• I had to get high enough to see these undulations.
  • Two photographers stood there discussing what to shoot. I think I had a better view back here!

    They were using those big 8x10 view cameras and they are hard to lug around!

    Yes, it was so quiet all I could hear were the waves and these two people talking.
  • It is very easy to slip right off this edge and fall (or more accurately 'roll') a couple of hundred feet!
  • Redwood trees. The tallest trees in the world. They can reach over 360 feet tall! They grow only in wet conditions like in this fog. They could not grow up on this dry hill.
  • very nice capture of the splash.... - Debasis ~~
  • The fog is 1200 feet thick and you can hear the ocean crashing on the beach below.
  • Rare summer high clouds!
  • The grass is dry for most of the year. California is called "The Golden State" because of this golden grass.

    I made sure there was plenty of foreground to give a sense of perspective and add one more undulation to the image.
  • A common scene are trees growing in the canyons where there is more water.
  • I waited for some glow to appear on the top of the fog.
  • The soft lighting on these undulations is particularly sweet. - *Flickr_Dawg
  • I thought that was because of the gold rush, not the grass

    No, it is because of the golden grass, not the Gold! -Patrick

    Nice shot - J. Albano Photography
  • There is a mountain ridge (Bolinas Ridge) just under the fog here. The fog is flowing to the left and you can see the dark wake of fog downstream to the left of this box. Like a wake from a boat.
  • Stinson Beach and Bolinas are right below here.
  • The fire danger is extreme in these dry hills for much of the year. I intend to shoot this scene in the winter rainy season to show the grass when it is green.
  • This picture was created about 1/2 hour before sunset. The sun was high enough to show detail on the top of the fog. After this time, the light got harsh even though the color looked good. So this time is the best time. And I waited for cloud cover to block the sun for even lighting on the land.
  • I waited for a finger of fog to slide behind the trees to create some depth here. Otherwise, the trees on either side of this canyon blended together. Now it is a focal point rather than just a bunch of trees!

The Photographers - Marin County, California

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Two photographers stand on the top of a hill overlooking the fog and dry hillside on Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, California. No HDR.

Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!

See the 1200 pixel version!
www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/324089676...

---------------------------------------------------------
Settings etc.:
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Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 17-40L @ 32
0.4-second exposure @F14
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm) 0.9 + 0.6
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
ISO 50
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop

The sky during the summer is usually clear, so when I saw few high clouds drifting by in the weather satellite photo, I took the opportunity to go up to Mt. Tamalpais above the fog. So did a couple of other photographers on the hill to the right. They seemed so small compared to the grand scene before them, but they also became a perfect focal point for this scene. Even though they were far away, I could still hear them discussing where to stand and point the camera! I could also hear the waves crashing more than 2,000 feet below in the fog. You can see the two photographers in the 1280x1024 wallpaper file, and in the full sized tiff file, you can tell what they are wearing!

The map shows exactly where this is.

See my profile for a link to my website where I have limited edition prints and less expensive open edition prints.
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ツMaaar, stager57, Ragstatic, and 931 other people added this photo to their favorites.

View 20 more comments

  1. JPBJr. 47 months ago | reply

    Please consider adding this picture & any other great pictures of Northern California to: www.flickr.com/groups/1124231@N24/

    --
    Seen in the group"Marin County, California" (?)

  2. a2roland 47 months ago | reply


    Great photo

  3. rumawolf2 enjoy the day 47 months ago | reply

    Thank you for sharing your beautiful picture.

    Congratulations!



    We are Happy to award you from:
    Come from Land and Sea

  4. Jim Patterson Photography 47 months ago | reply

    The soft grasses in the foreground, man, I can hear them blowing in the breeze. Fantastic shot taking advantage of the elevation to get about the fog.

    I saw this in the 700+ Faves group and Faved it.

  5. Jin Jinto 44 months ago | reply

    Beatiful life, majestic moment

  6. oriana.italy 43 months ago | reply

    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Nature Poetry [Invited Only] Post 1: MUST Comment 2, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

    This image is Pure Poetry
    You are kindly invited to add it to the group
    Nature Poetry * Invite Only *
    Post 1: Comment 2

  7. jonseidman1988 41 months ago | reply

    Nice color.

  8. jonseidman1988 41 months ago | reply

    Hills above trees, wow, that's great. Good call going up there.

  9. stogaman 40 months ago | reply

    This is Cali?? Damn, I thought it was somewhere in Iceland when I first saw this pic. Very nice work!!

  10. PatrickSmithPhotography 40 months ago | reply

    Thanks for your comments!

    Yes, this is definitely not Iceland! Surreal as it may be....

    Patrick

  11. Buikschuivers 40 months ago | reply

    I love the scenery of California so much..... only a few days and I am
    back there again..... can't wait! Gorgeous capture!
    --x--

  12. Rick Sieminski Photography 40 months ago | reply

    Hi, Your photo has been spotted
    and is worthy of an Invitation to
    newfcinvite
    Please add your photo to www.flickr.com/groups/flickrclassique/
    We would love to have you join and share this photo with the group.
    Invited Images Only! Post 1, Award 3
    Please tag "Flickr Classique"

  13. nguzman2 37 months ago | reply

    Hope i get to see this one day. Absolutely breathtaking.

  14. peter pirker 34 months ago | reply

    wonderful

  15. KrisWilliamsDesign 30 months ago | reply

    Fantastic shot! Love it!

  16. Emotioned.com 28 months ago | reply

    We are working on a monthly travel and adventure sport competition, all winning entries will be published in an online magazine. Judge panel will selected from Flickr.

    There are 3 parts of the competition, 2 parts are currently under development:

    A Flick group called : www.flickr.com/groups/emotioned/

  17. annelifogt photography 25 months ago | reply

    All I can say is wow. So many different things coming together, perfect picture

  18. zPRIME 24 months ago | reply

    Simply wow ... absolutely stunning. I can't stop saying it!

  19. bowmanandassoc 19 months ago | reply

    Gorgeous shot! Make sure not to drop any matches though, that looks about ready to ignite.

  20. cowlishaw 2 weeks ago | reply

    I love this!! :) <3

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