“At The Edge” — A jumble of Monterey cypress trees at the edge of a Point Lobos cliff.
This is the final photograph in a series of images I made on a morning visit to Point Lobos near the end of September. As I approached the park I drove in thick fog, and I was already contemplating potential subjects to photograph in hose conditions. But in the final mile of my drive the fog began to lift, and sunlight shone through the gaps in the dissipating fog. I reevaluated, picked an area with other visual interests, and thought about how I might use the remaining fog-softened light with these subjects.
“Monterey Cypress Forest, Leaning Trees” — Monterey Cypress trees at the edge of a Point Lobos cliff on a foggy morning.
These trees grow along one of the most exposed coastal locations at Point Lobos State Reserve. Not far behind my camera position s the rugged end of a peninsula that juts out into the Pacific, exposed to waves and wind. In the other direction, beyond these trees, is a cliff that drops to a rocky, narrow bay that where surf constantly washes in and out.
“Monterey Cypress Trees, Cliffs and Surf” — Pacifc surf crashes against the base of cliffs with Monterey cypress trees.
Point Lobos and I go back a long ways. Shortly after my parents moved to the San Francisco Bay Area — I was four years old then — they began to take us on interesting day trips. A favorite was going to Monterey, which was a much smaller and quieter place then. A highlight of those visits was traveling a few miles south to Point Lobos, where we explored tide pools, walked the trails, and watched sea lions. This was one of the first places where I began to make photographs, likely with a simple Brownie camera and some black and white film.
“Alpine Lake, Mirrored Reflection” — Cliff wall mirrored on the surface of a rockbound alpine lake in Sequoia National Park.
There’s a story and a lesson associated with this photograph. Explaining may take a bit more than the usual two paragraphs. (It takes five. I urge/invite you to click through and read the whole thing — and I’ll be interested in your comments.) I’ll start with the subject though. Years ago (I’ll reveal how many years below) I was on a trans-Sierra pack trip of over a week’s length with a group of backcountry friends. I had walked this route years before this trip, and there were a few places that I specifically wanted to photograph again, especially this lake. I stopped there long enough to make a few careful photographs, including one of my favorites. (That one also comes with a bit of a story and lesson.)
Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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