A Few Days One Summer

Spring

2010-03-30T03:50:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and the weather is turning. I'll be back to the beach soon, I hope to continue with the series. Look for me. I'll be the fellow with a camera.

Gallery 591

2010-02-01T07:06:00.000-08:00

591 Photography Gallery published an article about our adventures in photography today. It has been awhile since I've taken any photos at the beach, but I am thinking maybe it is time. Right now, of course, only the hard core surfers will be there, and I may have to call the series "A Few Days One Winter." It is worth considering.

I want to thank everyone who allowed me to photograph them for this project. I'll be seeing you all again soon.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T04:53:00.000-08:00

A Woman, A Board, And A Pickup Truck

2009-12-20T06:11:00.000-08:00

If you go there, you probably know her. She was there every time I went this summer. A woman, a board, and a pickup truck.

Soon

2009-12-16T04:30:00.000-08:00

I must go to the beach and take Christmas surfing photos. Soon. Soon.

Condo

2009-12-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

Pool Gazing

2009-12-07T06:08:00.000-08:00

Beach Ready

2009-12-02T06:09:00.000-08:00

Sand

2009-12-01T05:32:00.000-08:00

2009-11-28T05:25:00.000-08:00

Family Holiday

2009-11-25T05:14:00.000-08:00

In Chairs

2009-11-24T06:34:00.000-08:00

Oh my. I need to go back to the beach.

Shark Attack

2009-11-22T05:51:00.000-08:00

Water's Edge

2009-11-16T05:17:00.000-08:00

Not Surfing

2009-11-11T04:22:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted for a few days. I don't have many more surfer portraits left, and I have not gone to that stretch of beach since the end of summer. I must go again and see what I can do. It seems a far-fetched fantasy now, somehow, a man with a camera walking up to strangers on a beach and asking to take their photograph. It is daunting.

I am afraid of ruining things by posting so many non-surfer images, but I have more of them by far, and some of the imagery is pretty good, I think. And so. . . .

Board Walkers

2009-11-06T04:54:00.000-08:00

Found

2009-10-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

Somehow, I think I managed to lose this in the files. Glad to find it today.

Keeping Watch

2009-10-27T04:51:00.000-07:00

Beach Watching

2009-10-23T05:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't been to the beach for over a month, so my photo supply is running slim. I want to go back now and see what the autumn scene is like with its shorter days and longer shadows. Look for me soon.

Refreshments

2009-10-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

Girl and Boards

2009-10-20T04:45:00.000-07:00

Pretending's Fun

2009-10-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

Surf Day

2009-10-16T05:28:00.000-07:00

Sun

2009-10-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

A Different Beach

2009-10-11T06:51:00.000-07:00

Friends

2009-10-09T06:14:00.000-07:00

A day at the beach. Two friends at surf competition.

Puddles

2009-10-08T05:59:00.000-07:00

Not Surfing

2009-10-07T05:43:00.000-07:00

I have many photos of people not surfing, and I've told people that I would post them. It is time.

Flubs

2009-10-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

Working with a toy camera has a lot of drawbacks. Sometimes things just don't work out. Here are a couple of examples.

Can I Take Your Picture?

2009-10-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

"Hurry up, man." He wanted to get in the water.

Family of Surfers Redux

2009-09-30T04:40:00.000-07:00

I am not making these photos fast enough to post one every day, though I'd like to. I get excited when I see them on the proof sheet and want to post them all right away. I need to make the trip over again this week.

Here is a nice family of surfers. I had to cajole dad into being in the photograph, but I like the family of surfers theme.

Ready

2009-09-29T04:41:00.000-07:00

Surfing Lineage

2009-09-28T05:43:00.000-07:00

I met her the first time I went over to work on this project alone. She was the first person I photographed. She had been working at a surf camp that summer. The next time I saw her, she was with her daughter. A surfing lineage, of sorts. Mother and daughter. Surfing.

Deserted Beach

2009-09-27T05:14:00.000-07:00

The day of high tide, no cars, a fellow and his board walking along the beach. He is with a girl who has a camera. I take some photos. He goes surfing.

Back to that Little Stretch of Beach

2009-09-26T05:17:00.000-07:00

I went back to that little stretch of beach between the jetties and the big condo last week. The tide was high and cars were waiting, so we parked at the little county park and walked the long boardwalk for a mile or so. The beach was different then with no cars and only the occasional surfer. Later in the day, after the tide went down, the cars returned.

A father teaching his daughter how to surf.

Surf Friends

2009-09-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

Impromptu

2009-09-24T05:02:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day, I took a few impromptu photos rather than asking the subject to pose. After a heat, a Parade of Surfers.

Not a Toy

2009-09-23T04:42:00.000-07:00

The photos I took on Labor Day weekend were not made with the little toy Holga camera. You can tell the difference. The images are sharper and cropped tighter. The Holga has a slightly wider lens, so there is more space around the subjects. It is something to think about. I like the Mamiya 6 that I used here, but its images have a different feel. Somehow, though, I still manage to get light streaks on the film.

