Stripping

Inhibitions are discarded, the anticipation of what's to come seemingly strips them away as clothes come off, their layers removed and discarded as if the elimination of each item takes with it pent up emotions leaving the person bare, carefree and free, from all but their sense of enjoyment and desire to revel in the moment.

I've been to a lot of beaches, something most Australian's can say considering how many we have and the Australian way of life embraces the water, water sports and laying in the sun upon pristine beaches.

There's something almost cathartic about the strip of sandy beach that exists between the ocean and whatever a person leaves behind them as they walk onto the beach. As one moves from everyday life and onto that strip of sand problems have a way of ebbing like the tide, at least for a time, and the mind and soul are more able to find clarity, comfort and...possibly catharsis.

The simplicity of the beach and the ocean is what I've tried to show in these images; it's beautiful in its sparseness I think.

There's not all that much on a beach; sand and the ocean, a formless, everchanging thing of perpetual movement, and not much else if one chooses the right beach, few people I mean. There may be a boat here and there, a flight of gulls or other sea birds, even a human or two, but the beaches I love are those where I see nothing but one of nature's most amazing creations.

If you've never walked along a beach such as this one it's really something to put on your bucket list; the feeling is something pretty amazing. It's like I say in my first paragraph...the beach has a way of stripping away the harshness and reality of life, the complexities, complications and stresses leaving a peacefulness that permeates deeply....or so I find anyway.

Wandering along a beach like this, devoid of almost anything but sand and water, with an amazing sky overhead, is one of the most simple pleasures a person can experience.

I'm a proud Australian and happy to have been born and raised in such a beautiful country. But before I'm that, I'm human, just a simple man with simple tastes and those tastes cause me to want to spend time with nature, in beautiful places like this.

I don't ask for much in life, I prefer to earn it through hard work and effort, and one of my greatest rewards is being able to spend time in places like this, upon that strip of sand with views that seem to go forever. I know many who would prefer to sit at a fancy café or have to be entertained...I don't though. It's with nature I feel most content and in places like this where I feel connected to the planet and myself.