Held by Water

About this piece

A lone mangrove rises from a low cluster of rocks, its exposed roots forming an intricate framework at the waterline. Green foliage and sunlit stone interrupt the broad blues of sea and sky, while a rippled reflection extends into the foreground.

The story

I framed the mangrove with enough water around it to let its smallness register. My eye kept returning to the roots, each one tracing a different route between the trunk and the rocks. Beyond them, the horizon held a simple, nearly unbroken line. I wanted to keep both kinds of order in the photograph: the tangled structure of a living tree and the open space that made every branch visible.