Tag Archives: trees

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

Monterey Cypress, Fog

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Monterey Cypress, Fog
A gnarled Monterey Cypress tree tops a rocky promontory on a foggy morning and Point Lobos.

Monterey Cypress, Fog. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A gnarled Monterey Cypress tree tops a rocky promontory on a foggy morning at Point Lobos.

Finally, this should be the last in the four-photograph series of images that focus on this gnarled and weathered tree standing on top of a rocky prominence along the exposed north shore of Point Lobos. The tree is always impressive, but I was fortunate to catch it on a morning when persistent coastal fog was thinning and creating glowing light that was just slightly directional.

Of the four interpretations of this scene, this one fits with the earlier portrait-mode version as one of the two most conventional views. In both cases the tree is clearly the primary subject, more tightly framed in the portrait mode interpretation and including a bit more background in this landscape mode version. (The other two used wider formats and included additional elements of the larger scene — a clearer view of the white rocks and cormorants in one case, and some nearby trees in the other.)

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

Two Trees, Coastal Fog

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Two Trees, Coastal Fog
Two Monterey cypress trees in fog along the rugged north shore at Point Lobos.

Two Trees, Coastal Fog. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Two Monterey cypress trees in fog along the rugged north shore at Point Lobos.

As promised, here is yet another way of looking at the scene featuring the prominent tree on the left, a beautiful specimen of gnarled and weathered Monterey cypress along the north shore at Point Lobos. For this version I pulled back a bit and took in the larger scene, going with a semi-panoramic aspect ratio that includes a wider view and includes a second tree and the fog-shrouded ocean beyond.

Photographers (and practitioners of other arts) often describe some aesthetic object as being “perfect.” I’m not so sure that the term, at least in a classic sense, really works for such things. It implies that there is one “perfect” and ideal way of seeing or presenting something. It seems to me that there are multiple excellent ways to do such things, especially in the creation of art. If you asked me to select one of the four (yes, there’s still one more!) versions of this photograph as “the best,” I’d find it almost impossible to make a definitive choice.

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

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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: Ocean & Coast

Windswept Trees, Coastal Bluffs

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Windswept Trees, Coastal Bluffs
Rugged trees cling to rocky bluffs above the Pacific Coast shoreline, Point Lobos.

Windswept Trees, Coastal Bluffs. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Rugged trees clinging to rocky bluffs above the Pacific Coast shoreline, Point Lobos.

This scene gets a different treatment than other recent Point Lobos photographs, something more in line with the tradition of black and white photography at this location. The foreground tree and its nearby associates are influenced by the strong winds at this exposed location. Branches and whole trees are bent away from the open sea, and their angles are mirrored by the slope of the headland on the other side of the foggy inlet.

In a recent post I mentioned that some attractive Point Lobos subjects are often nearly impossible to photograph because dense trees stand between legal (and safe!) camera positions and the open views. While sometimes I can find a way to photograph under, around, or through these barriers, that isn’t always. possible. I initially went to this spot looking for an open view of the inlet, but when I couldn’t find it I decided to make the trees and boulders the main foreground element.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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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: Ocean & Coast

Trees and Cliffs, Morning Fog

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Trees and Cliffs, Morning Fog
Morning fog drifts among cliff-dwelling Monterey cypress trees above the Pacific Ocean.

Trees and Cliffs, Morning Fog. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning fog drifts among cliff-dwelling Monterey cypress trees above the Pacific Ocean.

This camera position offered an unusual perspective on the landscape and the atmosphere. When photographing on the West Coast, I often stand on the land and look west (or a bit north or south of west) and toward the ocean — in other words, “looking out to sea” when viewing the water. But in this location the land curves sharply to the west and the views point to the north, and in places like this one I can look back toward the land to my east, viewing surf against the cliffs and early morning light coming toward the camera.

This was a beautifully foggy morning. A popular misconception about California’s coast is that it is a place of endless warm sunshine. Those conditions do happen, especially in the late summer and very early autumn (hint!) — but quite often the coast is foggy and cool or even cold. While some distance inland the temperatures reached well into the ninety degree range, here I photographed drifting fog in morning light as the temperatures hovered in the mid-fifties.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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