sand – Page 2 – Decaseconds

Little Acorns (Sand Fortress V)

2013-Nov-01 adohertyh1 Comment

Perhaps acorns scattered on the beach don’t really count as castles (as in I, II, III, and IV of the series), but the neural pathways (cliché incoming: imagination) of a six-year-old, they can be elegant abodes of elves or the landing pods of a tiny invasion force. I think they fit the theme nicely. During my trip to Connecticut last week (again, tragically bereft of my Nikon), I visited Lake Wononscopomuc, where I spent the summers (and winters) of my youth. It brought my back to the thinking of that “miniature me,” if only for a few minutes.

Guest Post: Ghostly Seagulls

2013-May-20 adohertyhLeave a comment

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Zack Mensinger.

The meetings of rivers or creeks with the ocean are high on my list of favorite things to explore. There’s so much in the meeting of those fresh and salty bodies. When that combination happens along a small beach that you can easily explore and photograph, the possibilities can be nearly endless! In this particular setting, Limekiln Creek in Big Sur meets the Pacific Ocean in a swirling mix of flowing water and waves. Watching how the waves vortex around the flowing water of the creek can be almost hypnotic. Add in the great river rocks, the changing sand, sunset backdrop, and ever-present groups of seagulls and you have a great setting for photography where the timeless nature of the earth and ocean combines with the ever-changing nature of the same setting.

Sand Fortress IV

2013-Apr-22 adohertyh3 Comments

Another in my ongoing series of sand castle photographs (see I, II, and III), this shot comes from the gorgeous coast of southern Brazil. While everyone else is off playing in the surf, these two boys stayed behind on the beach to construct this complex of truly epic sand castles. (That sand castles are as wondrous and short-lived as childhood is perhaps too trite a metaphor for me to acknowledge in any way beyond the parenthetical.) I just love the universality of building sand castles on the beach–from the east coast to the west, and the from the northern hemisphere to the south, it’s a worldwide past time.

Sand Fortress III

2012-Oct-122012-Oct-12 adohertyh3 Comments

The texture of the sand and the color of the pebbles might shift, but the Atlantic and Pacific share a propensity for sand castles. Though I’ve shown some of the west coast’s work in the past, this is my first castle (of a sort) from Humarock beach near Boston.

Brazilian Stone

2012-Oct-082012-Oct-01 adohertyh2 Comments

On the beaches of Florianopolis, the waves crashed on the broad black boulders and the sun dropped into the hills behind me. Not another person was evident, the water was impossible blue, and I said to myself, “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”

Low Tide

2012-Aug-21 emceehammrLeave a comment

Shorewood beach at low tide is a completely different place from Shorewood beach at high tide, a place filled with tranquil tidal pools and beach combers. At low tide there are sandy beaches whereas at high tide the beaches are rocky. Pictured is the row of houses which is adjacent to Shorewood beach as shot from about halfway out to the low tide point.

Afternoon at the Beach

2012-Jul-262012-Jul-24 emceehammr1 Comment

I know I’ve said it before but probably my favorite thing about California is the coast, and probably the folks out on the beach on this particular day would agree with me. I don’t know that I’d have the fortitude to surf the chilly waters of the northern California coast but the surf does look sort of inviting in the late afternoon.

Relaxing afternoon on the beach

2012-May-292012-May-29 emceehammrLeave a comment

It’s great to be able to head to a beach like this, without the hustle and bustle of more accessible beaches, just to hang out and read a book to the soundtrack of the crashing waves.

Tide Returns

2012-Apr-17 adohertyh1 Comment

This weekend, Brendan and I blitzed down to Half Moon Bay (or just north of it) to catch the sunset. The beach was arched and curving from the local currents, the waves were seriously up, and I got the camera on the tripod just in time to catch today’s shot.

Sand Fortress

2012-Feb-07 adohertyh5 Comments

To the adults at the beach, it was December: the light was fading fast, the wind was a bit chilly, and every surfer had a wet suit. To the kids, though, it was summer. A day at the beach is always a slice of summer, with the wave splashes and ambitious sand construction projects to prove it. With the camera down at “kid height,” the beach stretches on forever and I faced a contest in which serious consideration was given to who had created the most imposing edifice.