Locks are part of life. We all use them to protect our belongings. Even in a vacation paradise, we need to have locks and cables to secure the two beautiful wooden patio chairs gracing this sun-splashed Southern California bayside vacation patio. I took on the challenge of converting this situation into a photograph symbolizing the nature of our times. The most effective way to create symbols is to abstract the subject by removing detail and leaving it up to viewers to come to their own conclusions. I moved in close and shot into the sunlight to turn the lock, cable, chair legs, and the wavy shadows of the chairs into silhouetted forms juxtaposed upon the diagonal grid of brown patio tile. The result: an ironic comment on the need for locks and cables to keep people from stealing chairs used purely for relaxation.