Tag Archives: california

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

Drakes Bay, Fog

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Drakes Bay, Fog - Fog bank suspended above the surface of Drakes Bay, Point Reyes National Seashore
Fog bank suspended above the surface of Drakes Bay, Point Reyes National Seashore

Drakes Bay, Fog. Point Reyes National Seashore, California. August 18, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Fog bank suspended above the surface of Drakes Bay, Point Reyes National Seashore.

What could possibly go together more naturally than fog and Point Reyes? Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Point Reyes National Seashore is one of those treasures that is close enough that I can manage to visit frequently and throughout the year. However, I’m still trying to “get my mind around” the place as a photographic subject. Some aspects of it are relatively easy to see in photographic terms – these include some of the wildlife (such as elephant seals and tule elk), the tall and rocky coastal bluffs and the beaches often found below them, and certain beaches. Others are not, at least for me, so obvious. I find that some very beautiful things, such as the dense forests of short trees, hills covered with dry grasses and scattered bushes, and fog shrouded valleys, are not always easy subjects from which to make effective photographs.

This scene (if “scene” is the word for it) could be almost anywhere in along the hundreds of miles of the California Pacific coast, and it belongs to my “minimalist seascape” thread, something I’ve been attracted to for a while now. On this afternoon I had decided to go to Limantour Beach, hoping for sun and enough clarity in the air that I could make some photographs across Drakes Bay that I’ve been thinking about. Earlier in the day, things looked promising for that, but when I arrived the fog bank was hovering just along the shoreline and making its way inland nearby. Looking a bit more to the south, the sky was clear – and in between these areas there was a wonderful play of light between the areas covered by fog and the occasional gaps where more light still shone through.

I have been there a couple of times this month and on both occasions I had… fog!

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: San Francisco

Person in Blue Shirt, Pigeon

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Person in Blue Shirt, Pigeon - A person in a blue shirt and a pigeon share a Stockton Street sidewalk in San Francisco.
A person in a blue shirt and a pigeon share a Stockton Street sidewalk in San Francisco.

Person in Blue Shirt, Pigeon. San Francisco, California. August 5, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A person in a blue shirt and a pigeon share a Stockton Street sidewalk in San Francisco.

Continuing my fascination with the walls of San Francisco buildings… this one is on Stockton Street just above China Town, and near the base of stairs descending from an overhead portion of the street under which Stockton continues through a tunnel. After I made this photograph I realized that I had also photographed it last year, from almost the same position and also with figures in front of it. But I decided that I like the subtle pigeon (perhaps hard to see in this small presentation) in front of the doorway, the guy in the blue shirt and shorts sauntering into the frame, and the fairly harsh front-lighting and shadows.

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.

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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

Rocks and Surf, Point Lobos

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Rocks and Surf, Point Lobos - Long exposure black and white photograph of offshore rocks, surf, and fog at the Point Lobos State Reserve, California
Long exposure black and white photograph of offshore rocks, surf, and fog at the Point Lobos State Reserve, California

Rocks and Surf, Point Lobos. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. July 21, 2012. © Copyright 2011 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Long exposure black and white photograph of offshore rocks, surf, and fog at the Point Lobos State Reserve, California

This photograph is from last summer and a visit to Point Lobos when I decided to work with very long exposures in daylight muted by coastal fog. A set of these photographs has sat in my raw file collection since then, as I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to render them in the post-processing stage. I used a 9-stop neutral density filter to darken the scene a great deal and permit the very long exposure that allowed the surf to blur and become diffused. However, these filters invariably have an effect on color balance that is not very lovely – they add a slight almost purple cast to the image. As I thought about them as color images, I could not find a color balance that worked – so I put them aside.

Last week, spurred by another rapidly filling hard drive, I began to go through more of my older raw files to see what could be deleted. Indeed, there were quite a few files that could go – duplicates, errors, some images that really will never live up to what I had expected them to be. But as I do every time I engage in this activity, I found several photographs that I had either overlooked originally or which needed to be processed in ways that I hadn’t thought about at the time. It occurred to me that this one might become one of my “minimalist seascape” photographs if I went for a high key interpretation in black and white.

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: Architecture, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Urban/Street

Corner View, 50 United Nations Plaza

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Corner View, 50 United Nations Plaza - The curved architecture of the corner of the building at 50 United Nations Plaza, San Francisco.
The curved architecture of the corner of the building at 50 United Nations Plaza, San Francisco.

Corner View, 50 United Nations Plaza. San Francisco, California. August 5, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The curved architecture of the corner of the building at 50 United Nations Plaza, San Francisco.

This building is located in the Civic Center area of San Francisco. To the east of City Hall – the opposite side from the Opera House, a place with which I am more familiar – is a large plaza, and beyond that as you might walk toward Market Street you may pass by this building, with its classic architecture.

I’m not familiar with the history of the building, though I assume that it might be in some way related to the United Nations Plaza. The building, which occupies most of a block, is currently being refurbished, and portions at the far end of the building are fenced off. This corner, with its columns and curving shape, seems quite formal, especially when juxtaposed with the rest of the City life in this particular area.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.