"Harbor Reflections"

Bodega Bay offers many possibilities for coastal photography. The harbor is home to many old vessels that look like something from a yesteryear fishing village. While visiting, most days were socked in with heavy clouds and fog. Only once did the temps rise above 60 degrees, just what I love in August! When the clouds did part, it appeared very stormy, but I would describe this as truly tranquil. It is not the way it appears. The fog is so dark and thick that when the sun did break through, the skies looked tumultuous, the perfect backdrop for these old boats. As you can see, the water is fairly calm, so the reflections of the masts completes the effect. Had it actually been stormy, there would have been a chop on the water, even in this protected harbor cove. After these shots were taken, we were off to the headlands to observe the whales feeding. Incredible place, this Bodega Bay and Sonoma coastline. Thanks for your observations and of course, there is a Larger view available!

Wow, a pair of 4/4s right out of the gate. Pretty meaningless when no supportive comment is offered to distinguish this as an average image. Then again, average is better than "this sucks". Thanks for the "drive by" ratings!

Hi Mark, good to see you got outta Bakersfield and the heat for a bit.  I spend a lot of time on the Sonoma Coast as it is the closest "beach" to Sacramento and it's a photo treasure trove.  The best thing is how accessible it all is with the free state park beaches along Hwy. 1.  You did well here with the fog and I will point out that having plain blue skies can sometimes be even less inspiring photographically.  The curse of California in the summer!

Don't sweat the ratings, I rarely do better than 4/4 myself ;-)

Thanks Dave! Yes, these endless days with cloudless skies tend to depress me, probably as much as long spells of dreary days. The California curse has been in place here in Bakersfield for at least two months, save for a couple of random days of scattered clouds. Like you said, this area along the Sonoma coast is a photographic trove. I hope to get back here in April. Is that a good month? Great location and I love exploring the countryside looking for good farmsteads with old weathered barns. Good stuff for sure!

Very nice...

I think that Yousuf may be on to something with his minor crop.

Any time of year is good for the coast in my opinion as the weather is just too unpredictable.  April could be gorgeous or stormy but the flowers should be peaking.  The conventional wisdom is that September/October is the time of year to be least impacted by marine fog but, again, nothing is a given.  I was there in May this year with bad fog, August last year without a wisp.  Forecasting is pretty impossible, too, particularly with the marine layer.