Fall - 2022

THROUGH THE LENS T E XT AND PHOTOGRA PHY B Y AARON CHANG Carmel Blue ne unique feature—among many—of Carmel is its exquisite white sand beach at the foot of Ocean Avenue. I believe that it creates one of the most beautiful interfaces with the ocean and beach anywhere on the West Coast. Some magical days, several forces align that turn the water into an almost impossible Caribbean-like blue green color. There are occasional periods of warmth with a gentle wind, much like the Santa Anas of Southern California, combined with a small to medium swell and clear blue skies. For the previous few days, the ocean needs to have been fairly calm. The result is extremely clear water with beautifully breaking waves. This image, “Carmel Blue,” was captured on one of those days. “Carmel Blue” was shot during the annual Surfabout surfing competi- tion on Carmel Beach in early June. I’d been keeping my eye on conditions for several days prior to the tournament and sensed that a convergence of forces of wind, swell and temperature was likely. I swam out to get into the correct position and started shooting. I equate photographing waves to bullfighting—you want to get as close as possible to the wave without it nailing you. Aaron Chang is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed artist whose fine art photography brings inspiration and light to collectors and fans. Chang owns two successful galleries in Carmel and Solana Beach. Visit AaronChang.com or on Facebook @aaronchanggallery. O 88 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 2