“Adrift”

Today, with the hurricane barreling down on Myrtle Beach, SC where my sister lives, I’ve had little else on my mind. She’s staying there with her husband so they can take care of her elderly father-in-law who can’t leave. It’s made me think a lot of this photograph called “Adrift” I did of my son, Jobe, years ago there.

Jobe and I were playing in the ocean and he was on a little surfboard. During one of the quieter moments, when the waves were separating us from everyone else around, I grabbed this shot with one of those crappy waterproof Kodak disposable cameras and it captured one of the most meaningful images of my child I’ve ever taken. There are so many stories wrapped up in this image and you either love it or you hate it but the image evokes emotion – and that is the very definition of art. To me it shows that to be strong is often a lonely position and that is one of the truest thing I know.