Havasupai Reservation, 2018
Rainy days don't happen too often in Orange County, so when I felt the rain start to pour (OC pour = light drizzle) last week, I walked out to a local hill and watched as the beauty unfolded around me, double rainbow and all. I ended up loving the atmosphere created by the backlit mist as the sun sank low, so I slapped on my telephoto and photographed some native trees catching the light. This scene really opened up my eyes to the beauty that can be found right within my community (which I always felt was too developed to experience any nature in). PS those little streaks through the image are raindrops :)
Southern California Coast, 2017 A big part of my photography involves developing a relationship with a place before making an image about it. For me this includes visiting the place over and over again, observing how the light reacts with the landscape throughout different times of the year, exploring beyond the obvious and studying all the little details the place offers, and oftentimes just enjoying its beauty without needing to take a photo. This requirement for some kind of relationship with a place is oftentimes also what hinders me in creating an image I like when visiting a beautiful place for the first time - it takes time for me to understand and learn about the stories a place has to offer. This photo comes from one of those places that I feel I have a strong relationship with and have visited countless times over the years. And no matter how many times I go, it continues to offer me hidden treasures.
