Kiss Of Gold

Location: Coyote Hills Regional Park, Fremont, California
Time of Day: Golden hour, near sunset

Story Behind the Photo:
In a fleeting instant, I witnessed a tern descend with effortless grace—its beak just barely brushing the water’s golden surface. I had only a second to react. This image, captured at just the right moment, tells the story of that rare and poetic encounter between bird and light.

What makes me most proud of this photo is how it conveys the story without needing words: the elegance of the tern’s motion, the suspended quiet of the moment, and the perfect symmetry of the scene.

Visual and Poetic Layers:
Beyond the action, the image stands out for its painterly contrast—the shimmering blue and gold reflections of sky and earth merge to form a dreamlike backdrop. The poetic heart of the image lies in its title, Kiss of Gold, which speaks to the fleeting beauty of contact, grace, and light.