Tag Archives: ocean

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

Point Lobos Rock Patterns #1 – July 10, 2010

July 25, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 4 Comments

Black and white photograph of abstract rock patterns near Weston Beach at Point Lobos State Reserve.

This detail of the Point Lobos shoreline rocks was also photographed in an area just a bit north of Weston Cove where large rocks are lifted up at striking angles and the surf has worn away successive layers of sedimentary rock to reveal wild patterns. Some of the colors in this bit of rock were quite intense – the rock on the left is intensely reddish-brown in the original capture – and seemed to overwhelm the subtle patterns, especially those on the right side of the image.

I don’t know if it is apparent but this is a highly post-processed image. I don’t think it is necessary to spoil the fun by going into all of the gory details, but this image depends quite a bit on work in post.

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

(Basic EXIF data is available by “mousing over” large images in blog posts. Leave a comment if you want to know more.)

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

Point Lobos Rock Patterns #2 – July 10, 2010

July 17, 2010 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Detail of patterns in eroded shoreline rocks, Point Lobos State Reserve.

Another photograph of eroded rock patterns near the water not far from Weston Cove at Point Lobos. Here the top layer of reddish rock has worn away in places, leaving a much lighter layer of what I guess is some kind of sandstone below. I’m no geologist, but this section of seashore has fascinating rock formations on the small and large scale where many strata have been exposed by the surf. In some places there a big gobs of conglomerate rock, composed of many smaller rocks “glued” together. In other places very thin layers lie one on top of the other and they have been partially uncovered and worn away by the surf, creating amazing patterns.

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

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
ISO 100, f/16, 1/6 second

keywords: point, lobos, state, reserve, park, california, usa, north america, carmel, big, sur, monterey, peninsula, coast, shore, sea, ocean, pacific, scenic, travel, nature, geology, texture, form, shape, rock, erosion, sand, stone, sedimentary, landscape, detail

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

Shoreline Forest, Whalers Cove

July 16, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Forest along the rocky shoreline of Whalers Cove with Big Sur hills rising in to the fog in the background, Point Lobos State Reserve.

At the far point on my hike last weekend I made it to the rocky point above Whalers Cove. Although it was still foggy – and it remained so all day – the light at the edge of the fog was just barely visible along the inland hills above Point Lobos. The diffused and soft light allows more of the details of the forest to be visible (rather than being lost in deep shadow) and the water of the cove was almost completely still on this very calm day.

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

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM at 160mm
ISO 100, f/11, 1/60 second

keywords: point, lobos, state, reserve, park, whalers, cover, shore, shoreline, rock, cliff, edge, tree, monterey, cypress, pine, north, trail, fog, big, sur, monterey, peninsula, carmel, hills, mountains, forest, ridge, kelp, water, bay, pacific, coast, ocean, sea, landscape, nature, travel, scenic, stock

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

North Shore Cypress Groves, Fog

July 14, 2010 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Cypress groves in fog above calm seas along the north shore of Point Lobos State Reserve.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was in the Carmel area on this Saturday so that I could attend a lecture by John Sexton and the opening of his show at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel. (Be sure to visit if you are in the area, and also see the Ansel Adams show at the Monterey Museum of Art.) Since I was going to be in Carmel in the late afternoon, I figured I had a good excuse to photograph in the area in the morning and then again in the evening after the show.

I arrived at Point Lobos close to opening time for the Reserve and, not surprisingly, it was foggy. The unusual element in the conditions was the ocean – it was almost dead calm with barely a wave. I tend to rush to the coast in the winter whenever the surf is going to be wild and the wind high, so the quite calm on this morning was something a bit strange for me. I set off on the North Shore trail, taking a detour over the top of Whalers Knoll, before dropping back down the the trail along the cliff tops above the surf. This photograph was taken looking back along the north shore of the park from this trail.

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

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM at 65mm
ISO 100, f/11, 1/40 second

keywords: point, lobos, state, reserve, park, cliff, water, pacific, ocean, monterey, bay, morning, kelp, shadow, rock, rugged, cypress, forest, tree, flower, nature, landscape, seascape, rock, california, usa, north america, shore, peninsula, carmel, seashore, sea, stock

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