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Sonoma County North Coast

 




The Sonoma Coast is loaded with photographic opportunities.  Some areas are in constant change and what you see at one time of year will be much different at another.  Take this first image, the waterfall at Stump Beach is usually a rather quiet, peaceful scene with the waterfall spilling over the edge of the cliffs.  At a normal tide the cliff's are a good 20 feet tall.  On this particular day the peace and quiet was  replaced by a raging tide and enormous waves.  In quieter times, as seen below, an occasional walker can be seen strolling along the edge of the cliff.  Had anyone been walking there on this day, they would have been drenched!


Same waterfall with no rain so less of a waterfall, and a day with a much calmer ocean.


If you like walking along the coast and haven't yet found the Kortum Trail, you might want to give it a try.  It is a nice walking trail and if you are on it early or late you will be likely be treated to some gorgeous golden hour treats.


When photographers talk about it being all about the light, this would be an example of what they mean.  There is nothing particularly grand about this scene, but the light of the late afternoon sun with the lingering mist from the waves hitting the rocks enlivens it.


Broken cloud layers at sunset along the coast provide an endless joy.  There are many times when the clouds are present and it looks to be a good, colorful sunset about to reveal itself only to find it all fizzles out.  The most common reason is a barely noticeable fog layer at the horizon blocking the sun from doing its magic on the clouds.  I was grateful for broken clouds with no fog bank on this evening.


This is an infrared image showing a portion of Fort Ross Road, just after leaving Meyers Grade Road.  Unfortunately a fire destroyed many of the trees and shrubs seen in this image.  This represents the northern most reach of the fire and was prevented from crossing the road.  The firefighters who fought this fire did an amazing job of containing it, keeping it south of Ft. Ross Road and west of Meyers Grade Road.




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  1. AnonymousMay 2, 2023 at 4:35 PM

    Enjoy seeing your photos, Bob. Thanks for sharing 👍

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