Young man at the beach, probably North Carolina, 1940’s

According to photography legend Elliott Erwitt, the making of a photo is “just composing all the parts of a rectangle.”

And…“The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.”

And…“Quality … has to do with intention.”

And…most importantly for this family of photographers that surrounds me~

“All the technique in the world doesn’t compensate for the inability to notice.”

Ruby probably took this picture. She noticed the charm of the dot-sized beach-goers in the background. She noticed that the magnitude of the sky in equal part to the sand was as important to the story as her friend in the foreground, off-center. Seventy-five years later, I’m listening to that story.