Dragonflies at Dusk

March 10, 2016

These images were made on a walk at the end of the day in Keyes Conservation Area, also known as "Oak Hill." In the field the air was full of dragonflies eating mosquitoes, and birds eating the dragonflies. I've never seen anything like this before. I stood watching as the battle for life waged on, thinking "If I was smaller, I too would be fleeing for my life."

Dragonflies, 2010 © Traverse Day Robinette

Oak Hill, 2010 © Traverse Day Robinette

Goldenrod, 2010 © Traverse Day Robinette

Moving Images: Surge & Surface

March 19, 2015

In the summer of 2014, I experimented with an underwater video camera for the first time. This is also the first time I've worked with video since high school. I still thoroughly enjoy making still images, but it was interesting to more or less make a still image where time and movement are added elements.

Surge; Marblehead Light, 2014 © Traverse Day Robinette

I've always thought that swimming and diving beneath the surface was as close as I could ever come to flying. Beneath the waves I can study the movement of life and be caught up in the movement of the sea. The surface is where I must return, it's a joy to refill my lungs and marvel at the beauty of where water meets sky. Two worlds they are and I belong in one, yet I visit the other as frequently as I can.

Surface; Castle Rock, 2014 © Traverse Day Robinette

El Salvador

February 05, 2015 • Leave a Comment

John; Fort Lauderdale and Jellyfish, 2011 © Traverse Day Robinette

Our journey started with an unexpected layover in Fort Lauderdale. August heat and jellyfish make for a horrible combination. No one was in the water except for a few kids and we could see jellyfish clearly in the surf. I asked the lifeguards if it was safe to swim and their response was "yes". I asked about the jellyfish and they replied "it's like a bee sting". Anyone who has ever been stung by a bee knows it's not a pleasurable experience. Now imagine swimming in water filled with jellyfish that sting like bees, which would be a terrible idea. John made it to waist deep in the surf before running back to shore in a world of pain.

John; Bus Ride, 2011 © Traverse Day Robinette

Our Spanish was pathetic at best, and what better way to start our adventure then to take a bus from San Salvador to Barra de Santiago. People were extremely friendly, even with the details of "that is where they kill people". An elderly man points to the location out the window.

Traverse; El Imposible, 2011 © Traverse Day Robinette

Memories of the jungle consist of ice cold rivers, oppressive humidity, and eating pupusas in the back of a pickup truck speeding down the highway. The jungle is a beautiful place.

John; Barra de Santiago, 2011 © Traverse Day Robinette

I would surf and John would read. When I came back to shore he would say "You were really far out, there had to be sharks where you were at", and then catch me up on his discoveries of Patti Smith. One night phosphorescence washed up on the beach. As we ran, our footprints in the sand would flash green for an instant. I felt like a child in a picture book where anything was possible.