California Dreamin'

This was perhaps the best sunrise that I’ve ever witnessed. I realize that’s it’s a bit strange, even to Californians, to think that this is a sunrise, not a sunset. After all, the coast of California faces west, not east. Well, most of the coast faces west, but the stretch of coastline from from just north of Santa Monica to Malibu runs east - west. The beaches here actually face south. During the winter months, from spots like Topanga, where I captured this image, the sun rises across the Santa Monica Bay in the southeastern sky. I’ve attempted shots like this many times, but on this January morning of 2022, the sky was simply incredible. Fortunately, a surfer caught a wave just off the point and rode it perfectly into my composition.