A Pacific Morning

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Barry W. Hollritt, 2009

I was spending a quiet morning driving along the coastline north of Mendocino, California.  The sea had drawn me and I was spending the early part of the day wandering into corners of the coast that only the photographer seems to find.  The ruralness (my word) of this particular area had the calming effect on the soul and my eyes were truly wandering.  Some wonderful scenic images of the coast had occurred and I had not been looking specifically for any type of image, let along a horse.  As I turned down a secluded, bending road, I came upon a large open field of gold and a single tree on the precipice of the cliffs above the Pacific.  The blueness, saltiness and freshness of the morning seemed to quell any lasting sadness of my father’s recent passing in New Jersey.  In the distance, this wonderful single horse saw me as I stopped.  The connection was made quickly.  I had positioned myself along the fence that was enclosing the field, and the horse started toward me without pausing.  As the horse came up to me, I continued to photograph it, right up to the point that he or she (I never looked) came right up to my face and looked me in the eye.  “A Pacific Morning” was a wide angle moment totally unplanned.  It’s a bit of an abstract, but what a wonderful moment.  After our momentary encounter, it stood a moment, moved it’s head up and down, and started eating in front of me… gradually moving back toward the sea, leaving me with this wonderful exposure.