“Staring at the Sea,” are photographs of the land and people set in various oceanic communities near bridges, jetties and piers around South Florida. Rather than photographing them in action catching fish or jumping off a bridge, my interest is the subjects doing what they do most of the time—waiting. One of the things that attract me to fishermen is the fact that, not unlike photographers, most of the time they are waiting and contemplating the environment. The idea of doing nothing becomes a metaphor for meditation and bliss. An infinite landscape of ocean and sky allow them to patiently stare out into the horizon. In this landscape when individuals are out by the ocean they are transported to a community that goes beyond race, religion, and social status. An important aspect of the Staring at the Sea series is the contemplative atmosphere, which allows the viewers to picture themselves within the scene alongside the sea gazers and imagine the sound of waves breaking gently on the shore, the cries of seagulls, and perhaps even the conversations of loved ones far off in other countries carried over the water.