Steve took this picture in mid 1996, one evening when we were out for a drive along the coast. We took a lot of drives up and down the local coast, to talk, enjoy the sunsets, and the like. Usually, we drove Highway 1 between Highways 92 and 17, going out to the coast on one, and returning on the other.
This particular evening, we decided to head a little north of Highway 92 to take some photos of the yacht harbor at sunset, just for something a little different. We stopped at the breakwater and wandered along it, looking at the cool rocks and the seagulls. Cayte sat down to watch for a while, and I saw an ideal portrait opportunity. Usually I don't take portraits, for no particular reason, but this chance just stood out to me.
The light was difficult, since it was mid-twilight, and it took a couple of tries to get the photo right. This is that photo, and it's by a very long shot the best portrait I've ever taken. It shows Cayte in an environment that she loved, and that smile that I'll never forget.
The photo was shot with an Olympus OM-4T, and the usual Olympus TTL-controlled flash for fill. The film is the no-longer-made (and lamented!) Kodak Lumiere 200. This particular image is a color-balanced (i.e. slightly retouched) digital photo (Nikon CoolPix 950) of a print made from that slide.