Tag Archives: california

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Sea Stacks And Headlands

Image Leave a comment
Sea Stacks And Headlands
Sea stacks and rugged headlands along the upper Big Sur coast.

Sea Stacks And Headlands. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sea stacks and rugged headlands along the upper Big Sur coast.

California’s coastline is quite varied, but nearly always interesting. There are flat and gentle areas in the south, areas exposed to wind and covered with trees in the far north. And then there is the (loosely speaking) Big Sur coast south of Monterey. it is an area of very tall coastal mountains, vast open views of the Pacific, and a shoreline that is often rugged and rocky.

I had a few free hours on this spring day so I headed south from the San Francisco Bay Area with the plan of getting some distance down the Big Sur coast… but not so far that I couldn’t be back by mid-afternoon. I’m a bit familiar with these formations, having stopped to photograph here in the past. This time I was struck by the color of the water, the springtime green of the plants, and the lights softened by very thin coastal fog.

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 | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Photographs: Nature

Ice Plant Flower

Image Leave a comment
Ice Plant Flower
The flower of the invasive ice plant, Monterey county

Ice Plant Flower. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The flower of the invasive ice plant, Monterey county.

Ice Plant is ubiquitous along freeways and in similar areas in many parts of California — likely because it is a hardy plant that produces some impressive flowers during part of the year. It is also a non-native that has become invasive in many areas, including some where it probably doesn’t belong.

I photographed this specimen in one of those probably-doesn’t-belong locations. It was growing on a coastal bluff in the upper section of the Big Sur coast, and burrowing its way into the natural ecology of the place. But the flowers were attractive, especially with a bit of early morning dew still on the petals.

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 | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

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

Heart Of The Desert

Image Leave a comment
Heart Of The Desert
Dried mud patterns on the Panamint Lake Playa

Heart Of The Desert. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dried mud patterns on the Panamint Lake Playa.

This is not normally the direction I point the camera… but sometimes there are interesting things to see right at your feet! I had stopped at a playa whose edge is right next to the main highway into Death Valley. I got our and wandered out on to the playa. (This might be the world’s easiest walking.)

This play a is typically dry, and after the rare storms that bring enough rain to create mud, the playa surface dries out and cracks into interesting patterns. As I wandered around this visual playground I spied this rather unusual patten in the surface of teh playa.

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 | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Photographs: Nature

Purple Owl’s Clover Flowers

Image Leave a comment
Purple Owl's Clover Flowers
A purple owl’s clover bloom, San Luis Obispo County, California

Purple Owl’s Clover Flowers. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A purple owl’s clover bloom, San Luis Obispo County, California.

I continue to work my way through the California spring wildflower photography — and this isn’t the end of it! This was a better-than-average year for wildflowers in the state. Winter rains were above normal, and a good portion of the rain fell later in the season, including some big storms that swept though in early March.

I photographed this flower in San Luis Obispo County, in one of the many oak and grassland areas that are so common in the state’s lowlands and foothills. We found a spot with uncounted flowers spread across large meadows, stopped, and spent a few hours wandering around with macro lenses on the cameras.

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 | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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