For the last five years, photographer Mat Arney has captured the rising and setting of the sun on both the summer and winter solstices — moments that remind us of our place in the cycles of nature. This ritual, repeated twice each year, has become a creative journey and a meditation on time, light, and seasonality.
How often do we truly pause to witness a sunrise or sunset? Probably not as often as we would like. Life moves quickly, clouds intervene, and even those who live by the sea may let these daily wonders slip away unnoticed. Yet, on the longest and shortest days of the year, Mat has made a point to be present — camera on tripod, facing the horizon, ready to mark these turning points.
It began on the winter solstice of 2020, simply as an excuse to visit the beach twice in one day. But curiosity grew, and by the following summer solstice, the series had taken shape. Five years and twenty solstice surfscapes later, Mat reflects on the rhythm of this practice.
The solstices are not just dates on a calendar. They are precise astronomical events: the peaks and troughs of the Earth’s annual orbit. Much like the ebb and flow of daily tides, these extremes are connected to the Moon — born from a cosmic collision that tilted the Earth on its 23.5° axis, giving us seasons and surf-worthy weather. For surfers, this ancient impact has shaped a way of life.
Mat’s images, which he calls “surfscapes”, are long-exposure photographs created with intentional camera movement. The horizon is held level, while the camera sweeps from side to side, transforming sea and sky into abstract bands of color. Some mornings have been storm-dark, the wind toppling his camera. Some evenings, the beach was alive with solstice gatherings, dogs and people blurring into frame. Each image is imperfect, yet meaningful — a record of nature as it truly revealed itself in that fleeting moment.
The constraints of this project — the same camera, same tripod, same beach, exact times, twice a year — are what make it so creatively rewarding. These surfscapes are less about chasing the perfect shot, and more about honoring the solstice itself.
Through mythirdjersey, we are proud to share Mat’s five-year journey, an invitation to slow down, to witness, and to remember our connection to the turning of the seasons.