Looking for Light: Little River Inn

I first read the phrase “looking for light” on the blog of my photography friend, Amanda Creamer. Amanda creates some stunning, dreamy images with her film and digital cameras. I loved “looking for light” so much, I wrote and asked her if I could borrow it and use it here from time to time. Photography is, at its very basic level, the art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light. As a photographer, I find myself looking at the world around me in terms of light and shadows.

Right now, I am focusing my efforts and honing my skills in black and white photography, but not too long ago, my wife and I spent a lovely weekend up the California coast near Mendocino. I brought my Nikkormat FT3 and Pentax Spotmatic with me, both loaded with black and white film. We stayed at the Little River Inn just south of Mendicino and on our first night, we had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. Our host seated us at a table with a view of the Pacific. It was the magic hour and as I looked out the window, I was awed by the palette of colors. After many years of living at the coast, my experience is that my iPhone rarely gets it right, but this night it sure did. The sky, the ocean and the artificial light from the porch of the Inn all worked together, perfectly. Even the reflection of the restaurant’s chandelier in the upper left is a nice touch I think. I make it a practice not to bring my phone with me for relaxing dinners out, but on this night, I am glad I broke my rule.