In the stillness between waves, dedicated surfers wait in the rise and fall of a winter swell. This image was captured shortly after a spectacular sunset had painted the pastel skies along the coast of Santa Cruz, California.
These quiet moments are as much a part of surf culture as catching the biggest or most exciting waves, and a peaceful ocean scene like this reminds me of how we are all drawn to contemplate the sea.
Perhaps it’s a result of having grown up a pilot’s daughter, but I have always adored the look of the world in miniature. That we also had an N-gauge model train layout in the garage probably confirmed for me the surreal pleasure of a giant’s perspective across landscapes of small structures and tiny figures.
I know it is regarded by many as a fad mostly used by advertisers, but tilt-shift photography always satisfies that familiar childish joy of mine, because it allows our minds if only for a moment, to view the world as though it were made up of toys.
Photography being a rather expensive endeavour, my dreams of a tilt-shift lens to fully explore this unusual perspective will have to wait. Luckily there is the digital darkroom, and an online world full of photography tips and tilt-shift tricks. Learning this new (and easy) workflow prompted me to attack my archives with something different in mind, and photos I might have passed over the first time have been given new life through the use of a different perspective. I’m already thinking of the next scenes I’d like to try the tilt-shift effect on…
Living in Monterey is pretty much like living inside a postcard. Every sunset has the potential to make the evening magical, as the lights of the squid-fishing boats come to life along a stormy horizon, and a few hardy souls brave the cold wind and waves to surf that last swell of the day.
