks, and coastal hills, Mendocino, California.

This photograph is not from this season’s California North Coast adventure — instead it comes from the visit before that during the last June of the pre-pandemic era. Our goal was the farther northern redwood parks, where we hoped to photograph the trees and rhododendrons, but first we stopped further south at Mendocino for a couple of nights.

There are worthy photographic subjects all up and down this remarkable coast, but it isn’t often that I’m so close to them that I can get up in the morning, walk out the door, and five minutes later be standing at the edge of a coastal bluff setting up my tripod. I was out early — of course! — and the area was fairly empty as I framed up this composition that looks toward the river that empties into Mendocino Bay. Morning fog obscured distant features, and the foreground landscape is formed by cliffs, bluffs, and the interaction of shadows, direct light, and the patterns of waves.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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

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

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

Black Sands Beach

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Black Sands Beach
Hikers and backpackers along the edge of the water at Black Sands Beach, Shelter Cove.

Black Sands Beach. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Hikers and backpackers along the edge of the water at Black Sands Beach, Shelter Cove.

The photograph comes from California’s “Lost Coast,” a rugged section in the far northern reaches of the state where the coastline is so rugged that few roads reach it and some sections are entirely roadless. Even the “Pacific Coast Highway” (Route 1) takes an extended inland jog here and travels through redwood country out of sight of the ocean. We explored two sections, one as part of a plan and the other on a literally last-minute whim.

For years we have passed the turn off to Shelter Cove and muttered something along the lines of, “Someday we really need to drive out there… but no time on this trip.” As I recall it, we were beginning to repeat that conversation as we approached the turn off on this homeward-bound drive — but this time we made a last-minute decision to turn of and take a look. This photograph looks northward up the coast from the edge of Shelter Cove, toward a 20-mile section that is accessible only on foot.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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