Will Patience and Persistence Reveal Big Sur's Secret Light?

After the Sun Goes Down at Keyhole Arch

After the triumphant journey to photograph Keyhole Arch, the sun began to set on the beautiful purple sand beach. The moon had already begun to rise and could barely be seen though the clouds, so I rotated my tripod to toward the beautiful sunset. I didn’t even have to ask my husband if we could stay for the afterglow as he was already two steps ahead of me, captivated by the changing colors of the sky.

I stood and waited, listening to the waves crash on the shore and taking in the beautiful colors of the changing sky. I captured one image after another with the shifting hues. I panned from left to right and back again, capturing every shot carefully, focusing on smoothing the sea and capturing the rich colors.

In what seemed like an instant, nighttime had arrived, and it was time to take the slow journey back to Monterey. I spent the drive thinking about all the wonderful sights I had seen throughout the day and how close we came to almost missing all of them. This reminded me about how important patience is, not just in the photography process, but in life as a whole.