I believe the best pictures have layers upon layers.  Layers of meaning.  You dig deeper and you find yet another layer that previously went unnoticed. This was a decent enough picture on its own.  Boy meets ocean.  The littleness of the boy in relation to the vastness of the ocean. The sun showing every ripple in the water.  The bird off to the side, smaller yet than the boy but coexisting in harmony with the ocean.  And a little bit of seaweed thrown in for good measure.

Then there is the moment this picture was made. We had just reached Newport after a long day’s drive. The kids were clamoring to go to the beach. After all it was why we were there.   While we were walking, he takes off and runs down the beach.  And pauses.  And turns to face the water. Simply thrilled to be there.

And whilst it is really hard to see on the big picture, here is a close crop of his silhouette. You can see his wide smile. His excitement is palpable.

I hope to always remember this moment — his unadulterated joy. But for good measure, I hung a large framed print on my wall.

This post is tagged art, fav. photos, ocean, phoenix children photographer