(Not) Surf // Winter Storm Toby

When everyone heard there was another nor'easter on the way, only a couple weeks after Winter Storm Riley which delivered both damaging winds and amazing surf, there was a rush to buy bread and milk and prepare for the worst.  To say Toby underdelivered here in Rhode Island would be an understatement.  We got light rains, some decent winds, but not the forecasted 12–18 inches of snow or double overhead surf.


The following day, the weather had mostly cleared, and I ventured to the beaches in search of surf.  I swapped out my Lensbaby Spark for my go-to surf kit including the 70–200mm VRII with a 2x teleconverter at the ready.  We found some waves... sort of... but I played with photographing the water instead of the surfing most of the day.  The glassy little waves, rolling up the beach at only 12" tall, were other-worldly, or perhaps made of glass.  As the light faded and the dusky blues rolled in, I found them absolutely captivating.

Then for a third day, I ventured up to Massachusetts in search of whatever true waves might be lingering after Toby.  The swell was sloppy and disorganized, but yet again as the dusky blues rolled in I was just captivated by the water.  I was nestled into the side of a dune, so setting up a tripod was out of the question.  But with a few well timed burst shots while holding my breath, I managed to capture a few abstracts.  Handheld abstracts are certainly not advised since getting that horizon line just right can be a pain, but I made it work.

Prints available. See more under Recent Work