Tag Archives: bay

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Three Birds and Rocks

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Three Birds and Rocks

Three Birds and Rocks. Point Lobos, California. November 30, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of three birds on rugged rocks with winter surf beyond – Point Lobos, California.

Another photograph from my brief excursion to Point Lobos last weekend, on a morning of very high winter surf and backlit fog. Three small birds perch on rugged coastal rocks with the churning coastal waters beyond.

keywords: black and white, silhouette, rocks, ridge, mist, fog, atmosphere, recession, wave, surf, ocean, sea, bay, birds, three, gulls, light, foam, point lobos, state, reserve, park, california, usa, landscape, seascape, coast, shore, pacific, ocean, winter, scenic, travel, monterey, peninsula, big sur, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Fog and Surf, Point Lobos

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Fog and Surf, Point Lobos

Fog and Surf, Point Lobos. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. November 30, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of winter surf, fog, and coastal hills at Point Lobos, California.

When I heard that there would be huge surf along the coast today I headed straight for the Monterey Peninsula and Point Lobos. I was not disappointed! The first – for me at least – winter surf of the year brought huge offshore swells that crashed against and over the rocky shoreline at Point Lobos. A light coastal fog, augmented by spray from the surf, completed the picture.

I used a 9-stop neutral density filter and a polarizing filter on a long focal length lens so that I could get a very long exposure that would allow the waves and surf to diffuse to produce the misty effect you see here.

Obviously, our eyes don’t get to make 10 second exposures during the daylight! I think of a photograph like this one as being “subjectively accurate” rather than objectively accurate. In other words, while this exact image can’t exist in our real world experience, I think it evokes something about our response to such a scene that is true.

keywords: point lobos, fog, mist, cloud, surf, wave, ocean, sea, bay, rock, stacks, hill, mountain, forest, shore, state, park, preserve, reserve, california, usa, monterey, peninsula, big sur, coast, landscape, seascape, scenic, travel, stock, black and white

Photographs: Unclassified

Blue Angels in Black and White

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Blue Angels in Black and White

Blue Angels in Black and White. San Francisco, California. October 11, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

OK, now for something entirely different.

My original plan was to be in the eastern Sierra today on Saturday, patiently photographing peaceful and quiet aspen groves. But driving conditions did not look promising and I decided not to go. (I did go for the day on Sunday, but more on that later.) In any case, instead of shooting aspens I found myself on the waterfront of San Francisco Bay watching an air show featuring the Blue Angels, here photographed as they blew past directly overhead at a rather low altitude.

See, I can photograph things that move, too! :-)

Later note: Several people asked about the equipment I used to shoot this event. I used a Canon 5D with the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS lens. I shot mostly at 400mm, but was glad to be able to zoom out on a few occasions when the action was a bit closer. My technique is to put the camera in burst mode, but usually just fire a single shot at a time. Most of the time I’m definitely not a “burst and hope for the best” sort of photographer – I’ll actually follow the action through the viewfinder and resist the temptation until the shot looks interesting. But not always. This shot was done in burst mode as the formation screamed almost directly overhead.

keywords: san francisco, california, usa, fleet, week, air, show, airshow, bay, event, stock, blue, angels, air craft, jet, aerobatics, formation, wings, us, navy

Photographs: San Francisco

Giants vs. Rockies, ATT Park at Twilight

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Giants v. Rockies, ATT Park at Twilight

Giants v. Rockies, ATT Park at Twilight. San Francisco, California. August 25, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Twilight photograph of ATT Park field, lights, and stands and the San Francisco Bay beyond from the upper deck during August 25, 2008 Giants versus Rockies game. Giants lost… again… sigh…

The view is beautiful from almost any point in this ball park, but especially from the upper deck seats – from which you can watch the twilight fade over San Francisco Bay. And that’s a good thing, because for Giants fans these days the view over the Bay is often much more appealing than the action on the field. A dog, garlic fries, and a beer help, too.

keywords: giants, rockies, att, park, baseball, national league, team, night, twilight, evening, field, stadium, stands, seats, fans, people, players, lights, sign, san francisco, bay, california, usa, waterfront, stock, sports, travel, scenic, urban, bay area