A concrete pier lined with lamps extends from a rocky shoreline across smooth turquoise water beneath a blue sky with streaked white clouds.

Where Water Softens

MG-0202

2020-09-07

About this piece

Rough, seaweed-strewn rocks anchor the foreground, while a low concrete pier carries a repeating line of lamps toward the horizon. The softened water and streaked clouds contrast with the sharply defined shore, bringing a sense of passing time to the sunlit seascape.

The story

I framed the water from behind the rocks, letting their rough edges hold the bottom of the scene. Beyond them, the pier drew my eye outward, its lamps growing smaller until they were almost marks on the horizon. What interested me was the difference between surfaces: stone retaining every small shadow, water surrendering its detail to light. I wanted the photograph to hold both—the weight of the shore and the openness beyond it.

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