Tag Archives: beach

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

Coastline Near Klamath River

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Coastline Near Klamath River
Late-day light on the rugged coastline just south of the Klamath River

Coastline Near Klamath River. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late-day light on the rugged coastline just south of the Klamath River

I had passed by the great Klamath River on my way north to the Redwood National and State Parks, crossing it on the long bridge just upstream from where it meets the Pacific. On that late afternoon I took a quick detour up onto a small dead-end road from which I could look back down at the river and the sandbar between it and the ocean, and I made a few photographs before moving on — I still wanted to photograph redwoods before the day ended, and I had a bit of a drive beyond that to get to my motel.

Late the next day I found myself with a bit of unscheduled time, so I returned to the Klamath, again as the end of the day approached — but this time I was not in a hurry to leave. When I had visited the day before I had looked across the river to the hills and coastal bluffs to the south, and this time I decided to explore that area a bit. A drive took me to an overlook from which there was an unobstructed view along the coastline to the south as the evening golden hour light began.

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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 and Amazon.
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Klamath Coastline

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Klamath Coastline
Mist and fog along the rugged Northern California shoreline near the Klamath River

Klamath Coastline. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Mist and fog along the rugged Northern California shoreline near the Klamath River

On the final day of my recent photography trip to Redwood National and State Parks I spent the morning photographing at Prairie Creek Redwood State Park before packing up and starting my drive south. My plan was to split the long drive back to the San Francisco Bay Area into two parts. On this first day of the return trip I would head south through more redwood country, drop to the coast above Fort Bragg, and then spend the night there before heading home the next morning.

I left Prairie Creek – somewhat reluctantly, since it deserved more time — and heading south on highway one. If you have driven almost any part of this remarkable route you know that there are photographs everywhere, not just in the parks, so I planned to stop along the way to make photographs. The route often alternately rises to cross coastal bluffs and ridges and then drops right down to the shoreline. At or just below the high points I can often find panoramic views up and down the coast, and this was one of the first such views that I stopped for. The light was subdued — hence the decision to go with a monochrome rendition — but the atmosphere was remarkable, with the surf throwing up low mist clouds right along the shoreline and the remnants of fog muting the distant features.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 and Amazon.
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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

Sea Stacks, Cliffs, Sunset

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Sea Stacks, Cliffs, Sunset
Coastal cliffs, sea stacks, and beach reflecting the light of a Northern California Pacific Ocean sunset

Sea Stacks, Cliffs, Sunset. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Coastal cliffs, sea stacks, and beach reflecting the light of a Northern California Pacific Ocean sunset

This photograph illustrates — as do so many others! — the many situations in which a photograph is the result of some combination of planning, experience, patience, “seeing,” and just plain good luck. In the morning I had photographed a few hours north of here at Prairie Creek Redwood State Park. As I worked that area, in the back of my mind I was calculating the driving time (plus eating and photographing time) that would put me at a particular spot along the coastline above Fort Bragg a bit before sunset. It is a spot that I have photographed before and one that both challenges and appeals to me. I knew the features of the spot, but there was no way to know what the conditions might be — in fact, I thought there was a pretty good chance that it might be fogged in.

As I approached this area, passing through inland mountains, it was apparent that fog was going to be an issue. Even inland the coastal fog was obscuring the upper slopes. Arriving at the coast I found “blah,” gray light. But there I was, knowing that this would be my last stop of the day, so I thought I might make something work in black and white. Then I noticed something interesting — the fog bank ended in the distance to the northwest right along the coastline, and right along the horizon there was a thin band of glowing, reflecting water. It occurred to me that this thin band would likely expand toward my position as the sun dropped toward the horizon, and that there could be a short period of special light. Before long the glow on the water came closer and the nearby waves began to pick up some sunset color. Then, as the bottom of the sun started to emerge below the edge of the cloud shield, the mist began to glow and the sun’s light came directly at me between the shadows of sea stacks, something can happen only for a few days during a brief interval or two each year… and only on days when the coastal weather conditions permit it.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 and Amazon.
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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, Photographs: Redwood National & State Parks

Pacific Surf, Morning Fog

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Pacific Surf, Morning Fog
Light fog hugs the shoreline near a far Northern California beach

Pacific Surf, Morning Fog. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Light fog hugs the shoreline near a far Northern California beach

The redwoods aren’t quite the whole story in this far northwest corner of California. There is this ocean… and a rather remarkable coast. There are other things, too — lots of bucolic farmland, quaint little towns and more. While the redwoods were my main “target” on this visit, I did stop to photograph a few other things, too.

On my way north I had come to this beach just before sunset, but since it had been a very long day and I wasn’t “seeing it” as I passed by, I just kept going. But, as I often do, I filed the location away in my memory as being one with some potential. On my third morning I started down the coast towards Fort Bragg, and after stopping briefly at some redwoods I came down the hill to this beach again, where I saw one of my favorite shoreline conditions, thin fog, partially thrown up by ocean spray and hugging the coast.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email

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