Destin beautiful Beach in the middle of the spill Late June.

Well another summer season has come and gone on the emerald coast and I have to say I am very disappointed with the media.  You know so many great people make their livings on the emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Its beauty is enjoyed by those of us who live here and is a massive draw to others all over the country as well, thus our way of life revolves heavily around tourism.  As a Destin photographer making his living by the very heart of what makes Destin and the Beaches of South Walton work (tourism) I am so mad at the way the media portrayed the oil spill.  I am on the beach just about every day of the week and I have to say we had virtually nothing to worry about.  But because the media talked about the oil and the entire region being a disaster the livelihoods of the folks that make their living on the gulf coast have had their businesses threatened, most everyone has had a nonprofit season and the season typically carries everyone through to next season.  The worst case is that some businesses have closed and the ones that haven’t are holding on by a thread.  Media is powerful and before they start making all kinds of assumptions about how catastrophic things are they might want to make sure that catastrophic is really the case.  Our area has had very few hard-hitting issues with regards to the environment as far as I know.  To be clear the literally four or five tar balls that I actually saw were no bigger than my thumb nail.  Yet as a result of the media, businesses all over town have suffered.  We have all heard about the domino effect.  Do we really know what that means?  From my perspective it means for example we start with a vacation planed by the Jones in January of 2010 to stay at xyz resort or with xyz vacation Rental Company.  The media announces our area is devastated and doesn’t let up.  The Jones call and cancel their vacation.  Multiply this effect times the number of folks we see during our season, and then attach the domino effect.  No bookings means no revenue for the company which means they have to cut back in every aspect of how they run their business.  Further, food from ice cream to five-star dining, water activities from fishing to canoeing, movies, night life, grocery stores, retail establishments, golf courses, Weddings and beach portrait photography.  Every single thing that we have to offer in Destin and The Beaches of South Walton has been affected by the media and how they portrayed our little spot on the map.  Don’t get me wrong I am not saying we shouldn’t be concerned about the state of the areas that took the hits however, I don’t feel that we should be plastering an 800 number all over the news  to cancel vacations  because of the devastation that happen miles and miles away from us.  We shouldn’t assume devastation to areas based on nothing more than a guess.  There are too many people’s livelihoods at stake to make such a blanket statement that could and has affected the area so badly.  The oil has almost been completely capped at this point and we still don’t know how much oil or to use BP’s term “Plums” are under the water  so we still don’t know what’s going to happen or how much the oil is going to continue to affect our environment.  All I hope is that Destin and the Beaches of South Walton stays clean and the media changes the way they present the news.  Our communities are strong and we will get through this.  So everyone that’s reading this is already thinking about coming back and I say to you come enjoy The Beaches of the Emerald Coast and enjoy your vacation and don’t forget to schedule your beach photography at www.TheDestinPhotographer.com

My brother spent years hoping that one day, our father would find the time to take him away to a secluded spot and experience the rite of passage of a son fishing with his father.  In retrospect, I think my father thought he had all the time in the world for that one day to happen.  I want to think that he didn’t purposely miss out on my brother’s life.  It wasn’t just the tackle box that sat collecting dust at the top of my brother’s closet.  As an adult, my brother’s father-in-law finally showed him the “ropes” and to this day, my brother is of course, an avid fisherman.  His bond with Mr. Ross is endless and grounded in a mutual respect that my father will never know with his son.

Today, my best friend in the whole world, and potentially, your Destin photographer, made sure that my son didn’t have a dusty tackle box at the top of his closet.  Joe has been the most amazing blessing for my children.  My son adores him and the more time that they spend together, the less you can tell them apart.  After purchasing his first rod and reel, the two boys headed off to go fishing in the Beaches of South Walton, rain or shine.  They came back soaking wet, but my son had a smile that stretched from ear to ear, and quite tall tales to tell.  There was a fish that got away, and he was sure of this because he saw the whiskers, and a bit of guilt from the fish that my son was positive got its face ripped off when he pulled on the line too hard.  Regardless of coming home without dinner, my son was not empty handed.  He brought home confidence and hope, and an experience that gave him a glimpse of his manhood. 

As for Joe, I would like to think that his ability to find such beauty in every scene as a photographer is what makes him such an amazing life partner and father.  He must see something in us that is worth all of the trouble.

I know many of you have been searching the web and finding several qualified Destin photography professionals, but I assure you that you Joe’s talent lies far beyond his camera skills.  Joe sees life differently, understands the small stuff, magnifies the forgotten and truly cares about the product he delivers.