Tag Archives: peninsula

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Cypress Forest and Trail with Steps

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Cypress Forest and Trail with Steps
Cypress Forest and Trai l with Steps. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. August 24, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Stairway on a trail through Monterey cypress forest at Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

I went to the Monterey Peninsula on Sunday with a vague plan to possibly shoot at Point Lobos, but to first see what I could find in Carmel Valley. I left a bit late because there was a thick bank of morning fog extending far inland, so I knew that the coast would be socked in. Arriving in Carmel Valley I headed up there to see what I could see – but soon noticed that the fog here was actually clearing out a short distance from the coast. Wanting to photograph the good light on the border between fog and sun as the fog cleared and thinking that this might occur earlier than I had expected, I headed to Point Lobos and started scouting locations in the cypress forest in the section of the park closest to Carmel. The good light looked like it was going to arrive – the fog began to thin and a few blue spots began to appear… but then the process reversed and I only saw a few moments of the light I hoped for. In any case, I did do a few shots in this area, including this one along a section of trail with a stone stairway that has long intrigued me.

keywords: cypress, tree, forest, trunk, branch, plants, trail, steps, path, ocean, bay, monterey, carmel, peninsula, point lobos, state, reserve, california, usa, landscape, seascape, travel, scenic, hike, rock, stock

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

Bird Rocks, Sunset

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Bird Rock, Sunset
Bird Rocks, Sunset. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. December 30, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Photographed on my last little photo expedition of 2007, an evening visit to Point Lobos on the Monterey Peninsula to shoot a winter sunset. (Note: this is not the actual “Bird Rock” which is located just a bit further south along the coast in the park.)

I suppose that going to Point Lobos to do photography is almost cheating, given the incredible density of subjects to be found in this small park – shoreline vistas, tide pools, forests, wildlife of all types. But sometimes I can’t resist, especially now that the park’s hours have been extended to allow visitors to stay a half hour after sunset. In my opinion this is the most beautiful time to be there.

keywords: point, lobos, state, reserve, park, california, usa, monterey, peninsula, carmel, pacific, ocean, sea, water, wave, swell, surf, spray, coast, shore, rock, island, bird, fly, flight, nature, landscape, seascape, stock