Tag Archives: surf

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

Young Elephant Seal Among Gulls

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Young Elephant Seal Among Gulls

Young Elephant Seal Among Gulls. Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, California. July 2, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. – all rights reserved.

Seagulls take to the air around a young elephant seal at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal rookery, California.

This young elephant seal had just begun to wriggle its way up the beach at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery when the flock of birds in front of it began to take to the air. A moment later there was a veritable cloud of birds surrounding this animal.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: elephant, seal, rookery, beach, shore, piedras, blancas, california, usa, wildlife, sea, mammals, seagulls, flock, flight, alight, wing, beak, orange, water, beach, wave, surf, nature, wildlife, gull, sand, young, stock, marine

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

Pacific Ocean, Rocks, and Clearing Fog

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Pacific Ocean, Rocks, and Clearing Fog

Pacific Ocean, Rocks, and Clearing Fog. Big Sur Coastline, California. July 2, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Offshore rocks and clearing fog above the Pacific Ocean, Big Sur coastline, California.

Over the past few years I have a made a series of what I think of as “minimalist seascapes” that feature mostly straight-on views of the Pacific Ocean along the California coast, often with fog or clouds and various patterns on the water. As we drove south down the Big Sur coastline last at the start of the Fourth of July weekend I spotted the fog starting to break up over this section of almost completely still water – and I imposed on my wife to stop while I set up the tripod and made a few exposures. (I make it almost a rule to not do landscape photography while I’m with family. My work habits would drive any sane person completely nuts!)

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: big sur, california, usa, seascape, landscape, minimalist, rock, surf, wave, foam, blue, kelp, sea, weed, ocean, pacific, reflection, gray, fog, bank, sky, morning, distant, surface, swell, highway, one, coast, coastline, summer, clearing, travel, scenic, stock, foam, wave

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Rocky Inlet and Surf

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Rocky Inlet and Surf

Rocky Inlet and Surf. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. April 26, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Surf washes through a rocky inlet at Point Lobos State Reserve, California.

Yes, yet another photograph from the Day of No Tourists at Point Lobos in late April – when almost no one was there due to the closure of Highway One for the Big Sur Marathon. This little inlet/cove is not far from where I photographed the harbor seal family. I’m pretty certain I’ve visited this exact feature before, but this is the first time I’ve tried to photograph it. (I have photographed some very nearby features – they are actually visible from the same camera position.) The light was very flat – it was overcast and gray from fog – and the colors of these particular rocks did not look like they would work well in a color image, so I decided to go with black and white here. The use of a rather dark neutral density filter – that’s what allowed the long exposure – also alters to color balance in some odd ways. I made several exposures of this spot since it is virtually impossible to predict just how a long exposure of water will turn out.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: point, lobos, california, usa, spring, monterey, peninsula, carmel, coast, pacific, state, reserve, park, nature, rocks, wave, surf, pattern, time, long, exposure, ocean, black and white, monochrome, diffused, blur, inlet, rocky, stock

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

Birds and Winter Surf

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Birds and Winter Surf

Birds and Winter Surf. South of San Francisco, California. January 12, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Birds congregate along a stream with winter surf and bluffs above the Pacific Coastline in the distance – south of San Francisco, California.

I frequently stop along this section of the Pacific Coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, in a location where the road descends to almost the level of the beach. On this winter day the low clouds and fog were backlit by the sun as large winter surf rolled in. These birds appeared to be feeding in the creek near where it entered the surf and were just starting to take to the air as I exposed this photo.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: seascape, landscape, beach, bluff, surf, wave, pacific, ocean, coast, sand, water, reflection, bird, gull, flock, flight, creek, stream, hill, seaweed, two, people, highway, one, california, usa, fog, mist, cloud, travel, scenic, stock, black and white