We arrived at the house on the Oregon coast on the evening before Thanksgiving. After ten hours of driving we were all tired, looking for a place to rest. We would spend the next  four nights at this house. Our group consisted of Pampa, my wife, Riti, my teenage daughter, and our dear friends Joy and Priti. At first glance, the location looked quite ordinary. I was expecting a vibrant river just across the house. Instead I found a branch of the main river without much water. We were looking for a beach front house, but it was too late for the Thanksgiving event. All the good houses were unavailable. Then we found this house just across the Coquille river. “You’ll love this place,” the owner of the house assured us. But after arriving at the place, I was not impressed.

The next morning, I woke up to loud voices from downstairs. I came down from our bedroom upstairs. Priti shouted, “Arup-da, just step outside and take a look, how beautiful it is!” I grabbed my camera bag and tripod and stepped outside.

What I saw was undescribable. The quite ordinary place of the evening before had been transformed by the first light of the sun breaking through the dense mist hanging over the forest behind the river. Part of the river was reflecting warm golden light. I was looking for a vantage point to capture the scene from a low angle. I went down to the riverbank and started capturing the scene. Suddenly, I noticed this duck swimming across the river, making all these beautiful ripples on the water. I waited for the duck to be at the right position on the river and took the photograph. When I captured this shot, I knew I had captured something very special, almost spiritual. I had goosebumps all over my body. I thought even if I die now, I will not repent, because I have had the opportunity to experience the intense feeling of drinking the exquisite beauty from mother Nature’s fountain! I remembered having a similar experience when I captured my most favorite photograph, “Dogwoods in Fog”.

Afterwards, when I showed the photograph to Pampa, she would tell me, “This is the kind of photograph that brings tears to my eyes.” Instantly, I knew, I was successful in capturing a photograph that could appeal to a broad audience. To me, my work is successful when it can be enjoyed by a broad level of viewers with varied levels of appreciation. A great work of art, in my opinion, consists of many layers, offering something to everybody.

A 20″x30″ photograph of the “Dawn on the Coquille River” is on display at the Main Gallery along with nine of my other brand new photographs. The exhibition will be on display until October 14th.

Now that I have shared the story behind my most favorite photograph of this exhibition, I look forward to hearing your feedback!