Tag Archives: rugged

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

Bridge and Fog

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Bridge and Fog
A bridge emerges from thinning fog on a December morning along the Big Sur coast.

Bridge and Fog. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A bridge emerges from thinning fog on a December morning along the Big Sur coast.

Somewhat to my surprise, I have yet another photograph from this December visit to the Big Sur coast. Actually, I should not be surprised to “discover” photographs among files left behind when I originally considered them. For some reason, this is not an uncommon experience at all. (I believe it was Gary Winogrand who waited for a considerable time before even developing his film.) I have some theories. One is that in the days right after making the photograph I have some ideas of what I expect it to be, and the actual image does not always come up to the imagined standard. But given time and some aesthetic distance from the image, its inherent, intrinsic potential starts to emerge on its own.

The subject here is a particular spot that I’ve stopped to photograph many times on my visits to the Big Sur coast. (Hint: It is not the bridge you probably think it is.) I remember thinking on more than one occasion that there was no new way to photograph the scene, only to come upon it in some particular set of conditions that I had not seen before. There are a few different elements in this version. First, the fog was quite special — a combination of low, coast-hugging fog and spray from the surf, with clear sky above that let the light create a backlit glow. Due to the particularities of season and time of day, I was able to point back toward the land and get the bright reflections on the water. The little bit of fence at the left is another new element. Typically when I had photographed here in the past I went to some effort to keep that fence out of the frame — but this time I decided to embrace it as part of the scene.

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

December Surf, Big Sur Coast

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December Surf, Big Sur Coast
Huge December surf, fog, on the rugged Big Sur coast.

December Surf, Big Sur Coast. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Huge December surf, fog, on the rugged Big Sur coast.

This photograph is a square format counterpart to one I shared a few days ago from the same location, photographed on the same wild December day. As I stood on a rock cropping along the Big Sur Coast, huge waves rolled in, alternately revealing and burying the offshore rocks and producing prodigious spray that made the atmosphere above the water almost opaque. Beyond, above, and slightly inland the sun was up, and its backlight reflected off the water and made the fog glow. To say that this was an impressive scene would be an understatement!

I’m intrigued by the various ways we see (perceive, understand, interpret) color. In certain kinds of atmosphere and light, the colors can drain from the scene, leaving us with a virtually monochromatic effect. As was the case with the previous photograph from this spot, this is a color photograph, believe it or not. It was almost impossible to tell in the other photograph, but in this one you may be able pick up a difference between the blue tones in areas of the water and the slightly warmer tones in the backlit fog.

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

Winter Surf and Fog

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Winter Surf and Fog
Raging winter surf and low fog along California’s rugged Big Sur coast.

Winter Surf and Fog. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Raging winter surf and low fog along California’s rugged Big Sur coast.

Originally I thought that I might be back at this coastal area or another here in California today. But I’m trying to time things to the light and some incoming “interesting weather” here (potential electrical storms), and the light wasn’t quite cutting it when I got up very early today. It is still possible that I might head out that way before the day is over. California is experiencing a flow of monsoonal moisture today. This is not uncommon in the southern part of the state, but it is somewhat rare to see this here in Northern California. Stay tuned!

This photograph comes from last December, on a visit to the Big Sur coast during my favorite time of year, when the likelihood of big surf and interesting atmosphere and light increases. On this morning the huge surf was enhancing a low fog later right along the coast. (It was sunny just a bit further inland.) The sun was trying to burn off the fog, and the backlight made the atmosphere glow. It isn’t really obvious in this photograph, but the surf was absolutely huge, at times completely overwhelming the offshore rocks. One more thing… I’ll bet you think this is a black and white photograph. It is actually a color photograph!

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.

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

Approaching Storm, Big Sur Coast

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Approaching Storm, Big Sur Coast
Haze and fog along the mountain tops as a storm approaches along the rugged Big Sur coast of California.

Approaching Storm, Big Sur Coast. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Haze and fog along the mountain tops as a storm approaches along the rugged Big Sur coast of California.

This photograph actually from a couple of years ago. (More on that subject in a moment.) I made it on one of my Big Sur day trips, on which I leave home early, photograph before the crowds arrive, and then head home by early afternoon. Yes, I’m fortunate to live close enough to do that. If I recall correctly, on this day I was hoping to beat a weather front to the coast, expecting to photograph the sunny boundary just ahead of the clouds. Conditions were different from what I expected — by the time I arrived at this point the front’s cloud shield was moving over the coastline, becoming more dramatic by the moment. Fog along the coastal hills was dissipating and there was still some haze.

Not only is this photograph from two years ago, but it is a fresh rendition of a scene that I shared at that time, based either on the very same exposure or one made at almost the same time. I went with an (unusual for me) square crop in order to contrast the dark mass of the steep cliffs rising from the sea and the more distant and lighter water, mountains, and sky. For those of you who may occasionally have dreams about where you would like to live, if you look very closely at the dark foreground ridge you might spot a place that could make you very jealous.

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.