Tag Archives: ocean

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

Light on Water, Point Reyes

June 1, 2011 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Afternoon light filtered through incoming clouds illuminates the surface of the Pacific Ocean at Point Reyes, California.

When we were at the Point Reyes lighthouse on Memorial Day, clouds from a weak weather system were approaching the coast. Above the horizon the sky was dark and somewhat gloomy. Overhead there were broken clouds, the light coming through the cloud breaks dappled the surface of the Pacific Ocean to the northwest of the Point, and there was a larger pool of light on the horizon. All of this seemed to call for another “minimalist seascape,” so I made one.

When I made the exposure I was leaning towards a black and white image, but when I began to work with it in post and realized that it was very close to being monochromatic already, I decided to stick with the very muted colors of this version. The colors a bit more obvious in the print, but still quite subtle. The closest thing to real color is a slight golden tinge to the light on the horizon.

The Point Reyes lighthouse area is often a pretty wild place. I’ve been there when the wind was blowing so strongly that I essentially gave up on photography. It can be extremely cold out there, too, even on days when the sun is breaking out and the temperatures are warm a bit inland. But this spring day was a surprise. Apart from the passing clouds, the weather was quite comfortable, and for the first time that I can recall there were moments of no wind at all!

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

Big Sur Coastline Near Soberanes Creek, Spring

May 19, 2011 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

A sunny spring morning along the Big Sur Coast at Soberanes Creek, with fog above the coastal mountains.

This is a spot that is probably familiar to many who have driven down this section of the Big Sur coastline south of Monterey and Carmel, California. To the right, and out of the photograph, is Soberanes Canyon which ascends steeply toward the ridges above Pacific Ocean. A creek flows down the canyon, underneath the coast highway, and then into the ocean.

The foreground bluff looks inviting with its green color and spring flowers. However, I picked up one of the worst cases of poison oak I’ve had on one occasion when I walked across this meadow to photograph the sea stacks and coastline at dusk!

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

Rocky Creek Bridge, Big Sur Coastline

May 18, 2011 G Dan Mitchell 4 Comments

Bluff, cliffs, seastacks, and fog-shrouded coastal hills along the Big Sur coastline of California.

The bridge in the distance beneath the rounded, fog-topped hill is the Rocky Creek Bridge. (It is sometimes mistaken for the famous Bixby Bridge, which is a bit further south along the coast highway.) I’m very familiar with this area, having photographed from here many times. In fact, later on this morning I was up in the hills beyond the hilltop home while investigating a gravel road that heads back up into the mountains here.

I wanted to juxtapose a range of near and far bits of the bluffs above the shoreline cliffs in this scene. While the coastal meadows will turn brown very soon, on this mid-May date and in this relatively wet year they were still green. The coast highway travels along the upper part of the bluffs, often between the cliffs and the hills rising above. Beyond the bridge you can see the roadway rise to pass around another hill before descending toward the next creek to the south.

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

Pacific Coast Near Bixby Creek

May 16, 2011 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The blue Pacific Ocean and rugged fog-topped coastal hills meet along the Big Sur coastline at Bixby Creek.

On a nearly perfect spring morning – despite the ominous sounding Friday the 13th date! – I spent a morning along the upper Big Sur coast below Monterey, California. The brilliant sun was modulated a bit by some atmospheric haze over the ocean and occasional fog clouds clustered around the tops of the coastal hills. Since I made quite a few stops along the way, I only went as far south as the iconic Bixby Bridge. This photograph was made from very near the spot where thousands (including me!) have photographed the bridge itself – it is out of the frame to the left. On this morning, the bridge didn’t interest me much at all, so I instead photographed the wild and steep coastline, with its spring green contrasting with the brilliant blues of the coastal waters below the rugged cliffs. At the very lower left corner, Bixby Creek flows across the beach and into the Pacific Ocean. Above, the coast highway rises across the top of the coastal bluffs on its way south.

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