I walk here so often, that it does run the risk of feeling ho-hum, or even, dare I say it, ordinary. When I feel this, it’s time to bring my camera. It’s time to notice.
the details at 1.4
The discarded things, the tiny moments.. how light hits, how hair falls.
How time outside is magic for anyone noticing.
at 7am
Small things seen at sunrise, are so easy to miss in the morning midweek rush.
to beg
Finding myself
who normally rejoices
in the darkness of winter,
never one to need anything to come alive
on my behalf,
begging for Spring
the hope of Seasons.
3 Variants
I recognize I am air in varied states of holding and letting go. At times, too much is contained which forces the release. Other times I am light and free, invisible, having let go of the weight. Often, as is today, I am holding things, unable to rest, unable to release, a mist seen but not felt. The idea is there, but it is both too much and too little to transcend.
G.O.A.T. #1
Privacy Please.
A less than a week old goat hides from unwanted visitors in Prospect, TN, November 2024.
inscrutable
the Galvanized woman
who sees it all, spread before her,
the necessary intuition,
the overwhelm that comes from being
unable to compartmentalize.
Galvanized woman
who moves to find her heart beat in anything,
in ultrasound focus.
oh the inconsistencies, oh the insecurities.
Inscrutable nothing.
Inscrutable everything.
a snow day
Making the most of a modest amount of accumulation, our youngest still maintains the can-do spirit around the cold, excited for even the lighter of dustings. Plus, she didn’t have school today. Nothing to be mad about here.
I’m trying to be better about catching family moments, instead of just creating artful representations around our goings on.
My, how the turn tables… years ago my goal was to see things differently, share things differently. The big hope was to create art, less personal to our family, but more universal, around nature, life, and belonging. This goal has been firmly accomplished and solidified.. I’m proud of the work, happy to convey the mystical around this world of ours. BUT.. in a striving for balance, I do hope I can also photograph moments for what they are this year.
And, so, this is our almost nine year old, on the cusp of adolescence, seen from the porch, working the hill with a vintage Radio Flyer. She’s loving every minute of it, despite the lack of detail and monochrome edit.
Lake Padden, Washington, via iPhone 15
CYH No. 1
The blue heron makes a sound like the world is ending.
Ripping like doomsday through the air.
a regal beak, a torrential sound.
I thought life might be over, if you’d heard it too, you’d know.
partner, confidant, friend
We act in our own best interests when we…let them guide us, because in the eyes of those reflective, open hearted creatures, we can never be too joyful, too beautiful, too free.
-Linda Kohanov
Sessions like this are at the heart of why I love photography. Connection, nature, camaraderie, and golden light. All of it good for the soul of both the photographer and the subject, no matter what either is going through. Beyond grateful to have spent this evening with these two.
superfluous facts
Monuments
Rhythms
Hope
Above all else.
May love and hope, which is our natural state,
be what we return home to.
Bold
Clover Point Park, Victoria BC
Fallen
“to our glorious dead”
Outside BC’s Parliament Building, in Victoria
+
Fisgard Lighthouse
Breakwater
Ogden Point, Victoria BC
I can’t help but be drawn to these elements, even in new places.
Grit
on the streets of Victoria, BC
Windows
The Passage from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, 2024
the why of photography
As many people know, I got my start in a high school darkroom. Something magic unfolded in those chemicals. I would leave 2nd period with my hands smelling like sulfur, and pupils dilated from 90 minutes in the dark. A good student, I flowed between subjects, english, french, chemistry, and calculus, conforming to whatever in the journey of getting an A (well, not in calculus, that was a bit of a disaster). Photography was a true outlet, a place to explore the concept of artistic voice. I found ways out of other classes, phoning in responsibilities to get back in the darkroom.. it may have been my first true act of rebellion in a system I’d been in full compliance with.
Exploration kept me engaged. But over the years, I’ve been frustrated by freelance work, not sure how to stand out in crowds of talented creatives and professionals. To be real for a minute, the business end of photography hasn’t been natural.. My most recent venture in the world of boutique school portraits comes close. How I feel watching a kiddo be relaxed in front of the camera has rekindled my efforts for client work. Each student presents a new connection, an opportunity to be curious, exercise my silly streak, and offer a fun alternative to the assembly line of portraits we all knew as kids.
And then, there’s my art. The images I shoot in an effort to connect or find meaning in.. ***gestures at everything*** Life is all the experience, both positive and negative. I don’t have to tell you it can feel overwhelming to be human. It’s easy to hop into dread and anxiousness with the modern set of problems we face. This chaos feels like too much to find order in, even though we humans have been performing this stunt a long time.
My personal mantras as I’ve navigated purpose, meaning, my roles as a partner, mom, and photographer are these: as long as we have breath, there is possibility, and inherent to life, there is an ultimate sense of balance. The act of equilibrium is real. There will be highs for every low, and vice versa. We may not see the entire set up or what lies on either side of the scale. But we can rest assured it exists.
Photography is the ultimate medium of possibility, balance, or flux. Each photo excursion brings an opportunity to witness this spectrum of life, or even create within it. I love that. As an artist, finding comfort in possibility, rather than fear, is something I hope to keep sharing with the world.
I’m taking off next week to photograph new spaces and places, so it’ll be quiet here. Last time my family planned this we were thwarted by sickness. We’ve decided as a collective that NOTHING is getting in the way this time. I’ll be back at the end of August with hopefully more images to share, and maybe less words.. I don’t know! But one thing’s for sure, I’m pretty excited at the possibilities next week will afford 🤠