One Shot Story: An Epic Photo And Getting Caught With My Pants Down

This image was taken of Sakonnet Light in Little Compton, Rhode Island.  The light was beautifully diffused from the offshore shroud created by Hurricane Erin.  For support I nestled into the crook of two rocks set back from the ferocious waves on an elevated bank of pebbled stones.  I hate taking hordes of images, but on this day I set the camera to burst and with the camera supported by leg in the seated position, I fired off anticipatory bursts.  As a large wave approached from the west, I captured this ferocious enveloping blast.

With my attention locked onto the lighthouse a rogue wave crashed ashore pushing seawater into my nestle.   From the waist down I was drenched with seawater and sand.   The last time this happened was during a howling shoot on the east shore of the Sachuest Wildlife Sanctuary in Middletown, Rhode Island.  I was perched atop a large rock outcropping at least 15 feet above the water-line when I saw a monster wave coming.   I had time to lay face down and shield my Contax T2 against my body.  The wave totally immersed me.   The camera somehow survived.  Undeterred, I kept on shooting and took one of my favorite images of all time with the Contax.

Returning to the Lloyd’s Beach day, I continued shooting for another half hour or so and returned to my car.   Luckily I had a spare pair of pants and another pair of athletic shoes in the trunk.   I stripped off my pants while standing on the side of the car when another car with two men inside pulled behind me.   There I stood semi-monty’d in my dripping sandy underwear and socks.   The men exited the car and I laughingly explained my plight, not wanting to end up in the slammer for public indecency.   We shared a reassuring chuckle.

I posted the image on Animus3, a wonderful photography sharing site based in Europe.   The following day I opened the image comments and Andy from Massachusetts remarked of the bloke he encountered at Sakonnet Point with his pants down.  Yup, I replied, that was me in the flesh!  I remember Andy as he exited the car with a camera strapped around his neck.  This story is about the circuitous union of two photographers and a photograph.  This coincidence is an exclamation point in my photographic journey.   Photography has introduced me in personal and impersonal ways to like minded souls from all over the world.  For this, I am immensely grateful.

Postscript:  Andy Wilson and I met up for a photowalk at pristine Gooseberry Beach in Westport, Massachusetts.   We marveled at hundreds of swallows performing synchronized dances in the sky above the marshlands.   Andy hails from Fall River, Massachusetts and is an avid and talented photographer and bird lover.

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