Narnia

Natural color during the sunset of the decade, a storm was approaching which you could feel it in the air. I could see lightning strikes occurring around me. The calm before the storm devoid of wind and birds, deer and other animals. The sun had just set behind the far right hillside and diffraction off the water molecules dragged the deep pink and purple afterglow, bending the corner and making it into the valley in front of me. As a wilderness guide and surfer I have seen many spectacular sunsets but never like this. This result of this single frame capture looks close to how it looked in real life, actually in real life it was better.

Vineyard Oak Sunburst

While waiting for the sun to set on the night of the now infamous Bloodmoon/Supermoon/Eclipse of 2015 I happened upon this new location in Santa Rosa, CA. It was putting on a rather spectacular show of its own. Here the bright orange sun nestled behind some spectacular oak trees which allowed me to filter out just enough light to properly expose the plush vineyard in the foreground.

Westport Arch

Along the northern Mendocino coast sits this awesome arch. I've spend lots of times on this particular beach for various aquatic sporting activities but always seemed to fail having my camera nearby. Not this time, when the sunset so perfectly peeked through the archway, giving us that awesome and dramatic glow. As a side note, only a few moments after this photo was taken a big sleeper wave came in fast and had it's way with my tripod, breaking a carbon fiber leg in half while I held my camera over my head. Good times.

Mendocino Coastline, Elk, CA

Do yourself a favor, add driving up Highway One through Sonoma and Mendocino Counties to your bucket list. One of my favorite stretches of the road lies just north of Elk, CA. The town of Elk is a short drive south of Mendocino (town of) and offers a cute shop or two, a church and beach access. Not much else but the prettiest waterfront in all of CA.

West County Rays

I drive by this location almost every day, hoping for the right light to make a great photo. No doubt I've missed a few but for over 20 years of rolling past, it didn't happen. Dotted by redwoods and oaks, vineyards, cow pastures and old farm houses, this glacial valley it’s typically bluebird clear or socked-in fog. On this late summer afternoon, the fog burned away just enough to filter this awesome light through the scene. My son and I happened to be driving by and got to experience it together. A truly one of a kind moment.

Delta Blues

Sunset along the Russian River, 11-22-15. On so many levels this particular night stands out as one of the best I have ever witnessed at this location. I'm sure that in the autumn sunsets near here are frequently beautiful but when you add up the sky, the calm winds, the slow flow river, rather vibrant afterglow and the fact that me and my kids were sharing high fives - it counts as pretty all-time in my book.

High Noon In The Redwood Forest

On this day my son and I decided to go for a hike together at around noon. Most of the time, I write this time of day off for landscape photography but with the deep, dense underbrush and mammoth canopy stretching over 300' in some places the high noon light filtered through perfectly and gave me those subtle accents, highlights and a deep depth of field. Allows the viewer to drift off into the intricate details in the distance of this old growth redwood preserve.

Hips

The process of making photographs is ultimately a confluence of multiple natural events, luck, experience and skill. I have visited this particular place a hundred times, maybe more but not until this night, in these conditions, with my particular equipment did I see this scene the way it is depicted here. There is a legitimate perspective that photographs of nature are not ‘art’ in the traditional sense but knowing all that’s involved in capturing this moment - a hundred photographers would be here and visualize the shot a hundred different ways. To me, that makes images like this art. It’s my unique experience. Shot along the Sonoma Coast.

West Sonoma Pasture

Early mornings in Sonoma County are unmistakably beautiful. This roadside view of Santa Rosa, CA and the mountain range near St. Helena is one of my favorite places to stop on my way to the coffee shop. In springtime with early morning light, the light green pastures ignite with warmth while the distant hills and valleys remain cool blue when fogged in.

Gold Coast

Miles and miles of beauty - sunset along the California Coast never gets old. Rich light silhouettes the pampas grass lined, corrugated valleys of the Sonoma Coast.

Fire Sky

This moment happened one amazing evening in January 2015. Incredibly, all of this vibrant color is real and no saturation or color correction tools were used in post processing. By setting up near the ground, a slight ways back from the boulders I was able to focus on everything in the scene, all the way back to the ridge line. Nature needs no hyperbole and no Photoshopping, enjoy the reality. In the scene is a glacial boulder, Douglas Fir lined ridge, rolling hills and a native meadow. 16mm, f/13, ISO 100, 1/6th sec.