Right after I took this photograph, I thought that I knew one of the girls. Somehow. It is driving me crazy now looking at the photo. Where did I know her from? An unsettling mystery.

Winner

2009-09-22T05:31:00.000-07:00

This fellow was coming out of the water after a heat in the surf competition on Labor Day. Another man who was taking his photograph was congratulating him. I think he won the heat, but I am not certain. If someone knows, please let me know. I didn't get his email address and he might like a copy of the photo.

A Busy Beach

2009-09-21T05:19:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Surf Competition.

Last Day of Summer

2009-09-20T05:39:00.001-07:00

Officially, it is the last day of summer, 2009, but I still have many images to post from the season. Besides, this is the land of the Endless Summer, no? These are two images from Labor Day.

Cocoa

2009-09-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

This is the first scan from the photos I took Labor Day at Cocoa Beach. Everything is different in these photographs. I used a different camera, a good medium format, rather than the cheap Holga toy. You'll notice the difference in the beach, and there are people everywhere. I'll be working with these over the next few days, so that is what I'll be posting. OK.

Traffic

2009-09-17T06:28:00.000-07:00

I put up this site because I had so many pictures and so many people, I couldn't keep track. I thought it would serve just that audience. But the site keeps getting more visitors every day. Seems some people have put it on their Facebook pages. I am not sure how others are finding it. Maybe friends tell friends. I don't know. But to all--Welcome.

Leaving

2009-09-16T04:39:00.000-07:00

These fellows had just finished surfing and were heading to the car when I asked them for a photo on this cloudy afternoon.

Surfing Siblings

2009-09-15T06:05:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling phat. I just developed six rolls of film. Scanned these last night. I'm putting up three photos to celebrate.

Here is a brother and sister surfing team. Mom and dad were there, but they didn't have boards.

The Eve of New Negs

2009-09-14T03:33:00.000-07:00

I'll have last week's negatives tonight. Fingers crossed.

Mystery Shadow

2009-09-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

Developed film from last weekend tomorrow. I've figured out that the second, mystery shadow isn't a shadow at all, of course. It is a reflection in the water. Duh.

Redux

2009-09-12T06:07:00.001-07:00

I have images of people I have posted once. Now, I'll post the others as I wait to process the films from my last shoot.

Two Surfers

2009-09-11T04:22:00.000-07:00

I put this photo up this morning, then came back to look at it later. When I did, I noticed the shadows cast by the two surfers. They make no sense falling in two directions the way they do. Two surfers, four shadows. I have to go back and see if this has happened in all the pictures.

Maybe this strip of beach is more special than I thought.

A Sand Castle

2009-09-10T05:09:00.000-07:00

A sand castle. . . of sorts. Forgivably minimal work with friends. A summer idyl.

Days of Good Surf

2009-09-09T04:17:00.000-07:00

I took this a couple weeks ago when the surf seemed perfect, shoulder high and breaking good. There were not so many surfers on the beach as in the water then.

Labor Day

2009-09-07T05:13:00.001-07:00

I went to a different beach yesterday for a surf competition. I took a different camera to see what the photos would look like. Somehow it didn't seem right to use my little Holga anywhere but that little strip of beach between the jetties and the giant condos. I'll have some images from the competition in about a week.

Beach Patrol

2009-09-06T04:11:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-05T05:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday. I will go to the beach early. For those in the north, this semi-officially marks the last weekend of summer. We have more summer weather-wise here, but something psychological happens after school starts. Attentions shift. Duties call. We seem less carefree.

The Fishermen

2009-09-04T05:28:00.000-07:00

Family of Surfers

2009-09-03T05:27:00.000-07:00

This strip of beach is dotted with large groups of surfing families with paddle boards and belly boards and kayaks. There is a beach and a beach culture.

Silver Surfer

2009-09-02T05:06:00.000-07:00

I know this kid. He wants to ride like The Silver Surfer.

Father and Daughter

2009-09-01T04:35:00.000-07:00

After School

2009-08-31T05:19:00.000-07:00

I went back to the beach yesterday. Last Days of Summer. School has started, and it has its effect. The beach was less crowded. After Labor Day, I think the crowds will be even thinner. September. Rhythms. Seasons.

Surfland

2009-08-30T05:07:00.000-07:00

Joni Sternbach has a new book called Surfland. It is a collection of her tintype images of surfers around the world. You can order the book here.

2009-08-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

Unique

2009-08-28T05:31:00.000-07:00

Not all the photos I take are posed. As I walk about this stretch of beach, I realize how unique it all is. Where else, for instance, could one find an image such as this? I'll be including some of the non-surfing photos in the next few posts.

