I made this large format picture about eight years ago. The northern boundary of Three Mile Beach in Santa Cruz county is shown, with some spectacular clearing storm clouds on the horizon.

This picture is one of my favorites - because Three Mile is one of my favorite places, and this really captures a lot of what makes it such a special place.

Three Mile is where I used to go to think, to photograph, to read, and even to do absolutely nothing. It’s also a good place to watch the occasional giant waves come in - the beach faces south-southwest, but when big storms come along the coastline can’t keep all the waves out. The cliffs where this picture was made shake when the waves hit - like standing on a bridge as a train goes over it.