The Sun King Series

Serendipity in action.

Ten years ago or so, I was out at Kennedy Beach north of the Golden Gate Bridge with a friend. We spent a couple hours at the beach, taking in the sun, the warm ocean-scented breeze, the sounds of the waves breaking, the cries of seagulls, and the laughter of children playing. It was a lovely afternoon. On our way back to our car, I took this picture.

The next day, I was apping the picture on my phone. I used a number of apps, as always, and, when I had the foreground and the path and hills and the sky just ast I wanted them (it was lot of work), I looked at that big monochrome blue sky and thought, “You need to put a banana in it.”

I hopped on my bicycle and rode a mile-and-a-half to the produce market on Lakeshore Ave. I selected the perfect banana (let’s face it: most bananas are perfect) and rode my bike home.

I took a picture of the banana, apped it slightly, posterizing it in homage to Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground. I then put the banana in the sky, using the Juxtaposer X app.

Perfect. Better than anticipated.

As I looked at the image, the only title that seemed appropriate was, “The Return of the Sun King,” in homage to the Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun King”

I’ve used the same banana in all the Sun King pictures ever since.