Black and White

Storm Over Lone Oak

The Santa Inez Valley is one of my favorite places to visit along the Central Coast in California, even in this stormy weather. As I drove along I kept looking for sunray and rainbow opportunities, but that didn't pan out for me. When I began the drive up Armour Ranch Road, I saw the sheets of rain off along the mountains to the east and this single oak looking as if it was reaching for every bit of moisture to come its way. I couldn't tell if the tree was dead or alive from my vantage point (no, I wasn't going to crawl through barbed wire fences), but everything else was a lush green when I passed through. Without some nice light to bring out the colors, I opted for a more dramatic look here in black and white.

Armour Ranch RoadCaliforniaCentral CoastLandscapeSanta Barbara CountySanta InezSanta Inez Valleyblack and whitecloudsmonochromemountainsoakoak treerainruralstormtreesweatherbwjean dayjean day photographypentaxusafield