Once Upon A Bloom

Two months into a global pandemic, my partner Hayley and I were going stir-crazy, stuck in our tiny 500 sq. ft. studio in San Francisco. We needed an escape from the city's ordered lockdown. Desperately seeking a view beyond our living room, we made our usual drive down the coast to photograph the sunset.

Engulfed by mountains and ocean, our destination was a small stretch of beach right off Highway 1. On a bluff above its sand, lies an elusive carpet of pink flowers that only bloom for two weeks out of the year in late spring. It's a fickle spot I've photographed before but never in peak bloom or under the right weather conditions. This evening was different – and one I'll remember forever.

Gifted with clear skies and a field full of color, the sun began to set as Hayley quickly ran down the bluff to get in frame of this ethereal scene unfolding. This juxtaposition of flowers against ocean is of the most spectacular displays of nature I've ever captured as an outdoor photographer.