I captured this photo in Goleta

This is one of My Very Favorite Photos

(Click on the picture to view or download a full 4K version)

The story of this picture:

I was on a solo motorcycle ride over to the coast enjoying a beautiful Fall afternoon.
It being October, I decided to stop to explore the Pastorino's Pumpkin Farm,
off Hwy-92 in Half Moon Bay, to enjoy the pumpkins and decorations and to mingle with the crowd.

This photo, for me, captures the joyful anticipation of a young gitl thinking about the arrival of Halloween.
She was seriously considering whether this was the best pumpkin in the entire patch for herself.

She is no doubt very much loved, judging by her wonderful outfit including her little Birkenstock sandals.
Who knows? perhaps after all this time, she has grown and has a child of her own similarly loved.

In my composing the picture:

This photo pretty much composed itself. I opted to leave it simply laid out
with just a hint of pumpins in the top corners to sort of balance it out geometrically.

It was a lucky instance of being in the right place at the right time to capture a self-telling story.

I captured this picture in a Pumpkin Patch in Half Moon Bay, California on Octoberr 13, 2006.
Camera: Canon EOS REBEL XT