surfer

Wave Dancer

Because of my hurricane research, I do a lot of lectures on storms and climate change and can always use new shots of waves. The other day I got frustrated at being stuck in the office herding computers and wandered out to Tybee Island as Subtropical Storm Andrea moved through the area. It was pretty rough, but there were a few surfers out. For some reason, one of them caught my eye - I think it was the look of total concentration on her face as she picked out waves to ride. Then I noticed this subtle but magical smile as she trudged back down the beach to go out again (a strong current was dragging everybody down towards the south end end of the island). Next day was even rougher, but there she was again, just as focused, still that slight Mona-Lisa smile while fighting the 30-40 mph wind and blowing sand to get back in to position and catch another wave. I was enchanted.

During one of her trips I was talking to one of the lifeguards patrolling the beach, and mentioned that I had seen her the day before. He said, a bit wistfully, "Yeah - she's out here almost every day". It got me thinking. I enjoy my work and feel it's pretty important - but sometimes it is all too easy to sit in the office, day after day, studying the earth via satellite and computer instead of experiencing it. Even going out with the camera has a similar problem - seeing, capturing in a way, but not really experiencing. Still, I'm glad I had my Leica to capture this moment. I could tell you all sorts of technical details about the waves that Wednesday afternoon, but seeing her smile to herself reminded me that there is more to waves (and life!) than radar scatterometers and differential equations.

I wonder who she is, what she's thinking about, and if she realizes how much that little smile brightens the world around her.

Super-B (13x19) poster composite. Photos shot with Leica R9/DMR, Apo-Telyt 400.
Background image processed with Photoshop Poster Edges tool.

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