Tag Archives: point lobos

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

Hiking Family, Whalers Cove

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Hiking Family, Whalers Cove
A family hiking along a wildflower-covered bluff above Whalers Cove, Point Lobos

Hiking Family, Whalers Cove. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. July 14, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A family hiking along a wildflower-covered bluff above Whalers Cove, Point Lobos

Whalers Cove is a lovely, sheltered cove at Point Lobos. Its inlet points more toward the inside of Carmel Bay than towards open ocean, so its waters are often nearly smooth as they were on this mid-July visit. Between the gentle surf and the fog, it was a surprisingly quiet and peaceful place — a few scuba divers were there, along with a small number of hikers.

I took the trail from here that ascents to the bluffs above the north shore of the park. Halfway up the initial climb I stopped and looked back at the cove. I decided to pause and make a photograph of the rocky formations on the other side of the water, with the coastal hills rising beyond. As I worked a family appeared on the wildflower-covered bluff — mom, dad, and three kids. Watching them make their way slowly along this trail reminded me of times many years ago when we came here with our now-grown-up children.

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 and Amazon.
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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Coastal Forest, Point Lobos

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Coastal Forest, Point Lobos
Dense forest atop bluffs above the Pacific Ocean at Point Lobos State Reserve

Coastal Forest, Point Lobos. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. July 14, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dense forest atop bluffs above the Pacific Ocean at Point Lobos State Reserve

Point Lobos State Reserve, located just above the Big Sur coastline, is not a large park, but it packs a lot of beauty into a small park. I have visited for decades, beginning long ago when my parents moved the family to California when I was about four years old and we used to take day trips there to picnic and visit the tide pools. (Today’s visitors would be shocked to know that it once was a quiet place not overrun by crowds. Ah, well.) In my teens, when I first became serious about photography, I used to go there and try to channel my inner Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. And, often to my surprise, I still find new surprises almost every time I visit.

On this mid-July visit I arrived in the morning on a weekday shortly after the park opened and before too many other people were there. I was hoping to time my visit for the breaking up of the morning fog, but it stayed foggy the entire time. I parked my car, shouldered a pack full of camera gear, and spent the next few hours wandering slowly and almost aimlessly across the northern half of the park, just looking and enjoying the cool coastal air. Eventually I found myself on familiar ground, walking along the north shore trail. I have passed this spot many times before and may even have photographed this bit of forest, but I had not really noticed these two light-barked trees — one twisted and one straight — surrounded by incredibly dense forest growth.

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 and Amazon.
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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: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Meadow, Wildflowers, Cove

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Meadow, Wildflowers, Cove
A wildflower-filled meadow drops toward a cove along the north shore of Point Lobos State Reserve

Meadow, Wildflowers, Cove. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. July 14, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A wildflower-filled meadow drops toward a cove along the north shore of Point Lobos State Reserve

For various reasons it has been a while since I’ve been out to photograph the natural world — perhaps a couple of months, and my last big shoot was in early April when I spent nearly a week in Death Valley. (In the interim I have photographed other subjects, including quite a bit of urban and street photography.) Those reasons are behind me now, and I’m again turning my attention back to photographing the natural world. Today’s first foray took me to an old favorite, the Point Lobos State Reserve just south of Carmel, California.

I live little more than an hour from this area, and I’ve been visiting for decades, but there are still new things to discover about this place. For example, this was the first time that I’ve actually stopped and visited the “whalers’ cabin,” and it was the first time that I left my car behind and spent the entire time wandering the park on foot. At this time of year the weather in California can vary radically between inland areas (where it could easily be in the ninety degree range) and to coast, where it was only in the upper fifties. My plan was to get to the coast at about the time I expected the fog to break up so that I could photograph in the marvelous light on the fog-sun boundary. But it never cleared! Instead, while the temperature rose further inland, I enjoyed hours of cool and damp foggy weather. I eventually made my way — slowly, and stopping to look at many things — to the trail along the north shore of the park, and here I came upon this beautiful little meadow, still green from the past winter’s unusually heavy rainfall and filled with colorful wildflowers. The meadow led down to the edge of a rocky cliff that dropped to the Pacific Ocean below.

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 and Amazon.
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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: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Winter Surf, Mountains

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Winter Surf, Mountains
Powerful winter surf washes over rocks at Point Lobos.

Winter Surf, Mountains. Point Lobos, California. January 24, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Powerful winter surf washes over rocks at Point Lobos.

I have gone to Point Lobos for decades, beginning when I was a child and my family would visit. I especially remember exploring the accessible tide pools. Today I especially like to go there on foggy days or in the winter, when the raw power of the Pacific Ocean is most visible, with winter storms churning up huge surf.

It was on such a day that I visited last January — in fact, reports of high surf were almost certainly what made me decide to visit that day. Because this coastline faces west, in the morning the coastal hills, being to the east, are often in shadow. To make this photograph I found an outcropping from which I could look back to the southwest toward the shore and juxtapose the rear of a huge wave washing over offshore rocks with the dark and ominous face of the mountains rising behind in shadow.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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