The Story Behind the Photo
September 2025: Landscape with Foreground Element
Molly Sauro-Williams
A year before this night, I reserved my stay at Kalaloch Lodge, timing my visit to coincide with the new moon. I knew that only the darkest skies would reveal the ocean’s hidden glow. As my trip approached, I watched the weather forecasts with hope—clear skies would be the final ingredient for a perfect night.
Luck was on my side. Each evening, around 10pm, I set out with my camera, the world around me hushed and expectant. The lodge’s porch lights cast a gentle glow, illuminating the fence and adding warmth to the scene. Beyond that, the ocean shimmered with bioluminescence, each wave sparkling with nature’s own light show.
Capturing these moments felt like a reward for patience and planning. The combination of the lodge’s cozy lights, the dark sky, and the glowing ocean created an unforgettable tableau—a memory I’ll always cherish, and a story I’m excited to share through this image.
I used a Canon R5 with a 15-35 mm 2.8 lens.
The image was shot in Raw at ISO 5000, Shutter speed 15 seconds, and Aperture f2.8
Tripod was used to prevent movement.
The porch lights from the Cabins were used to illuminate the fence in the foreground.
I played with my settings to make sure I had the correct exposure.
Editing was done in Lightroom:
Increased the exposure 2 more stops, and then added .45 Contrast
Highlights, Shadows and Whites increased very little. I did add more Black into the image
I also played with the white balance. I tend to see the sky with a more bluish tint so that is the way I like to set it.
Because the ISO was as 5000, I did use a denoise in Light room and then brought the opacity down to half the strength.