Tag Archives: black and white

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

Birds and Winter Surf

2 Comments
Birds and Winter Surf

Birds and Winter Surf. South of San Francisco, California. January 12, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Birds congregate along a stream with winter surf and bluffs above the Pacific Coastline in the distance – south of San Francisco, California.

I frequently stop along this section of the Pacific Coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, in a location where the road descends to almost the level of the beach. On this winter day the low clouds and fog were backlit by the sun as large winter surf rolled in. These birds appeared to be feeding in the creek near where it entered the surf and were just starting to take to the air as I exposed this photo.

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: seascape, landscape, beach, bluff, surf, wave, pacific, ocean, coast, sand, water, reflection, bird, gull, flock, flight, creek, stream, hill, seaweed, two, people, highway, one, california, usa, fog, mist, cloud, travel, scenic, stock, black and white

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Southern California

Aguereberry Point, Afternoon Light

Leave a comment
Aguereberry Point, Afternoon Light

Aguereberry Point, Afternoon Light. Death Valley National Park, California. April 3, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Looking west from Aguereberry Point across high peaks of Death Valley National Park toward the Sierra Nevada.

In April of 2008 I spent a number of days photographing in and around Death Valley National Park. On the third day I finished driving down through Titus Canyon in the afternoon and found myself with some extra travel time, so I headed up to Aguereberry Point where there is a high and austere view of Death Valley. After photographing the Valley and watching the last light leave the valley floor I headed back to the parking area and pointed my camera west toward the setting sun and the distant ridges of the southern Sierra Nevada range.

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: aguereberry, point, death valley, national park, mountains, desert, dry, geology, geography, sunset, afternoon, light, black and white, ridge, atmospheric recession, valley, sierra nevada, distant, landscape, scenic, travel, california, usa

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

Egret, China Cove

Leave a comment

Egret, China Cove

Egret, China Cove. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. December 20, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An egret in flight over China Cove – last evening of autumn 2008, Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

On the last evening of fall 2008 I visited Point Lobos to photograph whatever I might see there. Late in the day I walked along the trail above China Beach and spotted a solitary egret in the kelp just beyond the beach. The cove was in deep shade and I had a long lens attached to the camera and was set to the lowest ISO when the bird took off – so I had no choice but to shoot with what I had. There was little time to think and no time to make changes to camera settings. I managed to get a few exposures as the bird rose into the air above the kelp beds, but they turned out to be quite underexposed as I was caught between the rock of low light and the hard place of needing short enough shutter speeds for a moving bird in a dark cove. In this one image the bird’s wings are extended and it is passing out of a dark section of the cove and over slightly brighter water.

To me, the nearly pure white bird, slightly diffused by the odd exposure and over the darker water, seems like a ghost or an apparition. Although it is not anything like a technically “correct” photograph, I still like it for what it is.

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: big sur, california, carmel, Fall, monterey, nature, ocean, pacific ocean, point lobos, seashore, bird, in flight, egret, wing, china cove, kelp, water, state, reserve, park, usa, travel, scenic, landscape, black and white, monterey, peninsula, carmel, big sur, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Winter Tree in Morning Light

Leave a comment
Winter Tree in Morning Light

Winter Tree in Morning Light. Calero Hills, California. January 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Silhouette of a winter tree in early morning backlight at Calero Hills, California.

A few weeks ago I made an early morning visit to one of my local haunts in the Calero Hills south of San Jose, California. Since I started out on a trail that took me past a small pond where there are often interesting birds, sometimes including an egret, I put the long lens on the camera and hit the trail. I did not find any birds to photograph when I reached the lake, but I did find this interesting backlit skeletal tree that framed nicely using the long telephoto.

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: winter, tree, dormant, branch, twig, trunk, silhouette, backlight, morning, grass, meadow, hills, rocks, ravine, valley, black and white, calero, santa clara county, park, nature, scenic, travel, landscape, foliage, stock, california, usa, central