This is a composite image created with a foreground image of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and a dark and moody lightning shot captured in the PNW. I captured the base of this image during a 10-day solo car camping trip through the States. I decided to stop in San Francisco and spend the night here so that I could capture sunset and blue hour on the coast. It was a surreal experience to be able to capture these beautiful silky flows with the Golden Gate in the background. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit sketched out on the walk back to my vehicle.

I've heard many stories of photographers getting robbed and even assaulted for their gear. So that constant thought in my mind just fueled my paranoia. On top of that, I was trying to car camp this whole trip and due to the lack of campsites near SF, I ended up car camping at the rest area on the opposite end of the bridge. It was a rather restless sleep, especially with all the noise and police cars often coming through that rest area. But I managed to make it work and I left there for sunrise as soon as I woke up in the morning. Being able to photograph SF was an awesome experience. But it's safe to say I will never do it solo again.

In post, I wanted to create something unique and atmospheric. A few months after capturing the base image of this piece, I photographed a very rare and intense lightning storm here in British Columbia, Canada. One of the skies I photographed during that storm blended beautifully with this coastal SF shot. While I do wish I would have been able to capture a scene like this all in one frame. There's just something about creating these 'hybrid' landscapes that I find to be very enjoyable.