Tag Archives: surf

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

Point Sur, Sunlit Ocean

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Point Sur, Sunlit Ocean
Point Sur is sillhouetted against the brilliantly bright sunlit ocean

Point Sur, Sunlit Ocean. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Point Sur is sillhouetted against the brilliantly bright sunlit ocean

Point Sur is one of the most striking landmarks along the rugged Big Sur coastline south of Monterey, California. There is plenty of striking and remarkable seascape and landscape here, but this feature is pretty much unique. It consists of a rocky, rounded hill right at the edge of the ocean, and it is (barely) connected to the mainland by a narrow, sandy peninsula. (I often wonder how many times the peninsula has been overridden by tsunami waves over the millennia.)

The spot also has a long human history. Over a century ago a lighthouse was established on Point Sur, and since it was so isolated — there was no Pacific Coast Highway back then — the residents had to be essentially self-reliant. The lighthouse workers were let go decades ago when automated lights replaced the old lighthouses, but the place is still there and much of it has been restored. I am in the area often, but the view changes a lot, and this time I photographed it from hills to the north as giant waves approached the coast and the brilliant sun glinted on the surface of the Pacific Ocean

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 and Amazon.

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Storm Surf, Big Sur

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Storm Surf, Big Sur
Storm surf batters the Big Sur coast of California

Storm Surf, Big Sur. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Storm surf batters the Big Sur coast of California

The surf on this mid-December morning along the Big Sur coast was stupendous. The surf advisories spoke of 25′-40′ waves, and that seemed accurate. The biggest waves were so large that they broke over the tops of tall boulders and sea stacks, sending up huge columns of spray. Froth covered the ocean well beyond the wave line, and smart visitors stayed on headlands and off the beaches. 

The largest waves came in sets of perhaps a half dozen or more. Watching the surf you might be lulled into thinking, “It isn’t that big.” And then a very large wave would appear, sending up spray and mist, following in close succession by a series of building waves of impressive size, which arrived in the spray of the previous waves. I put a long lens on the camera and shot across this gigantic surf, focusing on an area full of rocks emerging from the surf and shooting almost straight in to the morning light.

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

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

. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

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

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

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Storm Surf and Rocky Headlands

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Storm Surf and Rocky Headlands
Late autumn storm surf and Big Sur headlands

Storm Surf and Rocky Headlands. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late autumn storm surf and Big Sur headlands

I hear that when many people think of California they envision a beautiful summer day at the beach, with warm temperatures, bright sunshine, and benign surf. Aside from the fact that it is more likely to be foggy than sunny on a summer day along much of the California coastline, that vision is limited and it ignores what I regard as being the most impressive conditions along the coast, namely those found during the wet season extending from late autumn through the end of winter. It is at this time that I find the coast to be the most compelling and impressive, especially when giant Pacific storm fronts roll through and, when things work out just right, the surf can be large enough to be downright scary.

We had such conditions for a few days in mid-December. The local news casts warned people to stay away from the coast and off the beaches, since waves up to 40 feet high were expected. Smart Californians do stay of the beaches at times like this, but we certainly don’t stay away from the coast — and I headed straight over the upper Big Sur coastline to take it all in and make photographs. I’ve seen big surf here before, but as I walked out onto headlands above the rocky shoreline south of Carmel and the first beg set of waves came in, I’m pretty sure I gasped audibly as they piled up on the shoreline. The biggest waves come in sets of perhaps a half dozen or so, and they raise mist and spray that lingers along the headlands until the next set of big waves arrives.

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

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 and Amazon.
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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: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Coastal Bluffs, Morning Fog

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Coastal Bluffs, Morning Fog
Under foggy morning skies, steep coastal bluffs rise above the Pacific Ocean along the Big Sur coast

Coastal Bluffs, Morning Fog. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Under foggy morning skies, steep coastal bluffs rise above the Pacific Ocean along the Big Sur coast

I’m fortunate to live in a (photographically speaking) “target rich environment.” Two hours to my west is the Great Central Valley of California, a couple of hours beyond that and I’m high in the Sierra Nevada, and a bit more driving takes me to the east side of the Sierra and the beginning of basin and range country. I can get to Death Valley in a day’s driving. San Francisco is a train ride away, and a bit north of that begins the heart of coast redwood country. (I can actually get to redwoods by driving only about a half hour from home.) Less than an hour away is the Pacific Ocean, and a somewhat longer drive takes my past Monterey and Carmel and into the remarkable Big Sur coastline.

That’s where I went on this day, getting a somewhat later start than I hoped for but arriving in time to find fog still hanging around among the coastal mountains and bluffs. I know this coastline well enough to photograph in some little-known spots, but this location is very close to something quite iconic. I’ve photographed this location many times, in all sorts of conditions — fog, brilliant sun, winter storms. It can be a very colorful and bright place late on a clear-sky day, but on this morning it had a quieter and more closed-in feeling.

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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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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