Tag Archives: wave

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Winter Surf and Rocks, Point Lobos

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Winter Surf and Rocks, Point Lobos

Winter Surf and Rocks, Point Lobos. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. November 30, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of winter surf crashing on rugged coastal rocks in backlit fog and spray at Point Lobos, California.

I never get tired of watching and photographing these rugged rock formations as they are overrun by huge winter surf at Point Lobos – and, for that matter, just about anywhere else along the central and northern California coast. If you look closely you can just make out the forest covered hills of the Carmel Highlands area in the upper left corner.

This is another of the "long lens landscapes" I shot last weekend using the 100-400mm lens, in this case at about 180mm. I shot almost straight into the sun, which was brightly backlighting the fog and spray.

keywords: point lobos, reserve, park, state, california, usa, big sur, monterey, peninsula, pacific, ocean, coast, sea, seascape, landscape, surf, wave, rock, fog, mist, cloud, spray, silhouette, recession, atmosphere, scenic, travel, stock, tree, layers

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Three Birds and Rocks

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Three Birds and Rocks

Three Birds and Rocks. Point Lobos, California. November 30, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of three birds on rugged rocks with winter surf beyond – Point Lobos, California.

Another photograph from my brief excursion to Point Lobos last weekend, on a morning of very high winter surf and backlit fog. Three small birds perch on rugged coastal rocks with the churning coastal waters beyond.

keywords: black and white, silhouette, rocks, ridge, mist, fog, atmosphere, recession, wave, surf, ocean, sea, bay, birds, three, gulls, light, foam, point lobos, state, reserve, park, california, usa, landscape, seascape, coast, shore, pacific, ocean, winter, scenic, travel, monterey, peninsula, big sur, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Fog and Surf, Point Lobos

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Fog and Surf, Point Lobos

Fog and Surf, Point Lobos. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. November 30, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of winter surf, fog, and coastal hills at Point Lobos, California.

When I heard that there would be huge surf along the coast today I headed straight for the Monterey Peninsula and Point Lobos. I was not disappointed! The first – for me at least – winter surf of the year brought huge offshore swells that crashed against and over the rocky shoreline at Point Lobos. A light coastal fog, augmented by spray from the surf, completed the picture.

I used a 9-stop neutral density filter and a polarizing filter on a long focal length lens so that I could get a very long exposure that would allow the waves and surf to diffuse to produce the misty effect you see here.

Obviously, our eyes don’t get to make 10 second exposures during the daylight! I think of a photograph like this one as being “subjectively accurate” rather than objectively accurate. In other words, while this exact image can’t exist in our real world experience, I think it evokes something about our response to such a scene that is true.

keywords: point lobos, fog, mist, cloud, surf, wave, ocean, sea, bay, rock, stacks, hill, mountain, forest, shore, state, park, preserve, reserve, california, usa, monterey, peninsula, big sur, coast, landscape, seascape, scenic, travel, stock, black and white

Photographs: Sierra Nevada

North Lake, Autumn

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North Lake, Autumn

North Lake, Autumn. Sierra Nevada, California. October 4, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Autumn at North Lake with aspen trees turning yellow and orange and new snow dusting Piute Peak.

Photographed right after the passage of an early season weather front that had dusted Piute Peak with a bit of snow – in fact, it is still snowing up there in this photograph. This photo was made at the lower end of the lake it what is one of the classic photograph spots at North Lake, or so it seems. The next morning I came back to this lake to photograph a nearby aspen grove and I passed by here thinking I might stop and photograph the lake again. That is, I thought so until I passed the spot and saw photographers lining the shoreline here tripod to tripod – I’ve never seen so many photographers trying to find their own personal vision from exactly the same spot at the same time before… ;-) Needless to say, I settled for the photos of the lake I had made the day before, when high winds and intermittent snow seemed to reduce the number of photographers to a more reasonable level.

keywords: autumn, fall, season, north, lake, piute, peak, mountain, ridge, sierra, nevada, range, california, water, reflection, grass, meadow, meadow, forest, grove, aspen, yellow, orange, gold, sky, cloud, snow, dusting, california, usa, scenic, travel, landscape, stock