I have always enjoyed water sports, even if I was never really particularly great at them. But I was always captivated by the visuals. The sleek lines of the rider cutting through the water, and the spray of the wake that slices up into the air have been cut into my memory ever since I was a little kid and watched my uncles appear to perfect the very difficult sports. While setting up for a sunset, I was able to watch this rider cutting through Pactola Reservoir. For me, the rider wasn't as important as the experience of visuals. To put it another way, who was riding wasn't as important to me as the fact that they were riding. So for this shot, I used a longer shutter speed to capture the motion of the rider, and in doing so, give him his anonymity. With this, this image becomes more about slicing through the water and the spray of the wake. Just like I remembered it as a kid.
Pactola Reservoir, South Dakota - In the Wake