Tag Archives: hills

Sunset Surf, Big Sur Coastline

Sunset Surf, Big Sur Coastline
Sunset Surf, Big Sur Coastline

Sunset Surf, Big Sur Coastline. Pacific Coast, California. January 2, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Panoramic photograph of winter surf and rough winter seas along the Big Sur coastline at sunset, California.

This is actually a photograph that I posted previously, but this time presented in a panoramic orientation. The last bit of sunset light is shining through a gap in the otherwise cloudy sky. (I didn’t realize it when I posted the original version, but I managed to get a good case of poison oak by clambering out onto the edge of this bluff to make this photograph…)

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: big, sur, coast, coastline, winter, season, seascape, pacific, ocean, california, usa, sea, water, surf, wave, stock, sunset, dusk, spray, mist, fog, cloud, sky, blue, road, highway, one, sea stack, bluff, poles, beach, rocks, landscape, nature, scenic, travel, hills, mountains, ridge

Fall Morning, San Francisco and the Golden Gate

Fall Morning, San Francisco and the Golden Gate
Fall Morning, San Francisco and the Golden Gate

Fall Morning, San Francisco and the Golden Gate. Marin Headlands, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California. December 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The view from the Marin Headlands across the Golden Gate and San Francisco to the East Bay and the hills beyond.

This is probably another familiar scene – the panoramic view of the Golden Gate and its famous bridge with San Francisco and its famous bay beyond. This vantage point high in the Marin Headlands provides a spectacular perspective on San Francisco and a good portion of the Bay. Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island are visible above the north (left) tower of the Golden Gate bridge and the inland hills of the Diablo Range (a.k.a. as the “east bay hills”) are seen in the far distance.

This scene is often presented in a more panoramic perspective – in other words a wider and shorter composition. I played around with that idea here, but I ended up liking the sense of depth provided by the bit of Marin Headlands bluff at the bottom and I like this late autumn sky – though it felt more like early winter!

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: california, usa, travel, scenic, san francisco, bay, area, golden, gate, national, recreation, area, park, stock, east, bridge, marin, county, headlands, panorama, landscape, city, silhouette, oakland, hills, clouds, sky, trees, surf, water, morning, light, haze, fog, span, suspension, yerba buena, treasure, island, shadow, cable, bluff, blue

Sutro Tower and Golden Gate Bridge South Tower, Morning

Sutro Tower and Golden Gate Bridge South Tower, Morning
Sutro Tower and Golden Gate Bridge South Tower, Morning

Sutro Tower and Golden Gate Bridge South Tower, Morning. San Francisco, California. December 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning traffic crosses the Golden Gate Bridge approaching the south tower with haze-shrouded San Francisco hills and Sutro Tower beyond.

I’ve played around with photographs of the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge from this iconic location above the north end of the Bridge before, including some night photography, but I’ve never quite been happy with the composition. On this morning I got lucky with the thin fog muting the colors and creating atmospheric recession into the distant hills and the warm morning light on the upper surface of the bridge. In addition I tried a different composition – instead of trying to fit the whole bridge into the frame I centered the photo on the curve of the distant ridge and then selected a focal length that included a bit of water, a bit of the area to the right of the bridge, and a good portion of the span with just enough morning traffic. The distant structure is Sutro Tower, the site of a number of San Francisco radio and television broadcast antennas.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: california, usa, travel, scenic, san francisco, bay, area, golden, gate, national, recreation, area, park, stock, sutro, south, tower, cable, suspension, bridge, traffic, cars, morning, haze, fog, distance, hills, trees, water, waves, highway, 101, 1, clouds, atmosphere, recession, silhouette, urban, landscape, commute, span, shore, fort, mason, stock

Point Bonita Lighthouse, Marin Headlands

Point Bonita Lighthouse, Marin Headlands
Point Bonita Lighthouse, Marin Headlands

Point Bonita Lighthouse, Marin Headlands. Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California. December 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all right reserved.

Black and white photograph of the Point Bonita Lighthouse above the Pacific Ocean surf of the Marin Headlands with the south side of the Golden Gate beyond.

I earlier posted a photograph of the inland side of Point Bonita – this one is from the Pacific Coast side, high on bluffs just north of the Point Bonita Lighthouse and looking south back across the outer entrance to the San Francisco Bay. This is a very rugged bit of coastline here between the Bay and Rodeo Beach and Fort Cronkhite just to the north, where there is a wide beach at the end of a 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 and Amazon.

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