“Between the Sunset and Sunrise–there is a starry sky. We are surrounded by Magic. To see it, we have to open our eyes.”
Do you have to be in The Sea Ranch on Thanksgiving weekend to see some magic? Absolutely not, but it helps. We arrived there on Wednesday afternoon. The house we rented was on a bluff. There was maybe about 20 feet between the house and the ocean. Coming here almost did not happen. We were told that to rent a nice house for the holidays, one needs to start a year earlier. Perhaps, my wife was just lucky. After calling all the rental agencies (there are quite a few there), the only answer she received was “NO”–but then one of them had a cancelation.
I guess other things in life have similar circumstances. Perhaps the key is to just keep calling. We had at least four reasons to be here over Thanksgiving weekend:
Number 1—we love to be here.
Number 2—our daughter, Alona, was visiting from Paris and she loves to be here, as well.
Number 3—I just happened to have a client in the area, referred by a local real estate agent who wanted to buy a house in Gualala (a local town) and needed a VA loan.
And Number 4—to see the magic show.
The show started a few hours after our arrival—the sunset, right before our eyes. I just had to take a few steps to get good images. And since the show was scheduled to be here every evening (even when we are not there), I was clicking away.
Then came night.
The sky was cloudless and since at night there is not much light, we could see the sky covered with myriads of stars. You’ve probably seen beautiful images of starry nights before, but I never took those images and instructions from Google did not help.
But the magic show continued the next morning. Since I knew what to expect, I left home before sunrise to walk along the ocean for about 15 minutes to the spot from where I knew the magic will have the best effect. I have thousands of images of the sunsets and sunrises, but every time I see it, my heart fills with joy. My face opens up with a huge smile. And again, as with the sunset, the show continues every morning (in the winter, the colors are stronger than in the other seasons.) But I felt that I had unfinished business—the starry nights.
In Gualala, there are a number of good photo galleries. One of them, Studio 391, is owned by Paul Kozal,. He is a good photographer and through the years we’ve exchanged photo information. He has beautiful images of the stars, and he told me how to calculate the camera settings. That night, I had a ball. Every 30 seconds, I would move my tripod around. To photograph only stars is quite boring, but by including other objects the picture becomes much more interesting (you be the judge).
Thus, the circle was complete. Between the Sunset and the Sunrise, there is a starry sky.
There are plenty of opportunities to photograph sunsets in various parts of the world. In San Francisco, the good spot is in Sutro Park. Just get there before sunset and stay at least 30 minutes after. For good images of the sunrise, you need to get to the bay. I have photographed from the piers on the Embarcadero a few times. When you turn around, you can also capture downtown San Francisco eliminated by the rising sun. This brings to mind another idea. When you photograph the sunset, turn around and catch the illuminating light on the surroundings or on the beach. For clear, starry nights, Mount Davidson can be a good choice or Twin Peaks. I have photographed the sunrise from there as well. Just arrive early, have a steady tripod and a wide angle lens. Or if you are somewhere, at the right place, at the right time, the new iPhone 5S model (or a comparable cell phone) can capture the magic.
This is a very good cure for getting rid of any negative thoughts, depression, concerns about government regulators, or just to spend time with loved ones. I took my family to watch the magic of the sunrise. In spite of the need to get up in the dark, they loved it. So will you.
Do Not Keep Me as a Secret.
SMILE AND PLEASE SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND