This is an image taken from the other side of Pacific Coast Highway, or PCH, as it is better known. On one side, you have one of my favourite spots to photograph the classic Southern California sunset.
In the multitude of times that I have been to this exact spot, I never paid too much attention to this coastal cypress. I was waiting for that classic SoCal sunset to develop, but tonight, it just did not happen.
I was getting set to walk back to my car but decided to step to the other side of PCH. I noticed this tranquil coastal cypress perfectly framed, and I started taking photos. Golden Hour was just ending, and Blue Hour was about to start, which gave me this almost rainbow-colored image of the tree, ocean and sky.
This ended up being one of my favourite photos of the weekend. There is a trail that leads up from PCH and ends at a viewpoint for this tree, so I know this is not a new discovery but just a new find for me.
Since taking this photograph, I have seen different, mostly day images of the same cypress, but timing and luck can be everything, and I feel lucky to have been in the right spot at the right time. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I only live a short ten minutes from the Pacific Ocean, and rarely, the sky doesn't transform into a canvas of vivid oranges and purples, casting a warm glow over the gentle waves along the shoreline; I am truly blessed.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor