Sometimes…………Crystal Cove, Newport, California

“Sometimes you get more than you deserve and sometimes you get worse than you deserve”, words of wisdom given to me by my best golf instructor (also my dentist) many, many years about how a game of golf has its ups and downs. I have also found there to be many parallels between life and the game of golf, and now it includes my experiences on a recent photo shoot with photography. Last week I had a wonderful experience on a sunset photo shoot in Crystal Cove. Crystal Cove is a stretch of coastal cliffs and a beach front cove sandwiched between Pacific Coast Highway and the Pacific Ocean just north of Laguna Beach. I drove down to the beach with anticipation that “tonight could be a great sunset because there are a bunch of clouds in the sky”. I arrived about thirty minutes before sunset in an area that has become one of my favorite go to “sunset places” in SoCal.

What makes Crystal Cove special for me is the variety and abundance of foreground elements for sunset shots, as well as the requisite colorful sunsets and the Pacific Ocean. Foreground elements lend a point of interest to the viewer in a landscape shot and draws attention toward the main focal points of the composition.

As a photographer I am drawn to light and its colors in nature when considering what I want to shoot and the image I want to create. Sometimes this image isn’t where you are expecting it to be. Sometimes you need to look around you and sometimes you are fortunate to see the alternatives that Mother Nature provides.

Then, when you have discovered this magnificent alternative, it’s up to you as an artist to compose an image that captures the light and colors found and incorporate the available elements that make the image unique or interesting. You then need to have the necessary equipment and technical expertise to pull this all together and release your camera’s shutter and capture that image in all its glory. Sometimes when it all comes together you find gold!

I began the evening with my attention in the direction of the setting sun and "by chance" looked to the left of me and was captivated by the light and colors you see below. This was one of those moments I was given on that Monday night (Labor Day), where all of the above came together and I got “better than I deserve”! Here are a couple of the images from that magical evening.

Enjoy!