03-SEP-2015
Passing through, Mission Beach, California, 2015
The sun has set, and the overhead clouds reflect its lingering presence upon the flat water at the edge of the incoming tide. A group of six people had gathered in the wet sand to enjoy the colorful scene. By exposing my image on the bright water, I make their figures became abstract silhouettes. A man and boy stand at left, two more children occupy the middle of the grouping, and a woman holds a baby off to the right of this grouping. I saw this runner enter my frame and pass through the group. I waited to catch her when she became clearly separated from the others. I also waited until the parallel lines of water receded just far enough to create an uninterrupted, finely textured span of reflective water for my background.
14-SEP-2015
Eventide, Mission Beach, California, 2015
The La Jolla peninsula and a sky full of pink clouds provide a picturesque backdrop for this shot of Mission Beach at day’s end.
There were twelve people randomly passing through my frame at this moment, yet they seamlessly combine to present a casually relaxed mood. The position of the water is critical – a wave divides the ocean into two fields, one blue, the other pink. The wave also separates a lone surfer from the other eleven people. This surfer creates an incongruity in scale. The section of water between the wave and the sand offers a relatively smooth surface that clearly defines the small, silhouetted figures. The three small children within this group add still another form of scale incongruity.
26-SEP-2015
Frustration, Mission Beach, California, 2015
At first glance, these beachgoers gathering near the water’s edge seem to be enjoying a sunset. But a closer look says otherwise.
The man closest to us looks at his cell phone and kicks a spout of backlighted sand into the air with his foot. That flying, glowing sand becomes the focal point of the entire image. He seems frustrated by what he sees on the screen he holds in his hand. His frustration triggers an incongruous moment, and I strengthen the point of the picture by converting it from the brilliant colors of sunset to a simple black and white abstraction. In vivid color, the sunset reflecting on the water draws attention away from the spout of flying sand. In black and white, the sunset is neutralized, and the flying sand, which is the point of my picture, takes precedence.
26-SEP-2015
Last light, Mission Beach, California, 2015
The seated figures in this backlighted sunset image seem to be incongruously attached to each other, creating an abstracted scene right out mythology. A bystander seems to be asking their advice and waiting for an answer. A distant surfer leans forward in the background, as to hear what is being said. All of the figures are silhouetted by the last light of the day, mysteriously diffused by the spray that blows in from the sea. It is a very atmospheric picture, rich in mood, and full of questions.
28-SEP-2015
Walking the dog, Mission Beach, California, 2015
A woman walks a dog through the early morning mist along Mission Beach. Two surfers wait in the background for wave that might carry them through the foggy water. The scene offers a layered, incongruous look at two entirely different worlds within the same image. The background layer presents the ocean as mystery, while the foreground layer expresses the bond between a dog and its handler.
20-SEP-2015
The Queen of Oceanfront Walk, Mission Beach, California, 2015
I walked my ten-year-old dog, Judy, along the boardwalk every morning while at Mission Beach. As I looked for photo opportunities, she took pleasure in exploring and responding to the abundant canine scents surrounding the entrances linking the sandy beach with the concrete boardwalk. At each entrance, three steps lead up to a flat landing, followed by three steps leading down to the beach itself. After sniffing the entire area, she posed for a portrait upon this landing. My 24mm wideangle lens stretches the scene, emphasizing not only the queenly posture of my dog, but also the sweep of the concrete wall that seems to vanish into the distance.
24-SEP-2015
Unflappable, Mission Beach, California, 2015
After fishing for a meal, this cormorant stands at water’s edge, drying its wings. A man, walking a small dog, approaches. The man stops. The dog strains at the leash for a closer look. The cormorant holds its ground. It ignores the canine intrusion, turning its head away. I made this image at the moment when the immobile dog and unflappable bird reach a standoff.
24-SEP-2015
Cormorant and friends, Mission Beach, California. 2015
This is the same bird that ignored the man and his inquisitive dog in the previous image. I made this photograph six minutes later – we see the cormorant still holding its ground. A woman has since joined the man and dog. They spent a few moments studying the bird, and then turned away from the shore to head home. I shifted my camera position so that I could frame the cormorant, still standing in the background, within two pairs of oncoming human legs. I incongruously cropped those legs just above the knees, emphasizing the stoic bird, rather than the identity of its departing visitors.
22-SEP-2015
Feeding frenzy, Mission Beach, California, 2015
Feeding seagulls in California is banned by state law, but rarely enforced. Some people consider bird feeding to be a generous gesture – but ultimately the practice may disrupt natural feeding patterns and encourage gulls, once used to such freebies, to harass beach visitors. I watched from a distance as this hooded man pours a huge bag of kernels upon the sand, creating a gull feeding frenzy. He seems to be almost dancing with joy as he feeds dozens of birds. My image find him surrounded by birds battling for a free meal, both on the ground and in the air. I used a fast shutter speed of 1/2500th of a second to stop the activity of the man, the falling kernels, and the birds, freezing them all in a moment of time.
15-SEP-2015
Setting the pace, Mission Beach, California, 2015
This woman, running along the wet sand of Mission Beach, seems to be employing a pair of flying sea gulls to set her pace. Actually, the birds are trying to get out of her way – they want no part of her flying feet. She takes no notice of them, and they are already well out of her path. Yet in this image I am able to juxtapose the birds and the runner in both time and space to create an incongruous relationship.
11-SEP-2015
Wings, Mission Beach, California, 2015
I combine five elements here to make this image speak of the sea. At left, a distant stand-up paddle-boarder waits in the fog for a wave. He ignores the cascading series of waves that fill half the frame in front of him. At least fifteen sea gulls are flying directly towards him, their wings caught in graceful flight, echoing the horizontal sweep of the surf to give this image most of its energy. I contrast both of these incoming and outgoing actions to the motionless paddle-boarder. Each element occupies its own place within the frame – composition and timing turn potential complexity into coherence.
16-SEP-2015
Partners, Mission Beach, California, 2015
I was focusing on a young boy, slowly carrying a belly-board into heavy surf. The board looked as large as he was. My first idea was a very simple one – I wanted to make an incongruous photo of a belly-board wading into the sea, with only the hands of the boy showing. I had made several attempts at this amusing abstraction when suddenly a seagull swooped into my frame. It seemed headed directly at the boy with the belly-board. I caught it just as its outstretched curving wings echoed the curves of the board itself. The bird, the boy, and the board become partners here. They produce two ideas working side by side – the incongruous pairing of board and boy, plus the simultaneous incongruous pairing of the bird’s wings and the board’s curves.
