Zebras graze along Highway 1 with Hearst Castle in background. First published November 23, 1987. ©David Middlecamp/The Tribune
Sometimes you can pre-visualize a photograph and then happens. I wanted to get a photo of Hearst Ranch zebras lined up with the castle in the background. I’m sure it happens a lot, but to be honest it does not happen that often for me. In 25 years of shooting photos on the Central Coast it has happened for me exactly once, back in 1987.
Fortunately for me I had good late afternoon light, a nice cloud to give texture to the sky and a set of cooperative zebras.
They are wild animals, they always see me from a long way off and often turn away and amble over the next hill when I get out of the car.
I have stopped for photos a few more times since, made some color photos from Highway 1 or behind San Simeon but none have the charm that this image has.
You can tell when one of our old prints is popular, this one was stamped with at least three usage dates.
Recently the zebras have been in the news.
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Great photo, David. Sometimes (rarely) you’ll be at the right place at the right time for a good shot. I like Ansel Adams’ quote, “Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.”
Sorry to read (in your linked article) about the zebra debacle, especially after reading (only) two pages of caustic comments.
Thanks Dave. One of my college friends and I have a mantra we picked up somewhere along the line. “f/8 and be there.” Don’t think too much about the camera settings, concentrate on finding the picture.
Bill Morem also wrote a column on the zebras.
Great picture! Love the texture.
With all this talk about zebra hunting, I remember an incident in the late 1990s where a property owner did call Hearst Ranch to report an errant zebra. Someone from the ranch came out — and shot the zebra dead. Then proceeded to skin it. It was a bit of a shock to the caller. It was reported in The Cambrian, I recall.
That’s when you know you’ve been here a while — when your own photos begin to appear in Photos From the Vault.
I say, “More Middlecamp photos/stories.”
You continue to have great stuff on your site. I had forgotten how good it is.
This shot reminds me of my visits to the Hearst Castle, and all of the books I have read about him, apart from viewing Citizen Kane.
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