A cargo ship  first appears on the eastern horizon as an almost-horizontal skyscraper.

It's visually jarring. As it gets closer to shore, and is met by the tugboats that guide it into port, a sense of wonderment sets in. How does something so massive float? It isn't until you are close enough, and able to distinguish each container stacked on its decks, that the full magnitude of what it represents sets in. From the steel used to build its hull, to the propulsion that moves it across oceans; a cargo ship is the ultimate manifestation of the industrial revolution. 

Within its walls are the aspirations and dreams of people from every corner of the earth, as represented through trade. Ideas become products, that then become staples. Thus, a ship's hull is an ever-changing curtain; a veil that, when peeled back, exposes a glimpse into the cross-section of the social, economic, and cultural achievements of a rapidly-changing world. The challenges facing the shipping industry truly mirror the challenges of society. As the world becomes smaller and countries

become more diverse and integrated, the one constant is trade.

My photographs are taken at sea level - at the bottom of the steel curtain. They show the effects that transoceanic travel has on the steel hull of the freighter. Salt water, blistering sun, and stinging rain wash away layers of paint and create pockets of rust. Sun light that dances, reflecting off of the turquoise waters of Biscayne Bay.

Miami is a burgeoning, cutting edge city of the future. It is a place where lives and culture intersect and overlap. It is at the

forefront of global trade and cultural integration, and its beauty is found in unexpected and unintended places.