CAYO COSTA ISLAND 1 © 1988

Barrier Island, Gulf Coast

Cayo Costa Island State Park is a barrier island on the gulf coast of Florida. Cayo Costa Island is one of my favorite places in Florida. During late June the angle of the sun is from its most northern direction, which gives the northern tip of the island great light. In the late afternoon, I set up my camera and waited for good clouds and good light. It seems like, during the summer, the clouds rarely form over the barrier islands along the coast, instead, they build up inland. Every day for a week I waited for clouds to form over the island. Toward the end of the week, I finally got a small storm forming over Charlotte Harbor. The clouds were very dark at the point where the white sand and sky met, which gave a wonderful focal point to the picture. Behind me, there wasn’t a cloud to be seen, so the light was hitting the beach pure and strong. This photograph is hand-printed in Clyde’s darkroom on fiber-based paper, selenium toned, then mounted and matted to current archival standards. The photograph is a limited edition and signed by Clyde. Disclaimer – Cropping, contrast, and image density may vary. To learn more about the darkroom printing process, click here.