The Artists

2009-08-27T05:01:00.000-07:00

Many of the people in the photos I've posted so far have written to me. I'm happy that they are enjoying the project. It is a truly collaborative one. The artists stand both before and behind the camera. To everyone--Thanks!

I have many, many more photos to post and many more still to make. Check back as often as you like. There is much more to come.

Sand and Sea

2009-08-26T05:15:00.000-07:00

While my original idea was to photograph surfers, I was naturally drawn to the other activities around me. Skimboarding seemed a natural extension for this project.

Best, I didn't have to wait for them to come out of the water.

Sand and Sea.

A Little More Paradise?

2009-08-25T05:14:00.000-07:00

There is a hardship in working just now. I've awakened each morning to cooler air and robin's egg blue skies. I must drive in the direction of the beach to get to work. I was sorely tempted yesterday to simply keep driving. I had my camera and a pair of shorts with me. What would I have found, I wondered? Who would be there? Others who played hooky, too, looking for a little more of Paradise?

Getting Addresses

2009-08-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

The first day that I photographed at the beach, I had not thought to get the email addresses of the people I photographed so that I could send them a copy. The next time I went, though, I realized it might be a good idea. I photographed this surfer entering the water when I thought of it. I told him I had a pen and notebook in the car. Good, he said. My girlfriend can write it down.

And so I began to collect the addresses, if not always the names.

The first day I was there, I saw a blonde women walking toward the water. I wanted to ask her if I could photograph her, but she was too far ahead. Thinking it best not to run toward her waving a camera, I snapped a photograph of her from the distance, a lone woman on a blank stretch of beautiful beach.

Fortunately, I saw her again and was able to get her email address. Turns out she worked this summer at a surf camp for kids. I'm hoping to get her to teach my girlfriend to surf. Paid lessons, of course.

The Camera

2009-08-23T04:34:00.001-07:00

There are difficulties inherent when photographing with the little toy camera, of course. It is not very adjustable. The focusing, for instance, is approximate. There are four settings on the lens--one person, a couple, a crowd, and mountains. You do not get to see the focused image in the viewfinder, so you must remember to reset the lens. Sometimes, it is not so accurate.

The camera also has light leaks, so the film sometimes has bright streaks around the edges of the images. This, of course, is part of its "charm." I've modified my camera quite a bit to reduce the leaking, but I have not eliminated it totally. It does give the pictures, though, the feeling of being taken with one of the old Brownie cameras by someone who wasn't quite sure how to load it.

The camera has no settings for exposure, either. You must simply match the film to the conditions. I take a variety of films with me and figure out which one I need to use when I get there.

I think, however, that the simplicity of the camera with all of its limitations and flaws adds to the appeal of the final product. Camera. Film. Analog. Looking at the images is like remembering something forgotten.

A Few Days One Summer

2009-08-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

For a few years now, I've wanted to do some large format portraits of surfers using the old Polaroid 55 film. I could see the images in my mind. They would be big, handsome pictures of heroic types holding their surfboards on beaches and jetties, bold testimony to the simple, natural good life.

But two things happened before I acted. The first was Polaroid's announcement that they were no longer going to produce that film (and later that they would not produce instant film at all). The second was Joni Sternbach. I came across her work when I began to get interested in the old wet plate collodion process of photography used during the Civil War. I was devastated when I first viewed her beautiful tintype images of surfers. It seemed to me that she had done it, and now she owned it. There was no sense in trying to top what she had already done so beautifully.

And so I contacted her and arranged to take a workshop at her studio in New York. I sent her some jpegs of the work I was doing at that time and she agreed to let me come. But way led to way, and much to my regret, I was not able to go.

This summer, I went to a section of a Florida beach which I don't usually visit, where an inlet dissects the land and the waves are well-shaped. My girlfriend was wanting to learn photography and so we had taken a couple of cheap, plastic toy cameras with us for fun. It was a cloudy day, but there were still beach goers and surfers all about. As we walked along, I saw two surfers coming out of the water, a father and a son as it turned out, who looked magnificent. Thinking about the abandoned project, I said to her, "Why don't you ask them if you can take their picture?" And she did. And while she arranged them together and stepped back to make the photograph, a jealous desire drove me to walk over and ask, "May I take one, too?"

And that is how it began. When the negatives and proof sheets of the day's efforts came back, I was knocked out by the images. The little toy Holga seemed a perfect tool for making this series. While the images are contemporary, they seem timeless, too, like something taken during the '40s and '50s and 60's.

I want to thank everyone who allowed me to impose upon them in my subsequent trips to that little stretch of beach. I do not know all of their names, but I have seen many of them there again and again. It is a wonderful place full of generous people. I will continue with this project as long as I am able.

There will be many more images uploaded here over time. If I took your photo and you do not see it here, you will eventually. Until then, I'll see you at the beach.

Photos to Come

2009-08-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

Photos to come.