I’m always on the search for a good sunset.

In 2017, I’ve made a point of enjoying the California landscape more and in turn have kept the camera in the car with me most of the time. I still do some ride-share driving in LA to make ends meet. I had a Lyft passenger one day that suggested I stop by Broad Beach in Malibu to catch a good sunset.

I made my way from the Agoura Hills area down to Highway 1 in Malibu. Along the way there was an accident. Admittedly, though hoping for the best for the motorists involved, I was frustrated with the traffic. But as I’ve started to learn over the years, everything happens for a reason. God has a plan. (Scroll all the way to the bottom for a fun Hollywood serendipity story.)

I arrived at Broad Beach Road and searched for the beach access point. Right away, I was met with a beautiful view of the mountains and palm trees:

I walked between some houses to the beach access point. The first location where I tried to get to the sand was a no-go. I walked along a sidewalk towards a set of steps and was met with:

High tide had other plans. I did manage a couple of nice shots from this vantage point:

I eventually got back onto Highway 1 and headed a bit further south. The first parking lot I saw had open access to the beach. What follows is one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen in Southern California. Add to that the joy of a Nikon D800E and…wow. This is one of those, “sorry not sorry” kind of posts. Extraneous shots. Enjoy:

A cool thing that happened here...

Back when I first arrived at Broad Beach Rd. and tried to access the beach (the watery stair situation), I actually stumbled upon something pretty cool. Before heading to the beach, while parking, I noticed a lot of trailers parked on the street. It had to be something film related. A security guard was manning the street and I asked him, “Is it okay for me to park here?” to which he replied yes. I followed up with, “Do you know what they are filming here? Are you allowed to tell me?” He said, “Oh, it’s Grace and Frankie.” Too cool.

Grace and Frankie is a Netflix comedy starring the indomitable Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. I’ve not watched the show much, but I’ve always respected both of those actresses for the power and longevity of their careers.

Again, I walked up that sidewalk towards the beach and saw the high tide scenario and knew I had to go back. As I turned right, towards the north, towards the sun, I could not help but notice that in the yard of the house next door…yep. There was a film crew for Grace and Frankie. I could see/make out Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin getting some makeup done. No. Way.

I just kind of loitered for a moment. No one in the production team seemed to notice me or even care that I was standing there so I just casually stayed. There was a dock and set of stairs at the house, leading to the water, and it seems as if the stars were filming a take where they were trudging up that dock back towards the house. I watched them film a take with the women’s heads down at first, and then slow, labored steps forward. Too cool.

In that moment, I also noticed that from my vantage point…it was an incredible shot. Sunset in the background, the two actresses silhouetted in the foreground. I couldn’t….could I? I did the situational math: I don’t plan on selling it. I’m not a paparazzi photographer. No one is noticing me right now. If someone says something I’ll just delete it, no big deal. I made the decision that if they performed another take, I would capture the image.

I kind of casually knelt down and watched, and they did in fact reset for another take. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin at sunset:

Do you see the timing? I was frustrated about a traffic stop 30 minutes prior to his moment, but yet, it led to this.

Another random fact about this day, that I wish I had a photograph to accompany…earlier in this day, I accidentally cut off Steve Martin in traffic. I guess this Tuesday was a day for me to run into celebs :)