Tag Archives: nature

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

Gull in Flight, Blue Sky

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Gull in Flight, Blue Sky

Gull in Flight, Blue Sky. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. January 25, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Gull in flight against blue sky, Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

A short trip to Point Lobos today turned into mostly a bird photography expedition. Landscape prospects were challenging, to say the least – the tide was very high, the surf was only moderate, but strong winds were whipping up a lot of choppy water. When I arrived I still planned to shoot landscapes, but I got the hint when a huge flock of pelicans flew by just a few feet from the parking lot as I was unloading – so I put the long lens on the camera and went “hunting” for birds in flight.

I’ve noticed a funny thing about photographing birds, at least at Point Lobos. I can drag the tripod out on a nice promontory and wait… and wait… and wait. But as soon as I decide to give up and try something else the world’s biggest and most spectacular flock of pelicans will cruise 20 feet over my head! Today I had put my gear in the car three times, only to have to drag it out again as the birds flew by mere feet away from the coastal bluff.

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: bird, in, flight, wing, gull, sea, shore, shoreline, sky, blue, cloud, azure, backlit, edge, beak, fly, avian, tail, point lobos, state, reserve, california, monterey, peninsula, carmel, highway one, coast, pacific, ocean, winter, stock, wildlife, nature

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Brown Branch and Bark

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Brown Branch and Bark

Brown Branch and Bark. Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California. January 17, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A brown branch lies across the rough textures of redwood tree bark at Big Basin, California.

I’m posting this one new even though I don’t think it is yet in its final form. The photograph was made in a shaded portion of the redwood forest at Big Basin State Park last weekend on a very cold afternoon. I just happened to spot this solitary dead branch/twig against the deep and rough texture of the redwood tree bark as I started up a trail.

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.

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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Pacific Ocean, Evening Sky

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Pacific Ocean, Evening Sky

Pacific Ocean, Evening Sky. North of Santa Cruz, California. January 11, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Pacific Ocean evening surf and sky at Panther Beach, north of Santa Cruz, California.

I’ve been working on a series of “minimalist seascape” photographs for a couple years now, and this is the latest in the series. This was shot quite a bit after sunset and the only light left was the soft, diffused light from the sky.

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: beach, california, county, Dusk, evening, nature, pacific ocean, sand, Santa Cruz, seascape, seashore, sky, Sunset, travel, water, waves, winter, surf, sea, seascape, landscape, sky, pink, blue, reflection, pattern, color, bird, gull, usa, winter, rocks, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Pacific Ocean, Beach, Evening Panorama

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Panther Beach Evening Panorama

Pacific Ocean, Beach, Evening Panorama. North of Santa Cruz, California. January 11, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Panoramic photograph of a Pacific coast beach at sunset with one small figure on the beach.

Like one of the other photographs in this series that I posted earlier, this was made from the top of the bluff near the thin extension across the beach where a natural bridge is found. I waited for an interesting set of waves to come in and for the right number of people (one!) to be on the beach and in the scene. The small figure standing at the end of the patch of rocks on the beach near the right side of the frame is another photographer who eventually made his way out onto the rocks where the wave is crashing to shoot close-ups of the surf. Conditions were a bit odd on this evening. January is, obviously, in the middle of winter – but this scene looks almost like summer, and it felt like summer as we were having unusually warm conditions.

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: beach, california, county, Dusk, evening, nature, pacific ocean, sand, Santa Cruz, seascape, seashore, sky, Sunset, travel, water, waves, winter, panther, sand, surf, spray, rock, horizon, sky, bluff, cliff, person, landscape, stock