I spend almost half of each year on the beaches of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and love to challenge myself to find interesting new ways to photograph their beauty. My images are the result of walkabouts that I call my “treasure hunts.” I keep an open mind, and don’t limit myself when it comes to what I think could make an interesting composition.

The South Carolina sand is very fine, and nature sculpts it into a never-ending array of patterns formed by wind, weather, the tide, and artifacts of marine life. During the past year of the pandemic, I spent more time at the beach than usual and, rather than photographing the wide beachscapes that usually catch my eye, I concentrated on finding unique sandscapes – my Sand Stories.

I continue to go for long, meditative walks at low tide, looking down at the sand to see what nature has left for me. Since I am someone who sees pareidolia on a regular basis, some sand patterns look to me like identifiable objects, while others are more abstract. When I find an area of interest, I photograph it from several angles, creating multiple compositions in my mind’s eye. My final selections surprise me since they were often hiding in plain sight.

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