Miracle of Light, photo by Harold Davis. View this image larger.

It was a chilly (for the Bay area) December afternoon with intermittent squalls of rain. Around 3:30PM I drove to Inspiration Point in Tilden Park. I dressed in several layers of wool and a down jacket. With about thirty pounds of camera gear on my back I headed for Wildcat Peak.

I got to the summit in good time, about half an hour before sunset. There was a chill and moist wind blowing, so I bundled up. I was ready with camera, tripod, and long lens as the sun sank behind the Golden Gate Bridge. After a brief moment showing the miracle of light, the sun disappeared into a fog bank, and all was cold, dark, and gray. I made the trek home bundled in my balaclava as one by one the stars came out.

[Nikon D300, 70-200mm VR zoom lens, TC20E extender, effective focal length 280mm (420mm in 35mm terms), 1/1250 of a second at ISO 100 and f/14, tripod mounted.]