Beyond the Dunes A Portrait of the Hamptons

The South Fork of Long Island extends only forty miles, stretching east into the Atlantic Ocean from the Shinnecock Canal to the majestic bluffs at Montauk Point. Dotting the coastline are the stylish HamptonsSouthampton, East Hampton, Westhampton Beach, and Bridgehamptonand villages of Sag Harbor, Amagansett, Watermill, and Sagaponack. The landscape in which these towns sit is unique in the United States. It is not one landscape but a collection of themdune, farmland, woods, bays, swamps, ponds, marshes, pine barrens, and a high ridge, the moraine left by the glacier that long ago swept across the continent. All is bathed in an extraordinary silvery light that, at once warm and crisp, washes over both land and sea. Acclaimed photographer Jake Rajs has created a compelling portrait of the Hamptons, juxtaposing privet hedges and pumpkin fields, crashing surf and serene coves, fishermen and polo players, contemporary houses and modest shingled cottages. Most important, he has captured the light throughout the day, from misty dawn to the vivid colors of sunset.

Jake Rajs has traveled across America and throughout the world capturing the images and spirit of place. His work is widely published and his books include the highly successful Between Sea and Sky: Landscapes of Long Island's North Fork, The Hudson River, and New York City of Islands.

Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Paul Goldberger is currently the architecture critic for The New Yorker magazine. He is a frequent contributor to books on architecture and the author most recently of Up from Zero: Politics, Architecture, and the Rebuilding of New York.