Hands That Know the Water

November 6, 2025

“Less is more.” ~ Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

I’ve learned that sometimes what you don’t show in a picture can tell the story best.

This morning, it wasn’t the man’s face that caught my attention — it was his hands. The way he held the reel told me everything I needed to know. You could see years of patience and practice written in those lines.

I like to think those hands have known both calm mornings and stubborn fish, tangled lines and quiet victories. There’s a peace that comes from time spent near the water, and somehow his hands carried all of that in them.

Maybe that’s what photography is really about for me — seeing the meaning tucked into the smallest details. A hand. A shadow. A moment that never comes again.

River Park, Pascagoula, MS