Dragon's egg

Pololu valley, HI (Nov 7. 2005)

Sometimes one has just to look the other way. During the sunset, when the sun is burning through the incandescent clouds, and is reflected into millions of speckles by the ocean... turn around, and unexpected iridescent clouds in the east fill you with wonder.

Pololu valley is one of the marvels of Big Island. A series of valleys ending in the ocean, high cliffs of black volcanic rock and the white crests of the famous and dangerous hawaiian surf. I used an entire 1GB card trying to capture the essence of the place, framing the cliffs from different angles, repeating the same photo over and over, experimenting with the fast changing light. And then, when I was almost ready to leave, walking back towards Mayli waiting at the trailhead, I looked down. Maybe it was a stone, made round by countless waves. Maybe it was the egg of a dragon, looking like stone because of the action of infinite grains of sand blown by the unrepentant wind. It was there, floating in the ripples of the beach, unexpected surprise of ageless beauty.

BTW, the new issue of Photoblogs Magazine is up. I have just downloaded it, but as expected it promise to be another excellent issue. Among the features, two pieces by my friends David Shirk and Paul Wood.