Matheson Hammock – the Blue Hour

Matheson Hammock - Blue Hour - 1529I get up early to travel to my locations before the sun rises in the east, because the time before dawn is so special. The bright colors of the sky that are created by the slowly rising sun are spectacular and are never the same.  There are elements of the environment that can affect what colors we see, like clouds, dust, salt air and even pollution,  these factors can create unique mixtures like an artist’s painting easel to to create the most beautiful colors of each dawning day.

Pompano Beach Sunrise

Pompano Beach SunriseI recently had a wonderful surprise while I was watching the ocean sunrise at Pompano Beach. These light beams grew from behind the clouds offering an opportunity for me to capture.

Haulover Beach Fishing Pier (1974)

Haulover Fishing Pier taken in 1974 - photo by Lee Smith

After graduating High School in 1972, I spent most of my free time at the beach. The beach was a place to surf when there were waves, catch up with friends and find out about parties. People would come from all over Dade & Broward as well as from all the different local schools.

The guys would look for girls and the girls would look for guys… and some would look for a quiet place just to enjoy the surroundings. This location was about the beauty of the pier, the ocean, the inlet and the people. The ocean could be as peaceful and calm as any place could be or a raging windy storm with 6 to 10ft waves. We would play frisbee, walk along the beach, fish off the pier or along the walls of the cut and many would come just to hang out along the wall.

There were no fees for parking, only to pay for the entrance to the pier. It seemed like a party going on every time we came to the beach. People would bring food, beers, smoothies from Athens and you would hear music from radios or people playing instruments. There was almost always the smell of something in the air, BBQ or whatever….

Life was simple, the number of friends we had was only limited by how many people you wanted to meet.

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