Tag Archives: rocky

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

Mendocino Bay Bluffs, Morning

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Mendocino Bay Bluffs, Morning
Morning light on Mendocino Bay and rocky coastal bluffs.

Mendocino Bay Bluffs, Morning. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light on Mendocino Bay and rocky coastal bluffs.

Mendocino still seems to have some of the feeling of the California coast from some decades ago. When I was quite young my family used to visit Carmel, and back then it seemed like a very different and more intimate place than the touristy mob scene that it has become now. While Mendocino is most certainly a place that attracts and relies on the tourist trade, it still feels more like a real place than something contrived. It is small. There aren’t that many restaurants. Most of the lodgings are relatively unobtrusive.

It also is just about as close to the ocean as you can get in such a town along this part of the coast. To make this photograph I got out of bed, got dressed, (likely paused for coffee), headed out the door, and walked about five minutes to the edge of the coastal bluffs. There was hardly anyone else there — perhaps they were busy enjoying brunch still. The photograph looks along the edge of Mendocino Bay, back toward the outlet of the Big River.

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

Dusk Clouds, Pacific Ocean

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Dusk Clouds, Pacific Ocean
Colorful dusk sky and clouds along the Nothern California coast at Crescent City.

Dusk Clouds, Pacific Ocean. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Colorful dusk sky and clouds along the Nothern California coast at Crescent City.

This was an evening of beautiful light, a surprise or two, and at least one missed opportunity that will be hard to find again. We were along the far northern coast of California, primarily to photograph late-spring redwood forest subjects… but it is hard to ignore the Pacific Ocean when it is right next door! In the evening we headed to a nearby coastal area with rocky islands and seas stacks and an open view of the western horizon. — and there were clouds to catch the last colorful light. I photographed right through sunset, until the light was becoming quite dim.

That last point — “photographed right though sunset” — is important. The light show doesn’t necessarily end with the sun drops below the horizon. In fact, some of the most astonishing light often comes quite a bit later as the colors deepen and begin to change from warm sunset tones to the bluer tones of night. The sun was gone in my location, but somewhere far to the west it was reflecting upwards to illuminate the clouds from below, coloring thin clouds and wispy bits of virga.

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

Morning Fog, Rugged Shoreline

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Morning Fog, Rugged Shoreline
Morning fog clears from coastal mountains above the rugged Big Sur shoreline.

Morning Fog, Rugged Shoreline. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning fog clears from coastal mountains above the rugged Big Sur shoreline.

This photograph (and a few others from this trip) illustrate how sometimes a combination of planning and luck come together… and even overcome a bad decision or two. I had checked the forecast the previous evening and it looked like there would be fog along the coast, making a quick visit potentially rewarding. I decided that I’d get up early and head that way. But in the morning one thing led to another, and I was quite late (by photographer standards) getting out the door and on the road. I wondered if perhaps I had missed the timing, and I even considered heading somewhere else.

As I approached the coast I saw that the fog was obstinately sticking around, and it was foggier than I had expected! I headed south, looking for places where the fog was beginning to thin, and this was my first serious stop. Here the rugged coast was already clear, but the fog was just offshore and still covering the taller hills, including the far peak above the distant peninsula. I made a few photographs here and then headed on to a few more spots before returning when the light became too harsh. (As I turned around and headed home I noticed that the influx of tourists was just starting… and that the best light and conditions had passed while they were enjoying breakfast!)

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 to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

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

Mendocino Bay, Morning

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Mendocino Bay, Morning
Waves wash onto the shoreline of Mendocino Bay on a foggy morning.

Mendocino Bay, Morning. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Waves wash onto the shoreline of Mendocino Bay on a foggy morning.

Recently I returned to the photographs from this visit to the North Coast of California, on which we spent a few days in Mendocino. This little town presents an interesting dichotomy between the old-school funky, hippiness of that part of the state and the semi-yuppified element that has grown in more recent years. In a sense, you “see it all” in this place.

On this visit we stayed in town, not more than a couple of minutes walk from the bluffs overlooking the bay just south of the peninsula on which the town sits. On this morning we wandered over there in the morning before the morning fog and haze had completely clearer, and I made a series of photographs looking inland along these bluffs to the outlet of the river that drains into the bay.

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 | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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