Tag Archives: mist

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

December Surf, Big Sur Coast

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December Surf, Big Sur Coast
Huge December surf, fog, on the rugged Big Sur coast.

December Surf, Big Sur Coast. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Huge December surf, fog, on the rugged Big Sur coast.

This photograph is a square format counterpart to one I shared a few days ago from the same location, photographed on the same wild December day. As I stood on a rock cropping along the Big Sur Coast, huge waves rolled in, alternately revealing and burying the offshore rocks and producing prodigious spray that made the atmosphere above the water almost opaque. Beyond, above, and slightly inland the sun was up, and its backlight reflected off the water and made the fog glow. To say that this was an impressive scene would be an understatement!

I’m intrigued by the various ways we see (perceive, understand, interpret) color. In certain kinds of atmosphere and light, the colors can drain from the scene, leaving us with a virtually monochromatic effect. As was the case with the previous photograph from this spot, this is a color photograph, believe it or not. It was almost impossible to tell in the other photograph, but in this one you may be able pick up a difference between the blue tones in areas of the water and the slightly warmer tones in the backlit fog.

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

Winter Surf and Fog

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Winter Surf and Fog
Raging winter surf and low fog along California’s rugged Big Sur coast.

Winter Surf and Fog. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Raging winter surf and low fog along California’s rugged Big Sur coast.

Originally I thought that I might be back at this coastal area or another here in California today. But I’m trying to time things to the light and some incoming “interesting weather” here (potential electrical storms), and the light wasn’t quite cutting it when I got up very early today. It is still possible that I might head out that way before the day is over. California is experiencing a flow of monsoonal moisture today. This is not uncommon in the southern part of the state, but it is somewhat rare to see this here in Northern California. Stay tuned!

This photograph comes from last December, on a visit to the Big Sur coast during my favorite time of year, when the likelihood of big surf and interesting atmosphere and light increases. On this morning the huge surf was enhancing a low fog later right along the coast. (It was sunny just a bit further inland.) The sun was trying to burn off the fog, and the backlight made the atmosphere glow. It isn’t really obvious in this photograph, but the surf was absolutely huge, at times completely overwhelming the offshore rocks. One more thing… I’ll bet you think this is a black and white photograph. It is actually a color 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.

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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

Winter Fog, Big Sur Coast

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Winter Fog, Big Sur Coast
Winter fog and ocean spray hugs the rugged Big Sur coast.

Winter Fog, Big Sur Coast. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Winter fog and ocean spray hugs the rugged Big Sur coast.

It is possible that my writing about the Big Sur Coast could become a bit repetitious. After all, my visits to the place are… repetitive! It takes about an hour for me to drive to the upper boundary of the region, and I can (and do) make a down and back trip in less than a day, often leaving home before sunrise and returning for a late lunch. Proximity to this remarkable landscape is a big part of what induces me to continue to put up with San Francisco Bay Area traffic and costs. It is hard to imagine another place with access to so many remarkable things.

This photograph comes from a visit on a sunny early December day last year. The season from November through the first half of spring is my favorite along this coast. The surf is often impressive — especially when a Pacific weather front is approaching — and conditions are remarkably variable, including fog, brilliant sunshine, strong winds, beautiful clouds, intimidating storms, and more. This morning featured one of my favorite combinations of conditions: surf big enough to raise mist along the coastline, a bit of a marine layer, and brilliant sun overhead.

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

Sea Stacks, Cliff, and Beach

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Sea Stacks, Cliff, and Beach
Morning fog above a beach, cliffs, and sea stacks, and coastal hills, Mendocino, California.

Sea Stacks, Cliff, and Beach. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning fog above a beach, cliffs, and sea stacks, and coastal hills, Mendocino, California.

This photograph is not from this season’s California North Coast adventure — instead it comes from the visit before that during the last June of the pre-pandemic era. Our goal was the farther northern redwood parks, where we hoped to photograph the trees and rhododendrons, but first we stopped further south at Mendocino for a couple of nights.

There are worthy photographic subjects all up and down this remarkable coast, but it isn’t often that I’m so close to them that I can get up in the morning, walk out the door, and five minutes later be standing at the edge of a coastal bluff setting up my tripod. I was out early — of course! — and the area was fairly empty as I framed up this composition that looks toward the river that empties into Mendocino Bay. Morning fog obscured distant features, and the foreground landscape is formed by cliffs, bluffs, and the interaction of shadows, direct light, and the patterns of waves.

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.