Intimate Shorelines

As well as the pounding of the surf and the siren calls of passing seabirds, shorelines also offer the childhood pleasures of rock pools and poking about along the tideline, churned daily by the tides and passing coastal weather.  Shorelines offer the landscape photographer limitless opportunities to make images of these more intimate landscapes.

The challenge is often to find some order amongst the natural wreckage thrown up by the sea. I think that there is something truly remarkable when you encounter a natural heap of discarded shells or cast of pebbles that look as though they have been carefully positioned by a thoughtful artist. I feel that these are pictures in waiting and you only have to look carefully to make that image your own. As the Swedish photographer, Hans Strand, has observed: “a great image should reflect your mind and what you feel rather than what you see.” I hope this collection of intimate coastal landscapes will make you feel that you are with me, poking about along the tideline. The images will be different tomorrow as the next tide makes its turn.