It was a cold and rainy night in April and I had just gotten off work. The sun was starting to peak through the clouds and I knew right then and there that it was going to be a beautiful sunset by the beach. I got in my car and headed out to Pacific Coast Highway as fast as I could. The sun was setting over the ocean to my left with the thick rain clouds starting to head inland. I had originally intended to stop at Huntington Beach to photograph the pier but the sky was still too gloomy looking. I peered north towards Seal Beach and saw the promise of rain clouds breaking apart. Committing to a slight change in plans, I carried on my way. The sunset turned out to be spectacular that evening, one of the most beautiful I’ve seen.
I love the old fashioned wooden planks on this pier. By the time I had all my camera gear set up, the rain had stopped and the lights on the pier were reflecting beautifully on the damp wooden planks. I closed my aperture to f/16 and mounted my camera to my tripod to capture this 5 second exposure.
When I was a little boy, my dad used to take me to this diner at the end of the Seal Beach Pier every Sunday morning. I can remember running towards my dad as we were walking down this pier and jumping onto his back for a piggy back ride. I was always a bit too optimistic about my appetite those mornings. In addition to my breakfast, I always had to order a Ruby’s Jumbo Cinnamon Roll. Of course I was never able to finish it but that was besides the point. Being on this pier brings back many fond memories from my childhood, all of which were the foundation for capturing this photograph.
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