Tag Archives: point

Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: Nature

Mono Shoreline, Dawn

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Mono Shoreline, Dawn
“Mono Shoreline, Dawn” — Dawn at Mono Lake near Black Point.

At some point on virtually every visit to the Eastern Sierra I end up photographing at Mono Lake… again. I’ve photographed the place for decades, but I still find new ways to see it on almost every visit. This time I headed to the northwest ‘corner” of the lake to watch the sun rise, and I got lucky with the beautiful sky colors and their reflection on the water.

I like photographing this subject early in the day when, with few exceptions, it is quiet and the air is often still. Sunrise light here is often special. Because the Mono Basin is vast and open to the east, there’s plenty of atmosphere (and haze!) to pick up the sunrise colors, and the sky can be very impressive. On top of that, these colors reflect on the surface of the lake. Because the large-scale scenic elements are backlit and so far away, details are usually muted, and the landscape can easily lean towards a kind abstraction.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Point Sur Lighthouse Station

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Point Sur Lighthouse Station
“Point Sur Lighthouse Station” — The historic Point Sur Lighthouse Station with Pacific Ocean fog in the background.

There are several striking hills, rocks, mounds like this along California’s coast, almost isolated from land yet tenuously connected by a low peninsula. I think of them as reminders of where the coast was long ago and of the continuous eroding away of the land. This one is Point Sur, between the Carmel area and the town of Big Sur. It houses the historic Point Sur Lighthouse Station — no longer active, but today a state park.

A drive down the Big Sur Coast on the Pacific Coast Highway makes it clear how rugged and isolated is this section of California’s coast. Even today it can feel remote, and the route is subject to frequent closures due to weather and slides. When the lighthouse was established over a century ago, there was no road here, and access was generally by ship. It was not until decades later that an early road to Big Sur was established.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

Pacific Coast Highway at Point Sur

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Pacific Coast Highway at Point Sur
“Pacific Coast Highway at Point Sur” — The Pacific Coast Highway traverses the Big Sur coast at Point Sur.

It was supposed to be foggy along the coast, but when I arrived on this mid-August day the fog bank had already pulled offshore, and the coast was bathed in bright sunlight. The light was clear but still a bit soft, and somehow the colors of the water were deeper than usual — perhaps the effect of a slightly darker horizon and possibly the light coming from behind my left shoulder. The Little Sur River enters the ocean via the long beach, while the distant prominence is Point Sur, the location of a historic lighthouse station.

In many places along the Pacific Coast Highway in the greater Big Sur region, Highway 1 is high above the water, running along level places at the top of tremendous drop-offs. But occasionally, often where large valleys reach the coast, the road descends to just above the beaches and provides a more intimate view of the ocean.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Wood and Stones

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Wood and Stones
“Wood and Stones” — Cast-up driftwood, stones, and seashore detritus on coastal rocks at Point Lobos.

The conditions on this mid-April visit to Point Lobos were a sort that coastal Californians recognize as summer-like: cold, windy, damp, and foggy. Ironic, no? But during the time of year when it is hot in most of California, it is frequently foggy and cool at the coast — which is part of what Californians like about the coast. As the clouds began to thin a bit on this morning at Point Lobos, the light changed from gray to the soft, slightly directional sort that is ideal for subjects like this.

I have photographed this spot — not just Point Lobos itself, but this specific place in the park — literally for decades. I’m pretty sure that the first time I photographed here I was a kid and using 120 film in a cheap Brownie camera. But I still find something here on every visit. Wandering this cove is almost a visual meditation. There’s so much to see, especially when winter’s debris is still plentiful, that I have to give up any pretense of working quickly. Instead I wander slowly, letting my mind slow down enough that I can start to pick out subjects among the rocks, sand, driftwood, and sea wrack.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.