Moonlight on the Keyhole

Tom set up at Pfeiffer Beach along Big Sur's coastline on a December night in 2019, waiting for a nearly full moon to clear the ridgeline. The arch — carved by Pacific swells through a spur of Cretaceous-age rock — usually draws photographers for the handful of days each winter when the setting sun aligns with the opening. Here, moonlight does the work instead, warming the stone against a cool blue sky while a long exposure smooths the surf into mist around the base. A different kind of light on one of California's most-photographed formations.