Coastlines

Introduction


Water is the source of all life. Constantly cycling from the earth to the sky and back, water both energizes and calms us. Nowhere is that energy more apparent than on our coasts, where the sea is continuously in motion. We come to the ocean as we come to the stars: for forgiveness, for healing, for love, and for joy. We come to spend time with our loved ones and to spend time with our own thoughts. A reset that reminds us of our own elemental and magnetic nature happens when we submerge ourselves in the ocean. We too are moved by the moon, made up of water, and filled with life. From the moment our feet touch the water from the shore, especially after a long journey, we feel that we have arrived home.

We crave the coasts from the deepest part of our beings. We are soothed by the sound of the water, calmed by watching the waves roll in and out. We pine for the smell of salt in the air. For those of us who live near the sea, we find relief when we make our way to the shore and take a break from our work and commitments. Those of us who live far from the water dream of it and long for the next trip that will take us to a coast. Next to the ocean, we take comfort in how small we and our worries can seem.

For photographers and artists, inspiration arrives with the shifting tides, weather, and light on the coast. My first job was teaching sailing at a summer camp, and the best part was that my office was essentially on the water. My view changed daily: the water s surface calm and blue on a clear day, or black, with wind whipping up white caps on another. Some of the first pictures I took as an artist were made right there as I tried my best to capture the shifting moods. Photographers are drawn to water for reasons similar to those that draw us to faces, for the unending variety and curiosities that we can find there.

When my online travel magazine Tiny Atlas Quarterly brought a group of photographers to Tahiti and Mo orea a trip

Emily Nathan