When the surf was high, the sounds of the sea was one continuous roar, heavy, deep, dark, sombre, with all kinds of variation, and at its height you felt it also came from the very Earth beneath your feet. Composers would have called this the opera of the sea, poets would have called it the expression of the bleeding dawn sky, and priests the voice of God in nature.
~ Þórbergur Þórðarson, Icelandic Poet
One of my favorite ways of enjoying the beauty of nature is through the sound of cinematic music. Whether on a roadtrip to an epic destination or while flying my drone over a vast landscape, the moment is often underscored by the imaginations of composers. And even when I choose silence as my soundtrack, I still hear a symphony in my head when I see the wonders of Creation. Which is why one of my greatest creative joys is collaborating with musical artists in bringing their audible artwork to visual life!
Last year, I got to experience that unique joy again when composer Austin Fray approached me with a dream. And I am so excited to share that dream with you today! It’s called Love Like an Ocean—a 16-minute film that is a love letter to the open seas, “to all that is loved and longed for,” as Austin so eloquently puts it.
To appropriately match Austin’s passion for the deep, I tapped into my own longing that I’ve chased over the past few years: The West Coast of America. The scenes of the coast out here can be overwhelming & jaw-dropping, but they can also carry a peace & serenity that quiets the soul. So I decided to feature the Northern California & Oregon coastlines for the film, as my own love letter to the edge of my new home, the PNW.
Waves Come in Sets of 3
Like big waves rising from the deep, Love Like an Ocean comes in a set of three parts, which mirrors the EP Austin has just released. The video above is just the first movement. If you’d like to watch the full 16-minute film, you can do so on Austin’s YouTube Channel!
PART ONE
Part One, “Love Like an Ocean”, begins with a view of the horizon at civil twilight. Pulling back in reverse, our eyes are drawn out to the sea, as if longing for what we cannot see, a distant land beyond the light. As we move closer & closer to the shore of our present home, the new day begins to darken, the waves begin to grow stronger, & the land begins to rise abruptly from the waters. And the music crescendos with the roaring, heavy immensity of the wavelengths in the wild.
PART TWO
In Part Two, “Edge of the Sea”, we shift our perspective from the horizon to the Earth below. We are given a top-down view of the deep waters surging beneath us & are treated to sights rarely seen. Like in Part One, we are gradually moving closer & closer to the rocky shore. Waves breaking on rocks cause the current to foam & swirl, mingling with the sand & trees like a piece of abstract art. And halfway through, as the song lifts, the sun breaks through the clouds, separating the gloomy day into light & shadow.
PART THREE
In the final movement, “Recollection”, we turn our gaze back to the horizon, but this time facing the land. The rising sun is now made visible as it bursts from behind coastal mountains & casts golden rays through the evergreen trees that make their home on sea-cliffs & sea-stacks. But eventually, our gaze is beckoned back to the sea as we remember—or rather recollect—a home we have not yet seen, but is just there beyond sight, calling to us. And I am reminded of the words Tolkien used to describe Valinor, The Undying Lands in the West.
The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it… White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.
~ JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
A WEEK OF WILD WONDER
Thank you all again for making this week one of the most memorable ever! The past few days have been a wild ride, & I have been blown away at the support & enthusiasm shared by so many. THANK YOU!!!
If you’d like to see my book WILD WONDER continue to see success & get into the hands of others, please leave a review on Amazon. And if you have an extra minute, please go copy & paste your review on GoodReads, as well! I cannot overstate how valuable & important this is to the success of the book, especially during release week!
And as another quick reminder, I am giving away 10 signed copies of the book!! This is a fun opportunity for you to show off the beauty of Creation through YOUR lens by submitting your favorite nature photo from this summer. The submission deadline is September 17th.
Thank you all once again for your time & space today. I hope Love Like an Ocean brings some calm & peace to your soul. Be sure to follow Austin Fray’s gorgeous work & check out his new EP, which is releasing today!
Peace be with you,
Stephen P.
P.S. Here are some photos from the WILD WONDER book launch events in Stevenson, WA & Portland, OR! It was an overwhelming turnout & filled with some of my closest friends in the area! I’ll never forget it. =)
Love Like an Ocean