The calling
Corny as it sounds, the concept of the mountains or the road or the sea calling is absolutely true.
It was September 2008. I was on my way down the coast to Point Cabrillo on a beautiful afternoon. Heh… another instance of something calling… Anyway, I felt compelled to make a stop at Pudding Creek to create some images of its iconic former railroad trestle turned tourist bridge. The natural light back then was simply too good to pass up.
I had photographed the trestle once before that… when I was shooting anything and everything all of the time with my Olympus D40z. With it being an iconic photography spot, I tended to avoid the place. Yeah, I know.
I didn’t photograph the trestle again until the 5th. A heavy marine layer covered the sea and shot down plans for documenting a surf session. Instead, like I said, I felt compelled to stop at Pudding Creek and actually walk around, searching for something cool. And honestly, I kind of did.
Feeling inspired. I drove back to the coast this morning and went straight to Pudding Creek. The parking lot was empty, as was the shore and the dunes and the beach. Sometimes a bicycle rider would pass overhead. Otherwise, it was peaceful and the early light was fantastic.
Oh man, I was so stoked! After years of passing by, I finally found the moment I was looking for. Heck yeah!
To celebrate my achievement, I hiked a new coastal trail and then shot some friends surfing up north.
So yes, as cliche as the Instagram generation makes it sound, there actually is truth in heading the call to go some place.