Tag Archives: creek

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

Cliff, Surf, and Incoming Storm

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Cliff, Surf, and Incoming Storm
The clouds from an incoming winter storm fill the sky beyond Pacific Ocean surf and a coastal cliff.

Cliff, Surf, and Incoming Storm. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The clouds from an incoming winter storm fill the sky beyond Pacific Ocean surf and a coastal cliff.

Knowing that a sequence of Pacific storms was on its way, and that this might cut into opportunities for photography for a while, I headed over the hill to the nearest part of the Pacific coast, the section north of Santa Cruz. This is quite familiar territory for me now — I have been going there for decades. While the big surf was expected, the atmospheric conditions were unusual, with thick coastal haze and high clouds from the storm starting to mute the light and shift its colors.

I often note that even in very familiar locations I can still find new perspectives. I’ve stopped and wandered at this beach more times than I can remember, but this is the first time I’ve been to this particular overlook where the small stream enters the ocean at the base of a cliff below coastal bluffs.

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: Ocean & Coast

Headlands and Mist

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Headlands and Mist
Morning mist floating among headlands on the Big Sur coast.

Headlands and Mist. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning mist floating among headlands on the Big Sur coast.

This photograph shows of the features that sets the Big Sur coast apart — along much of its length the land drops precipitously from tall headlands directly into the ocean. This cuts off easy access to the ocean in these areas — helping maintain the wild quality of the coast here. These headlands and cliffs also produce an extraordinarily dramatic meeting of land and sea.

Although this photograph comes from a well-known and easily accessible location, similar scenes are found all along this central section of the California coastline. I photographed somewhat early in the morning when the sun was still ascending over the coastal mountains, casting shadows on the cliffs and the edge of the water. A bit of thin fog increases the atmospheric recession between the sections of headland cliffs.

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 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

Cliffs, Morning Mist

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Cliffs, Morning Mist
Morning mist along the steep headlands cliffs of the rugged Big Sur region.

Cliffs, Morning Mist. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning mist along the steep headlands cliffs of the rugged Big Sur region.

Earlier this week I made a quick trip down the coast to the Big Sur region, getting as far south as Sur Point. This is a short enough drive for me that I can leave home early, photograph all morning, and be home for a late lunch. The conditions can vary greatly at this time of year. Often it is sunny and clear, as it was on this visit, but it can also be foggy and cold. When a big Pacific front rolls through, watch out —huge waves roll in and landslides can close the coast highway. One thing I did not have was the all-too-common summer crowds —a late fall weekday morning is not crowded at all.

The photograph includes a familiar section of the Big Sur coast, and it is visible from another well-known icon. (I think I did all that I could do with that famous subject years ago… and now this nearby terrain interests me more.) Here the road rises to a high point, and tall cliffs drop abruptly to the ocean from the tall bluffs. A bit of fog and mist softened the morning 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.

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: New England, Photographs: Travel

Silver Cascade

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Silver Cascade
Silver Cascade, New Hampshire

Silver Cascade. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Silver Cascade, New Hampshire

One of the fun things about photographing in an entirely new area is the opportunity to “discover” subjects for the first time. Don’t get me wrong — I still discover new things in familiar places, just not quite as often. During our New England autumn color trip it seemed like there were new things everywhere we looked. After our first-day visit to a well-known and iconic autumn color location I remembered seeing a side road… so we went back and took it. Eventually it took us past this waterfall, located not from from one of the ubiquitous New Hampshire “notches.”

As we drove up this road we saw people stopped at this location, so we figured there must be something interesting there. We pulled over and saw a cascade coming down a narrow band of rock from the higher mountains. Compared to some of the waterfalls that I see in the Sierra this one seemed pretty small. But it was also quite charming, with water traveling this way and that across the rocks, passing trees and bushes with fall foliage, and finally splashing down in a small pool. I left the roadside stop behind and climbed up a good distance to make this photograph.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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