silhouettes and seascapes

A young man stands on a piece of driftwood and looks out at the ocean at Playa Pallada, Costa Rica.

I love silhouette photography for its ability to capture a sense of drama and mystery. The early mornings and evenings along the Pacific coast in Costa Rica, have this exquisite mystery about them and I couldn’t help but create a series of silhouettes trying to capture something of that feeling. During the daytime, the beach is so hot that almost no one goes near the water where there is little shade and the sand burns one’s feet. Sunrise and sunset, however, bring out locals and tourists alike and there is a sense of communal relief. Fishermen launch their boats, dogs chase one another, children play, surfers come in and out of the water, shore birds run back and forth along the surf line looking for the little edible creatures the waves leaves behind, people walk the beach or just look out at the ocean as if trying to understand its inscrutability. All in all, it’s just a vibrant time of day to be out photographing.

A surfer carries her board home after surfing at Playa Guiones, Costa Rica.

Shore birds search the tide line for the small edible creatures the surf leaves behind.

Local Costa Rican fishermen launch their boat at sunset at Playa Pallada, Costa Rica.

A mother and her child play on the beach early in the morning at Playa Guiones, Costa Rica.

A mother and her child play on the beach early in the morning at Playa Guiones, Costa Rica.

Shore birds are silhouetted against a dramatic sky as the sun sets at Playa Guiones, Costa Rica.

A surfer heads into the water early in the morning at Playa Guiones, Costa Rica.

Surfer, Miranda Kielpinski, drinks coconut water from a coconut freshly-picked by local friend, Alfredo Barquero, at Playa Guiones, Costa Rica.