Beyond Here…

Even with getting to California every 6-8 weeks to sign and ship artwork, often times I do not get out and photograph. Of course this isnt always true (see Yosemite images in the New Releases), but often it’s a quick work trip and back to the islands. On this particular afternoon I had some extra free time and decided to pull out my maps app and look for a spot I had flagged to go check out…so off I went. Driving there I had forgotten what had made me mark the spot but upon arriving I had an idea. A small beach tucked away with an arch and awesome rock stack in the tiny bay. Wicked cool spot. Approaching the cave first I set up for some rushing water shots at sunset. Watching the waves break further out and then crawl in definitely gets the heart racing even when they are benign. Without any clouds that day the light was still pretty and decided, as I usually do with clear skies (in Northern California even), to check my StarWalk app to see where things would be after sunset. Well…seems that my timing couldn’t have been much better. A bit after sunset the Milky Way looked to line up with the cave AND the moon wasnt too big to wash out the night sky. Bingo. So the wait began. With the tripod set up in the spot I had settled on (the back and forth conversation in my head was pretty comical) I bounced between the camera and my seat in the sand…wondering if a sneaky wave would knock the camera over. To capture the image with the best detail possible the plan was to take an image at twilight and then combine it with the sky, this way I would be able to print larger later and with more detail.

As expected, as day turned to twilight to night, the Milky Way revealed itself right at the entrance to the cave. As I took my exposures I wondered what this crescent moon looked like and as I emerged I saw another incredible scene…but that’s an image for another day 🙂

Much thanks and enjoy/share!
aF

Milky way as seen through a sea cave along the California coast north of Santa Cruz
“Beyond Here Lies Eternity” (unreleased)