Tag Archives: cliff

Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Point Reyes Beach, Sunset

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Point Reyes Beach, Sunset
Point Reyes National Seashore, Point Reyes Beach near the lighthouse at sunset, with yellow lupine carpeting the bluffs above the cliffs.

I had hoped to get some photographs of the wonderful fields of yellow lupine at the top of this bluff, but I was stymied by the tremendous winds buffeting Point Reyes. I do have photographs of this scene that show the flowers more clearly, but many of them are blurred from being blown by the wind.

keywords: california, national park, pacific ocean, spring, point reyes, beach, surf, waves, sand, haze, mist, cliff, nature, yellow, lupine, grass, texture, sunset, evening, seascape, landscape, tourism, scenic, travel, stock, usa, national seashore

Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Point Reyes Headlands

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Point Reyes Headlands
“Point Reyes” — oint Reyes with coastal haze, foreground cove with elephant seals, and Drakes Bay in the distance.

I made this photograph in incredibly windy conditions. (I can hear other Point Reyes regulars saying, “duh!” at this point…) It was the kind of afternoon when no tripod is sturdy enough to really hold the camera still – so I waited and shot during relative lulls in the gale. If you look closely at the lower right corner you can see sea lions hauled out on the beach.

To expand a bit, the weather at this spectacular location is often quite different from that in other nearby California locations. The “point” extends a good distance out into the ocean here, with the result being cold temperatures, lots of wind, and frequent heavy fog. The fog was not present on this day, but the wind surely was!

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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Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Cloud Shadows on North Dome

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Cloud Shadows on North Dome
Cloud Shadows on North Dome. Yosemite National Park, California. May 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Cloud shadows cross the face of North Dome in late afternoon light. Mt. Hoffman in the distance. Photographed from Glacier Point.

keywords: yosemite, valley, national park, california, usa, north, dome, cloud, shadow, glacier point, mount hoffman, ridge, mountain, snow, tree, forest, afternoon, light, cliff, scenic, landscape, travel, stock, tenaya canyon

Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Morning, Merced Canyon and Bridalveil Fall

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Morning, Merced Canyon and Bridalveil Fall
Morning, Merced Canyon and Bridalveil Fall. Yosemite National Park, California. May 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of morning light on the Merced River canyon leading into Yosemite Valley with Bridalveil Fall in the distance.

If you enter the park via state route 120 and head toward Yosemite Valley, after passing the exit to Foresta you cross a ridge and begin the descend toward the Valley. I almost always stop at this location right after the longer of the three tunnels on this section of roadway and enjoy the view straight up the Merced Canyon toward Bridalveil Fall and a point where the Valley bends to the right.

The more I see this photo, the more I like it. Yosemite is, obviously, a place with quite a few famous and iconic photographic subjects, but I don’t think this view – at least not in these conditions – is one of them. But it is a view that many of us know well, as it is along the main northerly entrance to the Valley and is one of the first open views down into the Merced River canyon and the Valley itself, albeit the lower section.

keywords: california, national park, Sierra Nevada, Spring, Yosemite, valley, morning, merced, river, canyon, rapids, bend, tree, forest, rock, outcrop, cliff, boulder, water, fall, waterfall, bridalveil, three brothers, road, big oak flat, highway, 120, overlook, travel, scenic, landscape, stock