Following the Deepwater Horizon Incident on April 20, 2010 and prior to any oil ever reaching the shores of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, the media frightened anyone that would watch. Fear of contamination had thousands of vacationers cancelling their reservations and seeking other destinations even though there was no immediate threat. The truth needed to be told whether it was pretty or ugly. We needed to maintain our credibility so that when things improved, we’d be believed.

Outside of what Gulf Shores Orange Beach Tourism (fka Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau) would do to tell the true story of what was actually happening on our beaches, I decided to visit the beach early in the mornings before work to take pictures of what “was” or “was not” on our public beaches and post them on Facebook. At least anyone that would view those pictures, all dated and identified by location, would believe that what they were seeing in the news was not accurate and might visit us anyway. It worked. Tourism on the Alabama Gulf Coast has returned to record levels and I’ve gained a new appreciation for our small town and it’s beaches, never to take them for granted again.

Nearly eight years later there are a handful of days I was unable to visit the beach due to being out of town, or from volunteering at our Annual National Shrimp Festival which absorbs five full days of can till can’t. I don’t know when viewers will tire of seeing the pictures or how long I’ll be able to continue to take them, but at least for now it’s a daily habit that I don’t want to lose. I’ve been accused to “selling out” to BP. I’ve been accused of enhancing the pictures I take to reflect something that isn’t. If you want to see for yourself, come join me. Take your own pictures and compare them with what I post.

Now, more than 5,000 friends and 3,000 followers on Facebook depend on me to get a glimpse of “what it looks like today” and I can’t disappoint them. Having reached the friend limit of 5,000 long ago, I created a Facebook page specifically for posting my daily albums simply called CoastCards Inc. Please like and share it!

Many encouraged me to publish and sell my work. Many comments were that a particular photo was so pretty that it should be a post card. My wife Renee’, creative soul that she is, came up with the name Coast Cards so here we are. You can visit my fulfillment site and have the photos converted to canvas, vinyl, greeting cards, post cards, and much more. If you’re in the area, look me up and we’ll meet to shoot sometime. CoastCards are also available on the shelf at Tacky Jack’s Restaurant in Gulf Shores.

Thank you for being on this journey with me!