An observation I made very early in life: the closer you live to the beach, the less likely you are to want to visit it. Of course it's not always true for everyone, but I have noticed that visitors from inland places are always keen to visit the ocean, while I and my friends and family, growing up four miles from Los Angeles' Venice Beach, rarely bothered to go.

I think this was a mistake. The shore is bursting with poetry, drama, and beauty. It often very rewarding for photography and for the spirit as a whole. It certainly was last weekend, when my wife and I took an impromptu camping trip to Point Mugu State Park, where after a rousing thunder storm, I managed to capture some of the ocean's drama and poetry in a couple of images at sunset as the storm began to clear. It had been storming for hours and I didn't expect to get any pictures at all that day. But traveling back to our camp site after eating dinner out, I happened to have my Canon 6D and 17-40mm f/4L with me--just in case. (I'm very glad I brought it!)