The Spirit in the Place

I was wondering around today, feeling as if the exercise of image making was pointless today. I saw a tide cave in Rapaki, Taking my time, enjoying the spirit of the place, and the stillness, set the camera up.

Finally with an image of the cave and pausing to inspecting the rocks, the tide slowly moving across the sand, I hear a shout.

An older Gentleman is running over the sand and breathlessly asks if I own a Toyota that is stuck. I say no I own a Saab, he says," do you own a Toyota"?
I realise he is deaf, and shout, “No I own a Saab”. The man looks disappointed and sits on the sand breathing hard and says, “Oh no point in running here then”.

He looks at the Camera, and asks if I am making a study.
That’s a great way to ask, I think.
I answer yes, smile and say, “making pictures old fashioned way", meaning the 5x4 camera and taking my time. The man smiles at that.

He sits and shouts, “Hey what’s that in the water”? and points.
I look around expecting a dead seal or similar but see a rock. “That’s a rock”, I shout back.
The old gentleman smiles and says, “funny I have lived he 30 years and have never seen that”.

So I take the moment, and photograph with the rock in the picture. Almost as if he was suggesting I took the picture.

That’s why I think Rapaki is spiritual.