Tag Archives: cliff

Headlands and Fog

Headlands and Fog
“Headlands and Fog” — Morning fog obscures te Pacific Ocean beyond Point Lobos headlands.

Point Lobos can be a place of wildly diverse conditions — from powerful winter storms that cast driftwood onto the shoreline to quiet warm-season days of sunshine. But more often things lie between the extremes… and typically involve fog. Summer visitors to “sunny California” are often surprised to discover that the sun’s appearance can be quite a bit less frequent along the coast, even when it is sunny inland. This Point Lobos visit was on a day of particularly persistent fog that stuck anround into the mid-afternoon.

This headlands terrain is found in several locations at Point Lobos, but especially along the northern portion of the park. Here the cliffs are taller and steeper and the land is open to the swell from the northwest, producing a rugged and dramatic shoreline. In this scene Monterey cypress trees survive on the rocky terrain just above the surf, and the small island on the left is populated by resting (and perhaps nesting?) cormorants.


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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The Old Cypress

The Old Cypress
“The Old Cypress” — An old, gnarled monterey cypress grows along the cliffs of Point Lobos State Reserve.

Recently California and the West have been suffering through long periods of extreme heat. Fortunately, I live close enough to the coast that I can get over there on the worst days. I knew it was going to be hot so I got up early and drove to Point Lobos just south of Carmel, where I found thick fog and temperatures in the upper 50s. The fog typically pulls back from the coast fairly quickly on hot days, but this time it stuck around in o the afternoon. I spent the morning hours photographing here before heading back home where it ended up about 40 degrees warmer.

This is a fascinating specimen of Monterey cypress, a tree that is native here and only a couple of other locations. At Point Lobos many of them grow along the edges of steep cliffs, especially along the north shore, and this old tree is hanging onto its perch seeming by a thread.


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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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Aspens in a Row

Aspens in a Row
A row of colorful autumn aspen trees against a backdrop of rugged rocks.

Aspens in a Row. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A row of colorful autumn aspen trees against a backdrop of rugged rocks.

Along the base of this rocky face, which parallels the shoreline of a subalpine eastern Sierra lake, aspen trees try to grow with the classic tall and straight form. They almost succeed, but the rocky soil seems to hold them back, and while they are fairly straight they are not that tall. However, because they are in the shadow of a ridge yet open to the light on the other side, they pick up lovely soft and reflected light.

Our initial plans did not work out on this morning. We arrived at a high-country lake hoping to find reflections of aspens and the surrounding peaks. Instead we encountered strong winds and rough water on the lake. There were no good reflections and leaves were coming down in the wind. However, there are almost always alternative subjects, and by using a long lens I was able to photograph these trees across the valley.


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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Autumn Aspens, Rocky Face

Autumn Aspens, Rocky Face
A small group of autumn aspen trees grows against an Eastern Sierra Nevada rock face.

Autumn Aspens, Rocky Face. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A small group of autumn aspen trees grows against an Eastern Sierra Nevada rock face.

Aspen trees present in all sorts of fascinating ways — individual trees, huge groves, short, tall, straight, bent, in full color, still partially green, almost bare, in valleys, on ridges, among other trees. I think they are all photographable, but I am especially attracted to colorful trees set against rocky slopes. The contrasts are fascinating — the bright yellow of the trees and the blue-gray of rocks, the slender fragility of aspens and the solid character of stone.

This photograph was almost — but not quite — an afterthought. I had gone to a location to photograph a different subject, but conditions were not favorable for that original plan. So I looked around and saw small groups of trees across the valley, each of them standing at the base of rocky slopes. Working quickly before the bright direct sun arrived, I photographed them in the soft, shadow light.


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.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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