Tag Archives: usa

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

Fog, Trees, Knoll

July 22, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Monterey Cypress trees on a rocky knoll above the Pacific Ocean in foggy morning light, Point Lobos

Driving to Point Lobos from the San Francisco Bay Area in the early morning, I was not quite sure what conditions I would find. The forecast was for fog, clearing out before noon, but you can hardly ever tell for sure how this will evolve. A few days early I had been here on a day with a similar forecast and it never cleared. On this morning, however, it turned out that the fog was actually thicker inland, and it turned out that it cleared at the coast first!

We hiked over to the north shore trail, starting at a bluff above Whalers Cove, then climbing up to the higher bluffs that skirt the north shore of the park above steep and rocky cliffs that drop straight down to coastal coves. At first the fog was gray and almost oppressive. One can photograph in such conditions, but it is difficult to work the flat light. But very soon something much better began to arrive. As the fog cleared and the fog/sun boundary moved across the shore, the foggy atmosphere began to glow, and even in this soft light the colors began to intensify.

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

Hiking Family, Whalers Cove

July 18, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A family hiking along a wildflower-covered bluff above Whalers Cove, Point Lobos

Whalers Cove is a lovely, sheltered cove at Point Lobos. Its inlet points more toward the inside of Carmel Bay than towards open ocean, so its waters are often nearly smooth as they were on this mid-July visit. Between the gentle surf and the fog, it was a surprisingly quiet and peaceful place — a few scuba divers were there, along with a small number of hikers.

I took the trail from here that ascents to the bluffs above the north shore of the park. Halfway up the initial climb I stopped and looked back at the cove. I decided to pause and make a photograph of the rocky formations on the other side of the water, with the coastal hills rising beyond. As I worked a family appeared on the wildflower-covered bluff — mom, dad, and three kids. Watching them make their way slowly along this trail reminded me of times many years ago when we came here with our now-grown-up children.

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

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Coastal Forest, Point Lobos

July 16, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Dense forest atop bluffs above the Pacific Ocean at Point Lobos State Reserve

Point Lobos State Reserve, located just above the Big Sur coastline, is not a large park, but it packs a lot of beauty into a small park. I have visited for decades, beginning long ago when my parents moved the family to California when I was about four years old and we used to take day trips there to picnic and visit the tide pools. (Today’s visitors would be shocked to know that it once was a quiet place not overrun by crowds. Ah, well.) In my teens, when I first became serious about photography, I used to go there and try to channel my inner Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. And, often to my surprise, I still find new surprises almost every time I visit.

On this mid-July visit I arrived in the morning on a weekday shortly after the park opened and before too many other people were there. I was hoping to time my visit for the breaking up of the morning fog, but it stayed foggy the entire time. I parked my car, shouldered a pack full of camera gear, and spent the next few hours wandering slowly and almost aimlessly across the northern half of the park, just looking and enjoying the cool coastal air. Eventually I found myself on familiar ground, walking along the north shore trail. I have passed this spot many times before and may even have photographed this bit of forest, but I had not really noticed these two light-barked trees — one twisted and one straight — surrounded by incredibly dense forest growth.

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

Meadow, Wildflowers, Cove

July 15, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A wildflower-filled meadow drops toward a cove along the north shore of Point Lobos State Reserve

For various reasons it has been a while since I’ve been out to photograph the natural world — perhaps a couple of months, and my last big shoot was in early April when I spent nearly a week in Death Valley. (In the interim I have photographed other subjects, including quite a bit of urban and street photography.) Those reasons are behind me now, and I’m again turning my attention back to photographing the natural world. Today’s first foray took me to an old favorite, the Point Lobos State Reserve just south of Carmel, California.

I live little more than an hour from this area, and I’ve been visiting for decades, but there are still new things to discover about this place. For example, this was the first time that I’ve actually stopped and visited the “whalers’ cabin,” and it was the first time that I left my car behind and spent the entire time wandering the park on foot. At this time of year the weather in California can vary radically between inland areas (where it could easily be in the ninety degree range) and to coast, where it was only in the upper fifties. My plan was to get to the coast at about the time I expected the fog to break up so that I could photograph in the marvelous light on the fog-sun boundary. But it never cleared! Instead, while the temperature rose further inland, I enjoyed hours of cool and damp foggy weather. I eventually made my way — slowly, and stopping to look at many things — to the trail along the north shore of the park, and here I came upon this beautiful little meadow, still green from the past winter’s unusually heavy rainfall and filled with colorful wildflowers. The meadow led down to the edge of a rocky cliff that dropped to the Pacific Ocean below.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: usa

Fog, Trees, Knoll

Hiking Family, Whalers Cove

Coastal Forest, Point Lobos

Meadow, Wildflowers, Cove

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.