Last Stand

An embattled and whimsical eucalyptus tree in coastal Sonoma County marks the end of an era. Where all of its peers have been replaced by wide open bovine grazing land, this proud tree lives on, no doubt eager to see another quiet sunset.

Redwood Drive

Shot in a private redwood grove recently acquired by a land trust, these trees were on the chopping block until a group of caring citizens pooled their resources to save the grove and keep it open for invitation only meanderings. A good friend and master arborist shared it with me recently and I now frequent this location. Ask me where - mum's the word. :)

Polka Dot Sunset (Vert)

Use with written permission only. www.JimNevill.com

Oak View

Sonoma County, CA. (1/24/15). If I was stuck shooting just one subject for the rest of my life, I might pick an oak tree. Ideally it would be an oak tree in front of a perfect wave or huge mountains, but the shapes of these trees are just so diverse and interesting.

Sonoma Coast Sunset

The sunsets we have here in Sonoma County are among the best. Late winter, early spring colors signal the change is seasons.

Ranch Post Sunset (Vert)

Oak & Boulder Sunset

2:1 Panoramic of a favorite location of mine, a place I've seen hundreds of sunsets from. This was among my favorites. The elements with the oak and boulder adds weight and the soft skies balance the perfect coloration and pasture - just ideal prettiness.

Forest Rays

The backroads of Sonoma County lead to all kinds of interesting and beautiful sights. Big trees, native pastures, glacial boulder fields, beaches - many great places. On one of these roads the fog layer burned off the tree tops at just the right time to result in these solar laser beams filtering through the redwood forest. The aroma of this pure forest air was as clean and inviting as the scenery.

Fort Bragg Beachfront

(Taken July 4, 2015) - Not many days go by that I don't think about how fortunate to live in Northern California. My wife's father grew up just up the block from here and once a year is an annual family reunion that has been held almost every years since the 1940's. After a day of chatting it up with the old timers my wife, kids and I went to take a stroll on the beach and this happened. The driftwood in the foreground is most likely an old growth redwood tree which now sits extremely high above the high tide line, indicating the massive oceanfront storm that must have driven it here so long ago.

My Friend Ray

Photography is as much about composition and lighting as it is timing. Sunsets present a particularly fun challenge because you are trying to get a glimpse of the sun just as it greets the horizon line, a moment which only last seconds and most often is obscured by fog. I would estimate that my usable vs unusable ratio is 1:25, only getting what I consider a fine art quality shot one out of every twenty five attempts. On this particular evening a dense cloud cover stretched all the way to the horizon, but left a peek hole where it met the ocean. I had not intended on capturing a starburst shot this night but with the natural filtering effect of that small window in the clouds the moment begged for it.

Red Velvet

A few nights a year, maybe half a dozen at best we get a sky this spectacular. I can typically see it coming from my house, that perfect storm of imperfect cloud formations that don't quite make it all the way to the horizon, allowing the sun to explode into this blissful display of color.

Melting

In its stillness and tranquility is a very animated scene, constantly changing faces and shapes. The sun appears to be burning a hole in the clouds on the horizon. Maybe it was but at this moment it appeared to be cradling the orb. Moments after I took this shot the colors dissipated and the reflective sand bar in the foreground was flooded by the incoming tide and covered with a bunch of driftwood and debris. A fleeting moment of perfection.

Gualala River Mouth

Just over the Mendocino County line, on the drive north toward protected surf breaks and coveted abalone dive sights, Highway One leads through the quaint coastal town of Gualala, CA. This beautiful village is a perfect stop for impressive scenery like this, top notch "Bones" BBQ, Pete's Coffee at the Surf Supermarket or a smoothie from "Trinks" cafe.

Red River

Sunset along the Russian River, 11-22-15. On so many levels this particular night stands out as one of the best I have ever witnessed at this location. I'm sure that in the autumn sunsets near here are frequently beautiful but when you add up the sky, the calm winds, the slow flow river, rather vibrant afterglow and the fact that me and my kids were sharing high fives - it counts as pretty all-time in my book. 52mm, f/8, 1/6th, ISO 64.