A Beach's Merit
Desmond F.
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I regard the beach as a constant of serenity and, growing up in Point Reyes, it is a constant I take full advantage of. This photograph was captured on the weekend of an especially busy week, with an abnormally large amount of schoolwork being assigned and an abnormally small amount of people enjoying the beach -- perhaps because it was too cold and cloudy. But, as every local knows, this is, of course, the best time to go to the beach, as my dad was no-doubt aware when he asked if I wanted to head on down. I, a little more begrudgingly than I'd like to admit, accepted his offer, fully expecting it to be a short visit consisting of a stroll of little importance.
But, as we rounded the corner of the hillside shielding the ocean from view, I was struck with the sheer impressiveness of the sky, the sun's rays beaming through its overcast blanket, ensuring that our visit was going to be longer than anticipated. The photographic opportunity of these anticipated moments struck me next (after all, I had an interesting subject and a perfect backdrop), and I took out my phone as we stepped onto the beach to begin our walk. Said walk was a lazy and meandering one, consisting largely of sitting on the beach and looking at pretty rocks in the sand. On one of these sittings, my dad decided to lay down in order to fully appreciate the sky, and it was in the laying down next to him that I realized a certain sense of incomparable calmness that I had not experienced in quite some time. All worries had left me, and I felt, utterly and completely, in the moment -- as did my dad. We lay for some time, but the pull of photograph soon overcame me once again, perhaps as my consciousness' attempt to forever relish in this moment. I decided to take a picture of my dad, laying down in the sand, staring at the sky being reflecting in his glasses, with the always beautiful Point Reyes coast in the background.
Soon after, I showed this picture to my dad, warranting nothing more than a ""huh"". But I knew I liked it at least, and when tasked with finding the appropriate photograph for this submission, I selected it, as it encapsulates the truly tranquil escape that is the desolate Point Reyes beach -- its merit.
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It allows me to decompress and, most importantly, gain a semblance of freedom from the mundane and pigeonholed aspects of our world; thereby, it maintains my own recognition of individuality, which tends to be neglected for and by the majority.
