C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 131
J
ust when photographer Tom O'Neal seems
to settle into a stylistic niche, he unveils a new
facet of his creativity. He began his career in
late '60s Southern California, shooting album cov-
ers and rock stars. During his decades working on
the Monterey Peninsula, he's explored all sides of
his craft, from commercial work to fine art pho-
tography. He's also built a solid reputation as one of
the finest wedding photographers in the game.
Now, O'Neal has trained his lens on the ocean.
"For the first time in 25 years, my wife Mollie
and I are living close to the beach," O'Neal says.
"That proximity inspired me. The waves breaking
on the shore are mesmerizing. I wanted to cap-
ture the beauty of the constant movement of
waves and ocean in still images."
In his "La Mer" series, O'Neal has frozen the con-
stantly moving choreography of the Pacific by liter-
ally putting that movement into his photographs.
"To indicate the movement of the ocean, I very
slowly pan with my camera and simultaneously
move side to side while shooting," he explains.
"My intent is to capture the movement, yet not
alter the image to the point of being too abstract."
The results are hypnotic, moody images that, in
the photographer's words, "give the viewer a
sense of calm and symmetrical balance."
"AQUA"
"CAHUD ROUGE"
