Tag Archives: nature

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

Three Pelicans in Flight

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Three Pelicans in Flight

Three Pelicans in Flight. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. August 24, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three pelicans in flight along the California coastline at Point Lobos State Reserve.

I admit it. I’m a big sucker for photographing these amazing birds, and I’m lucky to live within a short driving distance of the California coastline where it is usually easy to find and photograph them. My technique is usually to find a spot either at the top of a steep coastal cliff or on a promontory that extends a bit into the ocean, where they tend to come much closer to the land. Then I attach the long lens and wait.

But this time the story is a bit different. I was photographing a pair of sea otters alternatively cavorting and sleeping in a kelp forest near the south end of Point Lobos. I just happened to look away from the viewfinder for a moment (always a good idea!) when I saw a flock of a half dozen or more of these birds approaching over a nearby rocky ridge. I quickly swung the camera around on the tripod and managed to squeeze off a handful of shots as they passed.

This is a crop from a vertical format photograph that had a lot of white space in it. To be more accurate there was a lot of “nearly white gray space” in the photo since the birds were photographed against a background of thinning fog illuminated by the emerging sun. The only significant post-processing of this photo was to lighten the fog to virtually white so that the birds would stand out more from the background. (In answer to the inevitable question: No, the birds were not “assembled” in post-processing. They were actually obliging enough to appear in exactly this configuration as they flew over. :-)

keywords: three, pelicans, flight, fly, bird, sea, shore, wing, point lobos, state, reserve, park, california, usa, carmel, monterey, peninsula, nature, wildlife, pelagic, stock, flock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Tree Trunks, Cypress Forest

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Tree Trunks, Cypress Forest
Tree Trunks, Cypress Forest. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. August 24, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of forest floor and cypress tree trunks. Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

This was a tough photograph, and one that I’ll probably return to work on again. It was a foggy morning at Point Lobos and I had arrived in time for the hoped-for clearing that I expected to occur within the hour. I found this composition and set up and waited for the light. I got just a bit of filtered light through the fog but then the transition from fog to sun stopped. While I never got quite the light I was looking for, I am pleased with how this turned out.

It was a bit amusing to see the reactions of other hikers as they walked past. Some perhaps assumed that there must be a “great photograph” there since my tripod supported what probably looked like substantial equipment and I was standing there holding a remote release. Some would walk past and take a sneaky glance along the cameras line of sight – and I could tell they were perplexed. During the wait for decent light, however, I did get to indulge in one of my favorite little hobbies – offering to take group pictures of other visitors with their cameras so that no one would be left out. :-)

keywords: black and white, forest, floor, cypress, tree, trunk, point lobos, state, reserve, california, usa, monterey, peninsula, carmel, bay, nature, landscape, travel, scenic, grass, rock, stock

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

Pacific Ocean and Rock – Big Sur

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Pacific Ocean and Rock

Pacific Ocean and Rock. Big Sur, California. July 21, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Color photograph of the Pacific Ocean with an offshore rock along the Big Sur coast of California.

These minimalist seascapes have been something of an on-going project for me during the past year or so. I’m intrigued by the sense of deep and quiet space in these views – best appreciated from outside of your car and away from the road. I have no idea how well they work as images for others, but they are a bit more complex to capture than you might think from a quick glance.

keywords: big, sur, california, landscape, nature, ocean, pacific ocean, seascape, seashore, summer, travel, usa, water, waves, sky, blue, reflection, island, rock, offshore, horizon, minimalism, stock

Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Point Reyes

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Point Reyes
Point Reyes. Point Reyes National Seashore, California. June 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Color photograph of Point Reyes and the Pacific Ocean with afternoon reflections. This photograph was made in extraordinarily windy conditions from a high point a bit further along the bluffs of the point with late afternoon sunlit brightly illuminating the ocean surface. (There is also a black and white version of this photograph.)

keywords: california, national, seashore, coast, cliff, bluff, mountain, park, pacific ocean, spring, point reyes, sea, shore, wild, nature, sky, haze, distance, travel, landscape, seascape, stock