The ocean has been a presence in my life from my earliest memories. Growing up a stoneʼs throw away from the beach in Summerland, California, the soft sounds of the surf crashing to the shore drifted into my dreams. As a young child I frolicked in the shallows, and as I grew older I spent many lovely hours walking along the tideline.

Only twice in my life have I lived far away from the ocean: While pursuing my BFA in Fine Art Photography at Rochester Institute of Technology, and in the year following my graduation while carrying out a Fulbright Scholarship in the arid semi-desert of Southwestern Ethiopia. During these times I longed for the solace of the sea.

In early 2011 I blessed with the opportunity to move back to Summerland, and into a lovely old Victorian with my childhood ocean stretched out across the view from my bedroom window. I resumed my contemplative walks along my oft-trodden stretch of sand and soon my attention turned to what turned out to be an amazing variety of seaweeds at my feet. I was struck by their delicate beauty and moved to try and capture it. The result is my Tideline series of photographs.

I hope they bring you fond memories of long summer days, hot sand, and softly crashing waves.

--Amanda Grandfield