This is one of My Very Favorite Photos Because it Speaks to Me   I captured this picture in Goleta, California near the Goleta Pier on December 28, 2021.

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

The story of this picture: A few months prior to this photo, Boyd, the brother of a good friend of mine passed. I did not know him, but many of his friends around the pier were saddened by the loss. Boyd lived nearby and spent many years fishing from the Goleta Pier He spent his free time volunteering to keep it clean for other folks to enjoy. His friends and fellow pier enthusiasts mounted a plaque in his honor on the pier in rememberance.   In my composing the picture: The empty bench in the lower left is meant to signify that a person is missing. The pier leading from the left to right was a center of Boyd's existence in his later life. The boat and wake leading away from the pier toward the right signifies the journey from which Boyd will not return. The dark, overhanging tree branches on the top and the shadow on the ground give a bit of sadness to the picture. The full symbolism of this scene was only partially planned. I did try to get the empty bench and the pier, but the departing boat and the shadows were happenstance. I was just fortunate enough to be there when it all sort of came together. Copyright 2023, all rights reserved