Tag Archives: moss

Coastal Rocks, Surf, and Rain

Coastal Rocks, Surf, and Rain

Coastal Rocks, Surf, and Rain. Near Davenport, California. December 15, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Coastal rock formations glisten in the rain as an evening squall approaches the Pacific Coast north of Davenport, California. (Black and white version)

Late on a rainy afternoon earlier this week it seemed like the sky might clear enough to make for some spectacular evening shooting along the California coast near Davenport. I headed over the hill to Santa Cruz and started north up the Coast Highway in post-storm clear air with a few puffy clouds offshore. However, as I passed through Davenport I could see a squall line to the northwest, just beginning to move between me and the bright sky to the west. Being either brave or foolish I kept heading north until near Greyhound Rock where the cold rain started. I headed back south, almost to Davenport, before pulling over along a beach where the road descends to near sea level. Although it wasn’t raining here yet, the clouds were clearly heading this way. I grabbed my camera pack and tripod and put on some extra clothes and headed across the beach to the waters edge before turning north toward some low rocks at the end of the beach. Soon it started raining, but at this point I wasn’t about to go home empty-handed so I continued up onto the rocks and managed to make a few exposures in the rain as the squall line approached, the wind picked up, and the rain increased.

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

keywords: black and white, rock, formation, pool, evening, squall, storm, cell, rain, cloud, downpour, shower, pool, tide, wave, surf, shore, coast, beach, strata, reflection, sun, light, pattern, moss, pacific, ocean, coast, sea, wet, santa cruz, davenport, highway, one, scenic, weather, landscape, seascape, travel, stock

Oak Tree and Cliff, Autumn – Yosemite Valley

Oak Tree and Cliff, Autumn - Yosemite Valley

Oak Tree and Cliff, Autumn – Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. November 2. 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An oak tree with autumn color against a cliff face, Yosemite Valley, California.

I found two interesting trees to photograph against the north Yosemite Valley cliffs near Ahwahnee Meadow and the Ahwahnee Lodge on this rainy November day. (The other one was located only a few feet from this tree, and I posted the photo earlier at my blog.) The tree was in the final stages of losing its leaves and the cliff face was wet from two days of rain.

This photograph is, for me, another example of why it is good to return to the same place again… and again. I’ve photographed in this very area quite a few times, making photographs of Ahwahnee Meadow in just about every season, photographing a nearby oak grove on the edge of the meadow, and photographing dogwood trees in fall. Every other time I’ve been there I’ve looked back at the spot where this tree is located without seeing anything – but this time I think I got the timing right and found different lighting conditions that make it possible to see this shot that I had never noticed before.

keywords: oak, tree, bush, moss, lichen, green, yellow, gold, trunk, branch, gray, rock, boulder, nature, yosemite, valley, national park, california, usa, landscape, travel, scenic, stock, sierra, nevada, mountains, crack, diagonal

Pond, Bishop Creek

Pond, Bishop Creek

Pond, Bishop Creek. Sierra Nevada, California. October 5, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn colors reflected in a pond on Bishop Creek, Sierra Nevada, California.

After starting my shooting very early in the morning – I had earlier photographed some groves near the turnoff to North Lake and some expansive views of Sabrina Basin from near Aspendell – I continued up the Bishop Creek drainage to this small pond along the upper reaches of Bishop Creek. As I set up in this spot along the southeast shore of the creek, the sun was just beginning to come over the high ridge behind me. As it did so it illuminated the aspen grove on the far side of the creek and added a glow to the dry ferns and creekside plants. I worked quickly and got a few shots as the sun/shade line moved across the trees and plants and soon hit the creek itself.

keywords: pond, water, creek, bishop, shore, bank, shoreline, reflection, mirror, moss, algae, aspen, fir, pine, tree, grove, forest, trunk, branch, leaf, yellow, gold, orange, green, grass, meadow, fern, nature, scenic, travel, fall, autumn, season, landscape, sierra, nevada, california, usa, stock, mountains

Creek and Moss, Castle Rock State Park

Creek with Mossy Rocks
Creek with Moss-Covered Rocks. Castle Rock State Park, California. February 24, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

I frequently walk past this fern covered section of creek when I hike the main trail to Castle Rock and Goat Rock at Castle Rock State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains of central California.

keywords: castle, rock, state, park, california, usa, santa cruz, mountains, skyline, road, trail, hike, rock, log, creek, water, moss, leaf, valley, scenic, landscape, winter, fern, stock