Following a Dream in 2017 – Day 69 of 100

 

I returned to one of my favorite spots to photograph today: Santa Monica Pier. I first took a picture of this pier about 5 years ago, and every time I’ve returned I’ve always been pleased that I visited the site. That says a lot. Today, for example, few things went right on my photoshoot of the pier. I had planned on using a motorized slider to shoot video of the pier at night for a test video I was doing on YouTube, but my battery was shot and so was my camera card. I had to settle for a brief video clip and a few quick pictures–not a good evening for photographer who has traveled many miles to get the perfect shot.

And yet…the image above happened. Just looking at it makes me a kid again, knowing that an amusement park is waiting for me at the edge of the great Pacific Ocean. I was born and raised in a landlocked state: New Mexico. Seeing the pier fills me with a mixture of excitement, mystery, and awe. I suppose everyone has a place like that somewhere.

Where is yours?

-Vincent Lowry (Author of American Vineyard)

Following a Dream in 2017 – Day 11 of 100

It took me two hours to drive home today on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles. I would have been driven to madness from the frustration of endless traffic had it not been for the spectacular view of the vibrant clouds during sunset. The sky went from yellow, to pink, to purple. I saw flocks of birds dot the horizon as they soared westward toward the Pacific. The view was a stark contract to the bustle of the city. For a moment, it seemed like I wasn’t driving in LA, but out on a country road.

Of course, nature’s show didn’t last forever. The horizon darkened, and the full weight of the endless gridlock fell upon my shoulders. It reminded me how quickly the colors could vanish, a transformation that is somehow both subtle and abrupt when paying attention to it.

Now, if only traffic could move at that same pace…