Tag Archives: promontory

Point Sur, Winter Light

Point Sur, Winter Light
Winter surf and light beneath the lighthouse at Point Sur.

Point Sur, Winter Light. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Winter surf and light beneath the lighthouse at Point Sur.

This photograph is at the historic Point Sur, a rocky hill that would be a monumental sea stack if it were not still tenuously connected to the mainland by a low, sandy peninsula. (I’ve always wondered how often that peninsula has been overtopped by huge storm surf or perhaps an occasional tsunami.) The lighthouse at the upper left is part of a more extensive set of structures erected decades ago to support the isolated lighthouse keepers. Long ago it was considered to be so remote that it was resupplied by ships that arrived every few months, and the keepers and their families had to be essentially self-sufficient.

Point Sur has a tremendous physical presence along this section of the rugged coast. Before and after it the steep hills and cliffs are momentarily interrupted by low headlands, so it stands out against this flatter landscape.


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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Rocky Knoll with Monterey Cypress Trees

Rocky Knoll with Monterey Cypress Trees
Rocky Knoll with Monterey Cypress Trees

Rocky Knoll with Monterey Cypress Trees. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. January 8, 2011. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A grove of Monterey Cypress trees grows on top of a rocky ridge above the Pacific Ocean at Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

In my continuing attempt to mine every bit of ore possible from this scene… this is a closer study of the same tree-covered knoll that I posted recently. The rocky hill is near the end of a thin peninsula between Whalers Cove and Bluefish Cove at Point Lobos. It is covered with a wild confusion of plants, Monterey cypress trees, and rocks and the whole thing drops suddenly to the edge of the Pacific Ocean right below.

This is another in a group of photographs that I sort of think of as “how much dense detail can I cram into one frame” photographs. For this reason, I’m pretty certain that this will have a better chance of making sense in a decent sized photograph in which the detail can be enjoyed a bit more than it can be in this small jpg.

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.

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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.


Glacier Point, Late Afternoon

Glacier Point, Afternoon
Glacier Point, Late Afternoon. Yosemite National Park, California. May 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of Glacier Point, strongly backlit by late afternoon light, with Yosemite Valley and Yosemite Falls beyond.

It is hard to imagine a more exposed or spectacular place to be than Glacier Point as the day comes to an end over the Yosemite Sierra. This photograph was made from this popular overlook high above the Valley, with strong backlight from the late afternoon sun and a bit of haze below.

(In my attempt to describe the precipitous location of this shot, this post originally contained a fun but accidental pun: ” This photograph – as exposed as it may seem…” To good to delete! ;-)

keywords: yosemite, national park, valley, glacier point, falls, promontory, rock, boulder, ridge, mountain, forest, trees, backlight, afternoon, light, silhouette, reflection, granite, california, usa, landscape, scenic, view, travel, stock, haze