Some photographs happen in an instant. Others take years of anticipation.
Sachem Pond
Block Island, Rhode Island
October 4, 2020
© Rick Kollmeyer
Block Island has been a special place for me. My family would make the sail from Connecticut several times each summer. Back then, it was uncrowded, rural and very safe. Safe enough that, as an adolescent, my parents let us roam freely with the other kids whose families were visiting by boat.
As us kids walked from New Harbor to Old Harbor, passing cars would often wave or stop and ask if we wanted a ride into town. We’d happily climb into a stranger’s car and accept the friendly offer.
Can you imagine? It was that kind of place.
In my twenties, I would return home to make the Labor Day trip with my parents, now aboard their powerboat. The island was becoming more developed, much busier and some of the farmland was disappearing. But, it remained a special place.
One particular visit turned out to be especially memorable. At the Yellow Kittens, a popular bar and live music club, I met my future wife, Deborah. A Bic lighter “accidentally” tossed at my feet by one of her friends got us talking. I was being set up – but no complaints!
Not long after we started our own family, we’d bring our boat to Block Island regularly with the kids. They’re grown now, but we still talk about those days and the memories we made there. Our annual pilgrimages continue still for family members who can join us.
About this photo:
If you’ve been to Block Island, you may have seen this dinghy on Sachem Pond, on the way to North Point. It’s been anchored there for years. Every time I passed it, I made a mental note to come back when there’s a dense fog.
Three years later, I woke up to exactly the conditions I’d been waiting for and drove down to the pond.
It didn’t take long to find the right position. I set up and started shooting as the dinghy almost imperceptibly swung on its mooring. When shooting in the field, I often have an idea about the composition and angle I’m looking for. But even when so, I take many images just to make sure I capture just the right moment before the fog and light changed.
The creation of one of my favorite images took only a few minutes, but I suppose it was three years in planning!
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