Photography | Inspiration | Illumination
A Tree Grew in Malibu
Embracing the unexpected to find beauty and the way of nature
A photographer friend visiting from out of town asked for nearby recommendations on where to photograph where I live in Southern California. I suggested a little outdoor exploration at Charmlee Park, a short drive away on the Malibu coast.
The park covers 532 acres along a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean along the gorgeous Malibu coast. I was told it was an easy, rejuvenating outing, a great place to hike the Santa Monica Mountains Coastal Slope Environment. I had never been there, despite having been born in Long Beach and at the time having spent seven years of my adult life living in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County.
We set out with another friend, enjoying the sunshine and wind in our hair. I steered my convertible onto Pacific Coast Highway and west. As we rounded the curve near Zuma Beach and Point Dume, California’s storied marine layer began to move in. The sun-drenched hike and coastal photography we anticipated looked doubtful.
I suppose we must have debated turning back and seeking a different photo opportunity. But sometimes the coastal conditions and lighting change quickly. Still hopeful, we made the turn onto Encinal Canyon Road to climb 3.8 winding miles up to Charmlee Park at 1179 feet elevation, not sure what we would find.
By the time we arrived, the marine layer fully shrouded the park and those anticipated spectacular coastal views in what we call fog on the east coast, where my family is from. We were there, so we made do, as photographers often must and always should.
The outing resulted in one of my favorite photographs. The image of the oaks in the fog perfectly captures the mood of our excursion that day. The calming, whitish blanket seems to make the rest of the world disappear. It all looks so quiet, and it was. I love the contrast between the black trunks and branches of the trees and the surrounding vegetation’s moist green.
But there is more to the story.
Nearly two decades later, in November 2018, the Woolsey fire ravaged much of the Malibu coast’s chaparral-covered canyons. Approximately 97,000 acres burned. As a result, Charmlee Park was closed and remains so today. Repair work began last month and is expected to take several months.
And what of my fog-enshrouded oak trees?
As I look at the image today, the black trunks and branches foreshadow the wildfire that I suspect consumed them. Perhaps they saw fire before.
I long to return to that spot when the park reopens and see what remains. While doubtful the trees survived, I am not worried, disappointing as it may prove. While damaging and tragic, wildfires are natural occurrences, arson, negligence, and urban encroachment notwithstanding. Nature recovers, as spring wildflowers engulfing previously burnt branches demonstrate in this image shot on that same outing in Charmlee Park so long ago.
