Returning to familiar places is a wonderful way to rediscover daily details and subjects that may have been previously overlooked. I lived on the Central California coast for over a decade, immersed in the seaside charm and charachter of Monterey Bay and its communities.
Walks along the waterfront and harbour would take me past the everyday elements of life lived close to the ocean. Boats of all kinds bobbed at anchor on the tide, mostly small fishing vessels and pleasure yachts lining the docks. Closer to the municipal wharf where the fishing companies operate, trawlers rest at anchor, often looking a bit rusty and worn from the hard labour of harvesting seafood from the abundance of the bay.
Walking along the less touristy wharf, one encounters the stains, smells and debris of fishery work. Seagulls hang around, waiting for scraps. On this particular day there were stacks of crab pots piled along one wall of the fish company building. Coils of colourful rope and neon-bright floats contrasted with the muted tones of netting and wire on an overcast day.
These are details I had encountered on previous walks over the years, but never photographed quite in the way I wanted to. On this visit I saw the juxtoposition of shapes and textures that I was looking for and collected a few photos. The fun of finding something new in the familiar is one of the joys of photography that keeps me returning to old haunts, camera in hand.
