The Story Behind A Photograph, Part 1.

The alarm on my cell phone went off at 4:30am. 

I struggle with sleeping in unfamiliar places, and this Airbnb wasn’t the most comfortable, so getting up was pretty easy. I got dressed, washed up, had a quick breakfast (avoiding the infestation of carpenter ants in the kitchen), and got in my car. I planned on watching the sun rise, a favorite activity of mine and especially so when I’m traveling. With my busy schedule, this would be the only chance I’d get during the week to do that. And what do you know… it was overcast. 

Undeterred, I headed out. Conditions change quickly, especially in Cape Cod. As I drove from Brewster and into Orleans, a fog rolled in. I arrived at Nauset beach and had my pick of parking spots. Being that early, the beach wasn’t open yet, but I wasn’t too worried about getting a ticket. I selected my cameras for the outing (the Holga, Minolta, and Diana) and made my way to the beach.

My first impression was that this location was pretty average. How many beaches have I been to in the fog? After a while, they all look the same. I wondered what kind of photographs I could take that I haven’t already done before. Maybe I was a little grumpy.

I started walking north up the beach. The Cape has a tendency for some spectacular light, and I was hoping something special would happen on this completely grey morning.

After a little time, I passed by all the coastal homes and reached the dunes and trails. It was around this time that the sun rose. And boy, it did not disappoint. 

Though it wasn’t the type of sunrise with incredible colors, the sun was able to break through the fog. There was a golden radiance on everything as it shone through the cloud cover, a glowing orb in the sky. I had to sit down and take it all in. I wrote some notes in my travel journal:

“for just a moment

crescent moon ensnared

by early fog

Oh, the rolling clouds, the rising tides, and uncertain exposures. The sand cool in the morning. Layering up. And the constant struggle to not think ahead.”

The theme of this trip was presence and mindfulness. I couldn’t not photograph the beauty I saw that morning as the fog cleared, the sun shone, and dramatic clouds passed by. But more than just taking a nice photo, it was about being fully immersed in the experience. Those long shadows on the dunes, the photographs that look like a dim twilight but were actually an inspiring morning. 

It is one of the memories from this trip that I hope to carry with me for a long time. And with the photos taken, how could I ever forget it?