A few Octobers ago, I was leading a workshop at this mission, the Mission San Carlos Borroméo del río Carmelo, and Big Sur. I'd been thinking about this composition for quite some time. So with some autumn decorations, it was the perfect opportunity I'd been waiting for. There were lots of people milling about and even a wedding in the chapel, but I wanted to convey a sense of solitude which, with all the visitors, is often difficult to experience.

Photo by Paul Porter