Tag Archives: beach

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Cliffs, Sand, and Surf

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Cliffs, Sand, and Surf - Panther Beach

Cliffs, Sand, and Surf. North of Santa Cruz, California. January 11, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late sun illuminates sand, cliffs, and surf near Santa Cruz, California.

I suppose I must count myself lucky for living in a place where I get head to out in the late afternoon for the coast, wander around on the beach shooting photographs of scenes like this as the sun drops toward the horizon… and be home in time for dinner. :-)

Another in what will be a series of perhaps a half dozen photographs from this spot  north of Santa Cruz, California, where I photographed this past weekend. In this photograph the sun is dropping beyond the horizon and the very last light is hitting the beach in the center foreground.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: beach, california, county, Dusk, evening, nature, pacific ocean, sand, Santa Cruz, seascape, seashore, sky, Sunset, travel, water, waves, winter, travel, scenic, coast, shore, landscape, surf, cliff, bluff, sky, pink, blue, cloud, rocks, reflection, foam, foot steps, stock, panther

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Last Light, Boulders and Sand

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Last Light, Panther Beach

Last Light, Boulders and Sand. Pacific Ocean North of Santa Cruz, California. January 11, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The last light shines on surf and rocks near Santa Cruz, California.

After posting a long string of urban landscapes, I figured it was time to post some natural landscapes once again – so I drove over to the coast north of Santa Cruz on Sunday evening to photograph. This photo was more or less an afterthought – I had set up the tripod just on the ocean side of the natural bridge that provides access to the south section of this beach and I had finished shooting a pair of large boulders with the more distant surf and sea stack in the background. The light was going fast, and I was starting to pack up when I saw this arrangement of rocks nearby. Because I was anxious to get off the beach before dark, I just took a few frames using the lens that was already on the camera, a 35mm prime.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: panther, beach, state, park, santa cruz, davenport, california, usa, park, surf, wave, rock, boulder, cliff, spray, sky, cloud, sunset, twilight, evening, last, light, seascape, landscape, ocean, pacific, coast, highway, one, 1, reflection, sand, water, stock

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If you follow this blog you know that the majority of the photographs posted here (though certainly not all of them) tend to gravitate in the direction of landscapes, mostly natural but also urban. You may also have noticed that during the past month or so I’ve focused on urban images that are somewhat atypical. There are perhaps another half dozen or so of these in the pipeline… but starting tomorrow I’ll take a bit of a break from posting the urban photography and start with a series of about a half dozen photographs from Panther Beach north of Santa Cruz, California.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Sea Stack and Cove, Wilder Ranch State Beach

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Sea Stack and Cove, Wilder Ranch State Beach

Sea Stack and Cove, Wilder Ranch State Beach. Santa Cruz, California. December 29, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Twilight view of a surf filled cove, shoreline ledges, sea stack, beach, and Monterey Peninsula at Wilder Ranch State Beach.

Although I have visited the section of the California Coast Highway between San Francisco and Santa Cruz many times and have driven past this spot frequently, I had never actually stopped at Wilder Ranch State Beach and wandered out the the ocean here. Having seen some interesting photographs of this spot recently, tonight as I drove north from Santa Cruz I decided that there was no time like the present and I pulled over and hiked down to the beach. Compared to many winter evenings along this section of the Pacific coast, it was very calm and almost warm tonight.

This photograph looks south toward Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay – the Monterey Peninsula is visible on the horizon. The sea stack is probably the most recognizable feature of this beach, though the low rock shelfs along the water’s edge are also pretty interesting. This photograph is a fairly long time exposure shot in the post sunset glow.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: sea, stack, cove, rock, ledge, reef, bluff, surf, wave, ocean, pacific, monterey, bay, peninsula, santa cruz, california, usa, sunset, twilight, evening, light, moss, reflection, time exposure, beach, sand, pond, pool, sky, cloud, landscape, seascape, travel, scenic, stock, mist, island, birds