Tag Archives: surf

Point Reyes Beach, Sunset

Point Reyes Beach, Sunset
Point Reyes National Seashore, Point Reyes Beach near the lighthouse at sunset, with yellow lupine carpeting the bluffs above the cliffs.

I had hoped to get some photographs of the wonderful fields of yellow lupine at the top of this bluff, but I was stymied by the tremendous winds buffeting Point Reyes. I do have photographs of this scene that show the flowers more clearly, but many of them are blurred from being blown by the wind.

keywords: california, national park, pacific ocean, spring, point reyes, beach, surf, waves, sand, haze, mist, cliff, nature, yellow, lupine, grass, texture, sunset, evening, seascape, landscape, tourism, scenic, travel, stock, usa, national seashore

Log and Blowing Sand, Drakes Beach

Log and Blowing Sand, Drakes Beach
Log and Blowing Sand, Drakes Beach. Point Reyes National Seashore. June 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A log embedded in blowing sand at Drakes Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore.

It was tremendously windy on this visit to Point Reyes, and here the sand was streaming across the surface of the beach and straight out into the Bay.

keywords: california, national park, pacific ocean, spring, log, wood, stump, sand, blowing, drakes, bay, point reyes, national seashore, park, usa, blue, sky, wave, surf, wind, stock, landscape, scenic, travel

Point Reyes Headlands

Point Reyes Headlands
“Point Reyes” — oint Reyes with coastal haze, foreground cove with elephant seals, and Drakes Bay in the distance.

I made this photograph in incredibly windy conditions. (I can hear other Point Reyes regulars saying, “duh!” at this point…) It was the kind of afternoon when no tripod is sturdy enough to really hold the camera still – so I waited and shot during relative lulls in the gale. If you look closely at the lower right corner you can see sea lions hauled out on the beach.

To expand a bit, the weather at this spectacular location is often quite different from that in other nearby California locations. The “point” extends a good distance out into the ocean here, with the result being cold temperatures, lots of wind, and frequent heavy fog. The fog was not present on this day, but the wind surely was!


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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Into the Surf

Into the Surf
Into the Surf. Pacific Coast, California. March 8, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

In early March I headed out to the California coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz for an afternoon of random coastal shooting – I was probably thinking seascape, hoping for some interesting fog and clouds, but I stumbled across a large group of wind surfers just north of the coastal town of Davenport.

keywords: California, Ocean, Pacific, Seascape, Water, waves, Wind, windsurfing, Winter, sea, surf, spray, chop, swells, windsurfer, person, sports, stock, usa, outside, adventure, outdoor, board, mast