Summer is Over

We all do our best creative work in our own way and in our own space. For some that space is mental space, and the need for chaos and noise."

David duChemin

For me, the years are measured by semesters, 15-week units of time. "Summer is Over" is a mantra of students and teachers. Professionally speaking, it is the beginning of a new year. But in the most meaningful way, this time of year is a transition period where mornings on Biscayne Bay become fewer and far between and time spent in the Everglades becomes frequent. Camping season is around the corner and its going to be an interesting one. But before moving on to that, I reflect on the summer.

In so many ways, this summer was extraordinary. But I think what sticks out most is the time spent learning and practicing new techniques. For years, my summer photography has revolved around birds. I love birds and will never stop photographing them. To me, they are the essence of Biscayne Bay where I do 90% of my photography during the summer months. But Biscayne Bay means so much more to me than birds and like a writer that has many thoughts and cannot get them on paper well enough to accurately present them, I have struggled to photograph the bay in the most accurate way possible. By "accurate", I refer to how well an image appears as it is experienced by the photographer. Is the image accurate to my vision? Most of the time, it is not because I am simply not that good of a photographer.

But here's the thing, I keep trying because I love Biscayne Bay in its entirety; this includes the messiness, the mud, pushing through the grasses to get closer to a bird, even the mosquitoes. And so this summer, I turned my attention away from the birds and discovered new ways to capture the bay. I got of the boat more often and set up the tripod in the water. I used filters to slow down the shutter speed and I looked to the sky where the summer clouds taunted me to photograph them, even at midday. At low tides, the wading birds came out, but I mostly ignored them. Instead, I studied the mangroves and how the clouds and the reflections might interact with them. Because this is what I experience on the bay all the time.

Enjoy this collection of images, illustrations of my short summer on Biscayne Bay.