Tag Archives: stones

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Water Over Stones

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Water Over Stones
“Water Over Stones” — The waters of a Sierra Nevada creek flow over stones.

Every landscape photographer I know is easily distracted by flowing water. Our “thing” might be large-scale landscapes, trees, rocks, you name it. But during slow moments we’ll point our cameras down or across the nearest flowing water and see what we can do with this subject. It provides a lot of opportunities. Long exposures can turn flowing water into cloudy veils. Reflections introduce symmetry and/or colors. And, as in this photograph, the water diffuses and smooths features beneath its flow.

I was actually lucky to find such clear water on this backcountry trip. Right after we arrived at our basecamp the heavens opened up and it rained heavily for the next twenty-four hours. When we finally crawled out of our tents the day after it began, we found a nearby lake muddy with sediments washed down these creeks. But before long the sediments decreased and I found this clear creek.

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

Stones and Pebbles

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Stones and Pebbles
“Stones and Pebbles” — Colorful stones and pebbles washed up against coastal formations, Point Lobos.

The rocks in the center of this photograph are large enough that it is hard to believe that they were washed into this position by heavy winter surf along this section of the Pacific coastline. But that’s the fact of the matter. That surf erodes the underlying rocks, moves large rocks and even boulders around like toys, and deposits layers of multi-colored pebbles like those caught between these rocks and the underlying stratified formations.

Photographing at this cove at Point Lobos is always an invitation to slow down and just look. There are potential subjects everywhere, many of them rather small, but they are easily overlooked if you don’t adopt a very contemplative and quiet perspective. And because the area is right at the surf line and often overrun by high waves, I find something new and interesting every time I visit.

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: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

Wood and Stones

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Wood and Stones
“Wood and Stones” — Cast-up driftwood, stones, and seashore detritus on coastal rocks at Point Lobos.

The conditions on this mid-April visit to Point Lobos were a sort that coastal Californians recognize as summer-like: cold, windy, damp, and foggy. Ironic, no? But during the time of year when it is hot in most of California, it is frequently foggy and cool at the coast — which is part of what Californians like about the coast. As the clouds began to thin a bit on this morning at Point Lobos, the light changed from gray to the soft, slightly directional sort that is ideal for subjects like this.

I have photographed this spot — not just Point Lobos itself, but this specific place in the park — literally for decades. I’m pretty sure that the first time I photographed here I was a kid and using 120 film in a cheap Brownie camera. But I still find something here on every visit. Wandering this cove is almost a visual meditation. There’s so much to see, especially when winter’s debris is still plentiful, that I have to give up any pretense of working quickly. Instead I wander slowly, letting my mind slow down enough that I can start to pick out subjects among the rocks, sand, driftwood, and sea wrack.

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 | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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

The White Rock

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The White Rock
A solitary white rock, wedged into a gap coastal strata near the tide line.

The White Rock. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A solitary white rock, wedged into a gap between coastal strata near the tide line.

These little Pacific Ocean shoreline scenes fascinate me when I slow down and spend time taking in their details. It is easy to focus on the big landscape and miss them, but they often reward slow, eyes-open wandering with plenty of surprises — colorful rocks, bits of shells, occasional sea critters, and more.

There’s a lot going on in this little scene — more than I can fully understand, much less explain. The underlying rock is stratified and upended, so that the lines of contrasting colors run along the surface, in places carved into curving shapes by the sea. That pile of small rocks in the lower half of the frame includes a remarkable variety of rocks and a few bits of shells and other things washed up from the sea. The rocks are wet, indicating just how close to the waterline I was working. As near as I could tell, the big white rock was the only one like it in this spot, leaving me a bit mystified about its source.

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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