Tag Archives: stock

Giants vs. Rockies, ATT Park at Twilight

Giants v. Rockies, ATT Park at Twilight

Giants v. Rockies, ATT Park at Twilight. San Francisco, California. August 25, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Twilight photograph of ATT Park field, lights, and stands and the San Francisco Bay beyond from the upper deck during August 25, 2008 Giants versus Rockies game. Giants lost… again… sigh…

The view is beautiful from almost any point in this ball park, but especially from the upper deck seats – from which you can watch the twilight fade over San Francisco Bay. And that’s a good thing, because for Giants fans these days the view over the Bay is often much more appealing than the action on the field. A dog, garlic fries, and a beer help, too.

keywords: giants, rockies, att, park, baseball, national league, team, night, twilight, evening, field, stadium, stands, seats, fans, people, players, lights, sign, san francisco, bay, california, usa, waterfront, stock, sports, travel, scenic, urban, bay area

Cypress Forest Path

Cypress Forest Path
Cypress Forest Path. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. August 24, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Trail with steps and cypress tree at Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

This is the same location in several other photographs I have posted recently, all shot during a late August 2008 visit to this central California coastal park. In this version I have taken the liberty of doing some (to me, at least) significant post-processing of the photograph in order to create a particular type of mood that seems appropriate for this location.

keywords: california, nature, point lobos, summer, monterey, state, reserve, carmel, peninsula, trail, steps, stairs, cypress, tree, forest, path, usa, coast, shore, steps, stairs, plants, flowers, wildflowers, rocks, branch, stock

Three Pelicans in Flight

Three Pelicans in Flight

Three Pelicans in Flight. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. August 24, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three pelicans in flight along the California coastline at Point Lobos State Reserve.

I admit it. I’m a big sucker for photographing these amazing birds, and I’m lucky to live within a short driving distance of the California coastline where it is usually easy to find and photograph them. My technique is usually to find a spot either at the top of a steep coastal cliff or on a promontory that extends a bit into the ocean, where they tend to come much closer to the land. Then I attach the long lens and wait.

But this time the story is a bit different. I was photographing a pair of sea otters alternatively cavorting and sleeping in a kelp forest near the south end of Point Lobos. I just happened to look away from the viewfinder for a moment (always a good idea!) when I saw a flock of a half dozen or more of these birds approaching over a nearby rocky ridge. I quickly swung the camera around on the tripod and managed to squeeze off a handful of shots as they passed.

This is a crop from a vertical format photograph that had a lot of white space in it. To be more accurate there was a lot of “nearly white gray space” in the photo since the birds were photographed against a background of thinning fog illuminated by the emerging sun. The only significant post-processing of this photo was to lighten the fog to virtually white so that the birds would stand out more from the background. (In answer to the inevitable question: No, the birds were not “assembled” in post-processing. They were actually obliging enough to appear in exactly this configuration as they flew over. :-)

keywords: three, pelicans, flight, fly, bird, sea, shore, wing, point lobos, state, reserve, park, california, usa, carmel, monterey, peninsula, nature, wildlife, pelagic, stock, flock

Tree Trunks, Cypress Forest

Tree Trunks, Cypress Forest
Tree Trunks, Cypress Forest. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. August 24, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of forest floor and cypress tree trunks. Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

This was a tough photograph, and one that I’ll probably return to work on again. It was a foggy morning at Point Lobos and I had arrived in time for the hoped-for clearing that I expected to occur within the hour. I found this composition and set up and waited for the light. I got just a bit of filtered light through the fog but then the transition from fog to sun stopped. While I never got quite the light I was looking for, I am pleased with how this turned out.

It was a bit amusing to see the reactions of other hikers as they walked past. Some perhaps assumed that there must be a “great photograph” there since my tripod supported what probably looked like substantial equipment and I was standing there holding a remote release. Some would walk past and take a sneaky glance along the cameras line of sight – and I could tell they were perplexed. During the wait for decent light, however, I did get to indulge in one of my favorite little hobbies – offering to take group pictures of other visitors with their cameras so that no one would be left out. :-)

keywords: black and white, forest, floor, cypress, tree, trunk, point lobos, state, reserve, california, usa, monterey, peninsula, carmel, bay, nature, landscape, travel, scenic, grass, rock, stock