Tag Archives: beach

Point Reyes Life-saving Station

Point Reyes Life-saving Station

Point Reyes Life-saving Station. Point Reyes National Seashore, California. June 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of the historic Point Reyes Life-saving Station and dock with Drakes Bay and Point Reyes cliffs beyond. Point Reyes National Seashore, California.

This old building sits right on the shoreline of Drakes Bay, on the sheltered side of the Point Reyes Headlands. It was used until a half century ago as the staging area of rescues at sea, and it includes an unusual rail system for launching rescue boats. (It somehow seems right to show this historic building in black and white, and compositionally I like the effect a bit better as well.)

keywords: point reyes; national seashore; park; lifesaving; life-saving; station; building; dock; pier; drakes bay; historic; beach; shoreline; waterfront; windows; black and white; white; whitecaps; landscape; scenic; travel; california; usa; pilings; stock

Point Reyes Headlands

Point Reyes Headlands
“Point Reyes” — oint Reyes with coastal haze, foreground cove with elephant seals, and Drakes Bay in the distance.

I made this photograph in incredibly windy conditions. (I can hear other Point Reyes regulars saying, “duh!” at this point…) It was the kind of afternoon when no tripod is sturdy enough to really hold the camera still – so I waited and shot during relative lulls in the gale. If you look closely at the lower right corner you can see sea lions hauled out on the beach.

To expand a bit, the weather at this spectacular location is often quite different from that in other nearby California locations. The “point” extends a good distance out into the ocean here, with the result being cold temperatures, lots of wind, and frequent heavy fog. The fog was not present on this day, but the wind surely was!


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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Fisherman at Surf’s Edge

SurfFishermanPanoBW20080301.jpg
Fisherman at Surf’s Edge. Pacific Coast, California. March 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

This is another photo from the series I took in early March along the California coast north of Santa Cruz, including a set of black and white photographs shot with a long lens that feature surf fisherman walking along and into the winter surf.

keywords: fishing, fisherman, surf, waves, beach, sea, ocean, pacific, coast, edge, sand, reflections, pole, coastline, seascape, landscape, sports, travel, scenic, stock, black and white, california, usa

Two Surf Fisherman

Two Surf Fisherman
Two Surf Fisherman. Pacific Coastline, California. March 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two fisherman on the beach at the edge of the surf – California Pacific Ocean coast between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay. The abstract shapes in this scene interested me, especially the curving shapes of the reflections on the wet areas of the beach in the foreground.

keywords: black and white, two, fisherman, fishing, pole, surf, waves, bluff, beach, sand, reflections, sea, shore, ocean, pacific, coast, california, usa, seascape, landscape, people, outdoor, activity, sports, nature, wild, stock