Tag Archives: cove

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

Wood and Stones

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Wood and Stones
“Wood and Stones” — Cast-up driftwood, stones, and seashore detritus on coastal rocks at Point Lobos.

The conditions on this mid-April visit to Point Lobos were a sort that coastal Californians recognize as summer-like: cold, windy, damp, and foggy. Ironic, no? But during the time of year when it is hot in most of California, it is frequently foggy and cool at the coast — which is part of what Californians like about the coast. As the clouds began to thin a bit on this morning at Point Lobos, the light changed from gray to the soft, slightly directional sort that is ideal for subjects like this.

I have photographed this spot — not just Point Lobos itself, but this specific place in the park — literally for decades. I’m pretty sure that the first time I photographed here I was a kid and using 120 film in a cheap Brownie camera. But I still find something here on every visit. Wandering this cove is almost a visual meditation. There’s so much to see, especially when winter’s debris is still plentiful, that I have to give up any pretense of working quickly. Instead I wander slowly, letting my mind slow down enough that I can start to pick out subjects among the rocks, sand, driftwood, and sea wrack.

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

Above the Fog

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Above the Fog
A monterey cypress on a rocky hill a obove fog shrouded coastline, Point Lobos.

Above the Fog.. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A monterey cypress on a rocky hill a obove fog shrouded coastline, Point Lobos.

This was a beautiful morning at the Point Lobos State Reserve along the upper Big Sur coast south of Monterey, California. I arrived to find thick fog — which is a good thing! It stuck around longer that usual, gradually lifting and thinning, starting to allow a bit of filtered, directional light in, and then dissipating. When I made this photograph the fog was still low, so low that at times it drifted below my camera position along the edge of a coastal cliff.

In different light this tree might produce a bright scene, but in this fog the effect is darker. I positioned myself just to the side of the tree, enough to make the far headland visible. It isn’t easy to see from the photograph, but to my left here was a substantial drop-off straight to the ocean.

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

Monterey Cypress Snag

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Monterey Cypress Snag
The skeleton of a Monterey cypress snag above a cove and peninsula on a foggy Point Lobos morning.

Monterey Cypress Snag. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The skeleton of a Monterey cypress snag above a cove and peninsula on a foggy Point Lobos morning.

This weathered Monterey cypress snag is evidence of the rugged lives of these trees. At Point Lobos many are found along the rocky, rugged, and exposed north shore, where they grow on rocky headlands and at the edge of cliffs. The growth of thriving trees can seem almost lush, but if you look around you’ll inevitably find a lot of struggling trees and dead snags like this one.

Making this photograph was an almost comical affair. A challenge of photographing here is that there is rarely a clear, unobstructed view of interesting subjects. In some cases you could get such a view by (illegally) venturing off the trail, but in addition to being bad manners that is often very risky. To find compositions I often have to be creative, perhaps thinking about how to work the obstructions into the composition, or by shooting around and between them with long lenses. To make this photograph I had to set up in the middle of a narrow section of the trail, use a very wide angle lens, and put the camera in the one precise position that worked… and I had to move the whole setup several times to let people pass as I worked.

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.

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

Coastal Rocks

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Coastal Rocks
Rugged and fractured rocks on the California Pacific Ocean coast.

Coastal Rocks. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Rugged and fractured rocks on the California Pacific Ocean coast.

If you have been following along recent youly have likely figured out by now that I was fascinated by this formation at Point Lobos State Reserve. In fact, I was so fascinated by it that I not only turned my attention away from the larger landscape, but I ended up photographing this these rocks from three different angles and positions.

I got up close for this version, setting up the camera just in front of the subject and angling the camera slightly upwards. I found the large patterns of fractured rock interesting, but I also liked some of the smaller features that require a closer look — the odd dimpling effect on the surface of the rock, the bits and pieces of ocean life, and so on. The soft light coming through a deck of coastal clouds helped reveal some of these details.

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 | 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.