Growing up along the coast in Southern California you get so used to some natural phenomena that you take it for granted. One example, is the famous California Red Tide and it’s bioluminescent effects. The glowing explosions in the dark of night have been a neat treat to experience, but nothing I thought I would document in my younger years. Roughly 15 years ago I realized oit was happening again so I decided to try and figure out the best way to shoot it—and to this day I’m still am far from mastering it. Besides being sporadic in terms of location and the time of year, it also can be lighter or stronger in terms of the actual algae bloom that creates the glow, so capturing it can be frustrating. There’s also the fact you need to search for it and creep around coastal spots in the middle of the night which is scary as well. Last month, there were some smaller blooms locally so I stayed up late, drove all over the place, and messed with exposures and this was the latest. For the complete archive please check the gallery link on the main page.—AC
