The night I created this image, WD40 was the farthest thing from my mind. I was standing along the small road that winds toward Fort Point, underneath the Golden Gate Bridge — the one taken by cars, joggers, lovers, and probably the occasional coyote. The wind off the bay was cold, the light slipping away, and after more than an hour of watching darkness arrive, nothing I had already shot was working. My frustration grew as dark as the shadows.
Then it happened. A car was leaving Fort Point. I had to step out of the way — and closer to the chain. As the headlights swept across, the iron links lit up like they’d been waiting for this moment all along. I was mid-shot when I caught it, praying another car would follow. And when one did, I was ready.
Somehow, the story of WD40 — as I first heard it from the great Paul Harvey on a small transistor radio years before — came back to me. Thirty-nine failed attempts before the fortieth finally worked. That last frame of the night was mine. My WD40 image. Proof that persistence matters — however many tries it takes, and when our gratitude runs higher than our expectations, those are really good days.
~Coastie
ps; the city has removed the chains along the road. This image cannot be recreated anymore.
Then it happened. A car was leaving Fort Point. I had to step out of the way — and closer to the chain. As the headlights swept across, the iron links lit up like they’d been waiting for this moment all along. I was mid-shot when I caught it, praying another car would follow. And when one did, I was ready.
Somehow, the story of WD40 — as I first heard it from the great Paul Harvey on a small transistor radio years before — came back to me. Thirty-nine failed attempts before the fortieth finally worked. That last frame of the night was mine. My WD40 image. Proof that persistence matters — however many tries it takes, and when our gratitude runs higher than our expectations, those are really good days.
~Coastie
ps; the city has removed the chains along the road. This image cannot be recreated anymore.
Attachments
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GGB_Chain_LE25.jpeg
