Sanibel Shells

Located on the west coast of Florida, Sanibel Island is a most remarkable place. The beach is composed entirely of seashells that the ocean currents wash ashore. It's really quite astonishing.   We arrived at the island in the afternoon and walked the beach in amazement. But the light was not conducive for the subject and the feeling I was looking for, so Ruth and I camped nearby and waited for sunrise the next morning. Before dawn, we were walking the beach with the cases of equipment while I looked for a composition and tried to anticipate how the morning light would illuminate the shells.   I finally found a section of the beach that had the large shell that you see in the center of the image. This larger shell seemed to provide a grounded focal point to give some visual order to the randomness of the hundreds of surrounding smaller shells.   I was able to get the 8x10 camera set up and focused in time and waited for the first rays of sunrise light to skim across the surface. As is often the case, I was able to only make one exposure of this scene before the light changed completely. The skimming warm sunrise light gives more shape and texture to the shells and when the print is viewed from a distance, the sunlit areas appear as defined shapes themselves, giving another layer of visual interest.   The detail resolution and superior tonal qualities of the 8x10" film give an amazing depth of detail and realism to the image, especially in the 30x40" size. Studying the image I am reminded of how the beauty of the world is limitless and how many wonders there are around us, every moment of every day.

20x24 " prints are $1,000 30x40 " prints are $2,000