There's something especially wonderful about eucalyptus groves along the coast of California. They're often shrouded in fog and mist and as you walk beneath them you're struck with their majesty and sense of presence. The fascinating trunks have paper thin, peeling bark that gently rustles in the slow moving fog, while the dried leaves and curious seedpods crunch underfoot. Pervading it all is the soothing eucalyptus fragrance that gives the entire scene an enchanted quality.

This scene was just north of Gualala, right next to the Pacific Ocean. Although it was summertime, the thick morning fog was rolling in. This morning, there was almost no wind as the fog silently moved through the trees, each moment different, first concealing, then revealing the trunks moment by moment. I set up the camera, focused and waited, studying the scene in front of me. This sort of subject is difficult to photograph, as the rendering on the film is, in many ways, quite different from one's subjective experience of being there.

I made only two exposures of these trees, each with different levels of coastal fog. It is an astonishingly subtle print and exceptionally difficult to make. Unfortunately, the website reproduction can not give the sense of delicacy and nuance that the exhibition print conveys. The actual print is soft and pastel and yet, when examined closely, has excellent sharpness and definition. It is so difficult to make that it wasn't until 2006 that I was finally able to make prints that I finally felt were ready for exhibition.

For me, viewing the print is uplifting and fills me with a sense of wonder. It has almost an enchanted or fairytale quality that helps bring my awareness back to those inward things that matter most.