Tag Archives: san francisco

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: San Francisco

Fall Morning, San Francisco and the Golden Gate

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Fall Morning, San Francisco and the Golden Gate
Fall Morning, San Francisco and the Golden Gate

Fall Morning, San Francisco and the Golden Gate. Marin Headlands, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California. December 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The view from the Marin Headlands across the Golden Gate and San Francisco to the East Bay and the hills beyond.

This is probably another familiar scene – the panoramic view of the Golden Gate and its famous bridge with San Francisco and its famous bay beyond. This vantage point high in the Marin Headlands provides a spectacular perspective on San Francisco and a good portion of the Bay. Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island are visible above the north (left) tower of the Golden Gate bridge and the inland hills of the Diablo Range (a.k.a. as the “east bay hills”) are seen in the far distance.

This scene is often presented in a more panoramic perspective – in other words a wider and shorter composition. I played around with that idea here, but I ended up liking the sense of depth provided by the bit of Marin Headlands bluff at the bottom and I like this late autumn sky – though it felt more like early winter!

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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keywords: california, usa, travel, scenic, san francisco, bay, area, golden, gate, national, recreation, area, park, stock, east, bridge, marin, county, headlands, panorama, landscape, city, silhouette, oakland, hills, clouds, sky, trees, surf, water, morning, light, haze, fog, span, suspension, yerba buena, treasure, island, shadow, cable, bluff, blue

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Urban/Street

San Francisco Skyline, Winter Fog and Haze

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San Francisco Skyline, Winter Fog and Haze
San Francisco Skyline, Winter Fog and Haze

San Francisco Skyline, Winter Fog and Haze. San Francisco, California. December 18, 2009. © Copyright 2009 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Fog and haze obscure the winter skyline of downtown San Francisco, California.

Almost obscured by morning haze and fog, the San Francisco skyline is silhouetted against the backdrop of the morning light coming over east bay hills. This photograph was made from a vantage point in the Marin Headlands across the Golden Gate from the City. A number of downtown landmarks are visible including the Transamerica Pyramid, and beyond the downtown area a bit of the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge is barely visible.

The atmosphere above the Bay varies in astonishing ways throughout the year, and it never seems to be quite the same twice. While the summer often brings the familiar banks of ocean fog, winter brings the effects of fog from the other direction in the form of tule fog forming over the inland valleys. It can be completely clear – and, for the season, warm on the coast – yet a few miles inland the lower valleys may be filled with cold, wet, ground fog.

During these conditions, the moist air can move towards San Francisco and the Bay by way of the delta. That is more or less what was happening on this morning when the very most and hazy air from inland had created this soft atmosphere and light above The City, even as higher winter clouds in clear air moved far overhead, catching the morning sun light.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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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.

Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: San Francisco, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Golden Gate Bridge Tower, Transamerica Building, San Francisco Skyline

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Golden Gate Bridge Tower, Transamerica Building, San Francisco Skyline
Golden Gate Bridge Tower, Transamerica Building, San Francisco Skyline

Golden Gate Bridge Tower, Transamerica Building, San Francisco Skyline. San Francisco, California. December 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The Transamerica Pyramid above the downtown San Francisco skyline and centered in the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge on a hazy winter morning.

This is, again, from the iconic location high in the Marin Headlands where the Transamerica Pyramid lines up precisely in the center of the upper portion of the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge. While this is certainly not an original view of San Francisco skyline, the effect of the thin winter fog is perhaps a bit different from what is usually seen from here. (This fog is related to the tule fog that forms on very cold mornings in the valleys of California. On this morning it was very thick further inland in the Central Valley and delta and some of that moisture was probably responsible for the conditions seen here over San Francisco.)

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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keywords: california, usa, travel, scenic, san francisco, bay, area, golden, gate, national, recreation, area, park, stock, transamerica, pyramid, tower, skyline, downtown, urban, hill, mountain, haze, fog, cloud, atmospheric, recession, silhouette, cable, bridge, north, bay, landscape, marin, county, headlands, shoreline, shore, morning, light

Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Fetid Adder’s Tongue

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Fetid Adder's Tongue
Fetid Adder's Tongue

Fetid Adder’s Tongue. Muir Woods National Monument, California. December 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Fetid Adder’s Tongue flower at Muir Woods National Monument, California.

I never would have guessed a week or two ago that there would be a post at my blog entitled “Fetid Adder’s Tongue” before the end of the year. Regardless of the photographic quality of the post, I could not pass up the opportunity for a post with this title!

I was walking along the main trail to Cathedral Grove at Muir Woods when I spotted a very excited looking couple bending down and looking very intently at what appeared to be a patch of empty ground with a bit of moss. As I got closer they pointed out this flower – I never would have spotted it otherwise, and I’m fairly observant about such things. It is small – perhaps two or three inches tall – and much harder to see that it seems in my photograph, where the blurred background lets it stand out a bit. From what they told me it is one of the first flowers to emerge after the rainy season begins. After finding this one we looked around a bit and found quite a few more in the nearby area.

I was back at Muir Woods a few days later and looked for this plant again, but the flowers had almost completely shriveled away. Apparently this is not a long-lived flower! I did find several other examples nearby, including a few plants that were just coming up from under the ground.

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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