My First Best Picture: Chasing Sunrise

Ever since my best friend migrated to the US back in 2005, I’ve been grabbing every opportunity I get to visit her. So far, I get to see her every 2 years, which is pretty great considering the distance between Orange County, California and Manila, Philippines.

So whenever we’re together, we lay out our game plan to make every second count since we have limited time. I was lucky enough to have gotten this photo as a proof of that.

It was one of our first days of adventure when we decided to wake up early and watch the sunrise on Huntington Beach, one of my favorite beaches and a popular surfing spot in Orange County. The morning persons that we were NOT, we woke up later than we were supposed to. In a state of panic, in a desperate attempt not to fail our early getaway, we hopped onto the first bus available and just sat there hoping the sunrise will wait for us.

Before we got out of the bus, we could already see the sun peeking in little by little, which was a bit of a disappointment since we wanted to catch the whole of it — how dark turns to light. We brisk walked to the beach and saw the sun. I took a snap, and this is how it looked like:

Apparently, we were just in time to witness this beauty. I love how it has a circular glare, and the division of the sand and sky with the sun right smack in the middle.

I was lucky enough to have captured this particular moment in my first roll of film (Kodak Elitechrome), with my first Lomo camera (Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim). It remains one of my favorite photos because the story that comes along with it is something truly memorable. It was just a lovely bonus that the photo turned out to be this breathtaking sunlight. It was just one of the simple moments in my life, where catching a sunrise with my best friend was an adventure in itself.

P.S. I miss you!

written by stuckintraffic on 2011-04-03