this polaroid was taken with my sx 70 and time zero film, on coquina key island.
this is the most beautiful place i've been in a very long time. if i knew what paradise was i would venture to say that this is just that.
the sand is perfect - like soft powder beneath your feet. the water is clearer and cooler than anything i've ever felt on my skin. mangroves cluster at the center of the island. their roots, like fingers perched above the sand, sprawling out in patterns, leaving just enough foot room to blaze a trail through.
over 15 years ago hurricane andrew hit this island - shifting the island's shape and uprooting all of the trees that aligned it's coast. seeing them turned over onto their sides, bleached from the sun, bark worn away by the tide, roots sprawled out, and stretched towards the sky affected me... i felt the passing of time, slowly chipping away the seconds and minutes and hours of life. not just my life, but everything, and everyone that surrounds me. i felt like someone was shaking me awake and saying "hey! girl! this is really happening and every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around!"
it was tragic and monumental. so i did my best to take it all in. i studied the 100's of dead trees that guarded the shore in their slumber. i climbed over their lifeless trunks and brittle branches deliberately taking my time so that i could remember how warm and smooth they felt beneath my feet.
i did my best to wisely use the last 3 shots of time zero i had in my sx 70.
after photographing the tree seen above, i adorned it with shells and dried up sponges - as if to say, thank you life. thank you for this adventure. thank you once again for the wake up call.
i am ready to do this.
beautiful.
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