Since 2018 and particularly during the pandemic I have spent much time walking the bluff trails at Sea Ranch, in northern California, and the nearby coast. While I’ve had a photographic practice for many years, I became fascinated with the movement of water among the ancient rocks offshore and the way the ocean foam can illuminate the spaces separating them, letting us see what cannot be seen.
This area is prone to intense wind and winter storms, and over the years the tiny sea palm plants that grow on these offshore formations have become a kind of muse. I longed for their flexibility and resilience as they endured and, indeed, seemed to thrive in the frequently pounding surf.
Here are ten photos drawn from this long-term project. While I give the images titles, I limit them to one word – they are meant to suggest, not to define. Long exposure creates a kind of time travel that, for me, suggests both eternity and my own mortality. The long focal length toys with scale and place, inviting the viewer’s imagination.
Gauntlet © Phil Lewenthal
resolute © Phil Lewenthal
Phil Lewenthal is retired from the business world where he was a CPA. An English major in college, he has long enjoyed the arts. While he has no formal artistic education, he has been a devoted photographer for many years.
He has had work published in SHOTs magazine as well as accepted for exhibits at Photoplace Gallery, The Dallas Center for Photography, The Southeast Center for Photography, and The A Smith Gallery, among others. He was named the Landscapes Discovery of the Year in 2023 by the Monochrome Awards and was a Top 200 finalist in Critical Mass for 2023.
@phillewenthal
Ancients © Phil Lewenthal
Evolution © Phil Lewenthal
