These are the backcountry roads in the California Mendocino wilderness. On this incredible single-lane roadway that winds it’s way through these mountains, I hadn’t seen another car for hours.

I had just finished an eight-hour shoot in a secluded redwood forest in Mendocino as I began the long, windy drive back towards highway 101 and civilization. As the road gained elevation, I could see that the sun was getting closer to the horizon, and the hills all around me were aglow with the evening light. It was “Golden Hour,” a magical time before sunset where the light takes on a golden, warming quality.

I had picked out this particular spot earlier that day on the drive in, when I descended down into the valley of the redwood groves. I saw that from this vantage point I could face west, and that I could time my return journey to appreciate the view with the sun low enough on the horizon to get the effect I had in mind. I’m very glad that I did time it right too, because when I emerged the light was more beautiful than I could have hoped for.

One of my favorite things to photograph is overlapping hills. This effect only really dramatically appears when the sun is low enough in the sky, so that each hill is casting a shadow, allowing you to distinguish between the hills at various distances.

The early evening light creates an incredibly soft glow, and captivates the viewer as their eye wanders deeper and deeper into the scene. While the subject matter of the scene is nothing too out of the ordinary, it is the light in this VAST photo that brings the viewer in, and evokes a calming, serene sense of peace, making this VAST Print a wonderful addition to any home or office.