"Fortuitousness"

On the last morning of six shooting the Central California Coast, squishing through 3 inches of sucking mud (thank goodness for waterproof boots) I was reflecting on good fortune.  The mud in question was in Doud creek, famously choked with calla lilies.  These flowers are not native to California, but likely escaped from a garden long ago.  Even so they are a favorite subject for photographers.  We were a few weeks early for their bloom and so were delighted to see the flowers in the canyon during an earlier reconnaissance (leaning out the car window looking for blooms) mission.

As I think of it, from Pismo to Carmel there were fortuitous events.

Breathtaking ephemeral pink sunrises, like this one at Julia Pfeiffer Beach, appeared just long enough to get off one or two images.  I was running down the beach to grab this one and I’m glad for it.

Though the Harbor Seals probably lounge every day on the Harford Pier in Avila Beach, we felt as if they were posing and playing just for us. These images were worth lying prone (in prodigious muck) with my chest off the edge of the pier.  Who knew – we thought we were going to shoot only landscapes this trip.

A swell was coming into Carmel just before we headed to the airport.  The waves were elegant and powerful, but so much more so with rainbows in their mist.  This felt like an almost cliché lucky ending to a charmed week.

More lucky shots are in the Northern  California Gallery on the website.