Losing Cape Cod
The tide goes out. It comes back in. But what remains is altered.
My mother brought me here for the first time as a pre-teen. I don’t remember much about it other than noting it was very different from the Jersey Shore. Almost 20 years later, I moved here to work at Borders, Books, Music, and Café.
I came to understand that even though I am a “washashore,” I chose to live here. The sands that make up this beautiful place were carried here, but I was deposited of my own volition. I have continued to remain. That’s why it felt important for me to represent the change that has been eroding “Cape Cod.” Every summer, people flock here because this place represents the idea of family summers by the water. It does not look like my Cape Cod. It has sand, but it does not have grit. This project intends to show the Cape Cod that struggles under the wear of life just like everyone else, not the air quotes “Cape Cod.”
Communities everywhere are undergoing sea changes of their own. This place is just where my experience happens. In this place, the complexity of environmental actions is also at play. In communities all over, the American Dream of home ownership is slipping away as property values continue to skyrocket and many people are strapped with costs like tuition, rent, healthcare, and more while income levels continue to be outpaced. Erosion is part of every aspect of our lives.
When I moved to Cape Cod for work, I wished it to be magical as I did already see it, but also more like northern New Jersey, where I moved from and spent most of my life. I worried that if I moved here, it would all become normal. It would lose the qualities that made it magical for me. And it happened. Still, as some of the magic faded away, it became more precious because I came to recognize how delicately it was and is all held together.
The tide goes out. It comes back in. But what remains is altered.
My mother brought me here for the first time as a pre-teen. I don’t remember much about it other than noting it was very different from the Jersey Shore. Almost 20 years later, I moved here to work at Borders, Books, Music, and Café.
I came to understand that even though I am a “washashore,” I chose to live here. The sands that make up this beautiful place were carried here, but I was deposited of my own volition. I have continued to remain. That’s why it felt important for me to represent the change that has been eroding “Cape Cod.” Every summer, people flock here because this place represents the idea of family summers by the water. It does not look like my Cape Cod. It has sand, but it does not have grit. This project intends to show the Cape Cod that struggles under the wear of life just like everyone else, not the air quotes “Cape Cod.”
Communities everywhere are undergoing sea changes of their own. This place is just where my experience happens. In this place, the complexity of environmental actions is also at play. In communities all over, the American Dream of home ownership is slipping away as property values continue to skyrocket and many people are strapped with costs like tuition, rent, healthcare, and more while income levels continue to be outpaced. Erosion is part of every aspect of our lives.
When I moved to Cape Cod for work, I wished it to be magical as I did already see it, but also more like northern New Jersey, where I moved from and spent most of my life. I worried that if I moved here, it would all become normal. It would lose the qualities that made it magical for me. And it happened. Still, as some of the magic faded away, it became more precious because I came to recognize how delicately it was and is all held together.
1The Dawning of a New Era_Joe McClure2Time Is Limited_Joe McClure3Time is Up_Joe McClure4Time Moves On_Joe McClure5Barred Crossing_Joe McClure6How Will the Situation Wash Out_Joe McClure7Haul up All Your Petty Desires_Joe McClure8The Situation is Fluid_Joe McClure9The King's Domain_Joe McClure10Somewhat Off Kilter_Joe McClure11Somewhat Off Kilter_Joe McClure12Somewhat Off Kilter_Joe McClure13Precariously Unsustainable_Joe McClure14Replanted_Joe McClure15It Used to Be Here_Joe McClure16Here the Houses Move_Joe McClure17Abandoned Things_Joe McClure18Considering the Significance_Joe McClure19Impromptu Boat Storage_Joe McClure20Grand Memories Pass to Hopes in Desperation_Joe McClure21The Resurrection in the Light_Joe McClure22Lost in Time_Joe McClure23Hungry Jaws_Joe McClure24Skewed Smile_Joe McClure25Transection_Joe McClure26Little Pink Houses_Joe McClure27Get Under the Skin_Joe McClure28Clear Cut_Joe McClure29Posted_Joe McClure30Keep It Wrapped_Joe McClure31When a House Is Not a Home_Joe McClure32When a House Is Not a Home_Joe McClure33Private Red Door_Joe McClure34The Second Empire of Mythical Creatures_Joe McClure35Wood in the Fireplace_Joe McClure36Hues of Rebellion_Joe McClure37House on the Knoll_Joe McClure38Faceless_Joe McClure39Proceeding to the Door 3_Joe McClure40Removing the Makeup_Joe McClure41No Octane_Joe McClure42Directions at Britos_Joe McClure43The Start of a New Season_Joe McClure44They Didn't See It Throughg_Joe McClure45Welcome to the Show_Joe McClure46_Joe McClure47_Joe McClure48Just Add Water_Joe McClure49In a Perfect World_Joe McClure50End of the Line_Joe McClureCreate a custom title
It was the best of photography, it was the worst of nothing, it was the age of sharing, it was the age of privacy, it was the epoch of pros, it was the epoch of snapshooters, it was the season of good Lighting, it was the season of Presets, it was the spring of portfolios, it was the winter of galleries.
Somewhere in la Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember, a photographer lived not long ago, one of those who has a camera and a speedlight and keeps a bag of lenses and a tripod for shooting.
It was the best of photography, it was the worst of nothing, it was the age of sharing, it was the age of privacy, it was the epoch of pros, it was the epoch of snapshooters, it was the season of good Lighting, it was the season of Presets, it was the spring of portfolios, it was the winter of galleries.
Somewhere in la Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember, a photographer lived not long ago, one of those who has a camera and a speedlight and keeps a bag of lenses and a tripod for shooting.
Create a custom title
It was the best of photography, it was the worst of nothing, it was the age of sharing, it was the age of privacy, it was the epoch of pros, it was the epoch of snapshooters, it was the season of good Lighting, it was the season of Presets, it was the spring of portfolios, it was the winter of galleries.
Somewhere in la Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember, a photographer lived not long ago, one of those who has a camera and a speedlight and keeps a bag of lenses and a tripod for shooting.
It was the best of photography, it was the worst of nothing, it was the age of sharing, it was the age of privacy, it was the epoch of pros, it was the epoch of snapshooters, it was the season of good Lighting, it was the season of Presets, it was the spring of portfolios, it was the winter of galleries.
Somewhere in la Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember, a photographer lived not long ago, one of those who has a camera and a speedlight and keeps a bag of lenses and a tripod for shooting.
Bio
For nearly twenty years, Joe has been a database developer on beautiful Cape Cod. Photography is yet another way to compile and store data.
Joe’s work explores the transformation of Cape Cod and the correlation between the natural and built landscape. His work is an expression of how we connect to places as individuals and how that differs depending on whether you are connected by birth or by circumstance. He creates images that evoke a feeling of connectedness with the landscapes he presents to help people consider the effects they have on their local environment. He wants to show the world around him as it is and also as it feels to him. His photography is about place: images that are imbued with the intent to convey a story or experience. He looks to Lyric Documentary and New Topographics and creates images that interpret and express the world around us.
Joe has exhibited at the Cape Cod Art Center frequently since 2019. His work has received several awards.
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