Last year, I wrote a small piece entitled The End Of Summer featuring the images from photographer Mark Leighton. For many of us, the summer is drawing to a close, officially ending at midnight this Saturday.
Given one of my goals with FH is to focus on outside and location images, I often find myself enjoying seeking out images, and photo shoots that represent the seasons as they pass. With summer winding down I contacted Mark last month about returning to his imagery, especially his breathtaking views from the southern coast region of Algarve in Mark's home in Portugal.
For many of us, one of the most enjoyable parts of the summer is being able to spend time at the beach. It is not just the sun and swimming and incredible views but also the feel, taste and sound. I have spent many summer mornings woken by the sound of waves breaking along the shore. For me, this sound echoes through all my best memories of summer.
That exact moment, after the build up, as it rises, swells and then crests. The wave then crashes, exploding in burst energy spreading frothy bubbles and discharging fizz and white foam as the wave eventually shrinks back into the ocean. It will rise again, but never exactly in quite the same way.
There is something so magnificent, and even a little sad, that these captured moments of breaking waves are once in a life time events. Each one so incredible, yet experienced by so few. I guess that is one of the most powerful things about great images. Someone in the North East in America, someone who had to put their furnace on for the first time yesterday, could enjoy a never to be repeated moment from a breaking wave, and the adonis over 3000 miles away.
