Sunset rays illuminate the chaparral hillsides of the Santa Cruz Mountains, as seen from Russian Ridge Open Space.

Russian Ridge is especially nice to photograph on days like this one. Some days fog forms over the ocean, but on others the air must be pushed up by the mountains and cooled before fog forms. This means that instead of thick fog in the distance, you get thinner fog right in the mountains. I like this better because it lets the sunlight to get under the clouds and dance with the landscape. My title for the photograph might seem a little odd or arbitrary, but it just feels right. It's only a photograph of a landscape, but I find landscape scenes can evoke similar emotions as other life experiences. This image instills in me a feeling of friendship – camaraderie for a place I've been many times and have begun to understand well.

Purchase “Friendship – Sunset Rays in Santa Cruz Mountains” Fine Art Print: