The Mystery
Continuing with the tree obsession... the well-known tunnel of Cypress trees at Point Reyes California is beautiful in any light, but I think at its best when shrouded in the fog that is so common on the headlands in late summer. Again, a subject I've photographed many times but never caught quite the right fog for my liking. I think this was my 5th or 6th time trying here, most of the previous times having either no fog at all or fog so dense I couldn't see more than 20 feet.
I've always loved the magnificent building at the end of the tunnel road, and I've long thought it was an old coast guard station, but that isn't quite right. It is in fact an old radio listening station (www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/kph_treetunnel.htm), and is open to visiting public with its world war II era equipment on display. These Monterey Cypress trees are of course a staple of the northern pacific coast, but this tree tunnel is a unique opportunity to see so many mature trees.
I always enjoy the drive up to Point Reyes from San Francisco, and had a few hours to kill in the morning before a flight back home. Since there was a lot of fog in the area I decided I'd head for the Marin Headlands at sunrise, hoping for the elusive shot of the Golden Gate poking through the fog. However, the fog layer on this day was too high up and too thick so the bridge was not visible, and so my backup plan was to keep on motoring up to Point Reyes and hope for the fog to be doing its thing around the cypress tunnel. Luckily I was rewarded this time! I'm a little bummed though because now I have less reason to do the drive, and I really do love this area. I'm guessing this won't be my last visit up here.
I have to add my personal thanks to Kevin Benedict for his (always) helpful suggestions on composition. I often let myself get distracted by small touches in a scene that I like and lose sight of what makes the image compelling for someone else, and having another set of eyes to set me straight is extremely valuable.
The Mystery
Continuing with the tree obsession... the well-known tunnel of Cypress trees at Point Reyes California is beautiful in any light, but I think at its best when shrouded in the fog that is so common on the headlands in late summer. Again, a subject I've photographed many times but never caught quite the right fog for my liking. I think this was my 5th or 6th time trying here, most of the previous times having either no fog at all or fog so dense I couldn't see more than 20 feet.
I've always loved the magnificent building at the end of the tunnel road, and I've long thought it was an old coast guard station, but that isn't quite right. It is in fact an old radio listening station (www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/kph_treetunnel.htm), and is open to visiting public with its world war II era equipment on display. These Monterey Cypress trees are of course a staple of the northern pacific coast, but this tree tunnel is a unique opportunity to see so many mature trees.
I always enjoy the drive up to Point Reyes from San Francisco, and had a few hours to kill in the morning before a flight back home. Since there was a lot of fog in the area I decided I'd head for the Marin Headlands at sunrise, hoping for the elusive shot of the Golden Gate poking through the fog. However, the fog layer on this day was too high up and too thick so the bridge was not visible, and so my backup plan was to keep on motoring up to Point Reyes and hope for the fog to be doing its thing around the cypress tunnel. Luckily I was rewarded this time! I'm a little bummed though because now I have less reason to do the drive, and I really do love this area. I'm guessing this won't be my last visit up here.
I have to add my personal thanks to Kevin Benedict for his (always) helpful suggestions on composition. I often let myself get distracted by small touches in a scene that I like and lose sight of what makes the image compelling for someone else, and having another set of eyes to set me straight is extremely valuable.