Candy’s Sunset

For those who may be a bit squimish at the sight of insects ... warning, there’s an image of a Praying Mantis, Crane Fly and a Cicada.

Before we get to the heart of this tale ... first the origin story

As far back as I can remember, my childhood was filled with adventure and promise. There was never a day I couldn’t find something that inspired my imagination.

Take, for instance, I was an avid climber of trees and Spider-man when scaling buildings, a huge explorer of an assortment of bugs, grubs, and other strange creatures.

It was such a fascination to learn about my environment and all the interesting things that shared the space in our community.

You could say that it’s been carried over to my current status, an ongoing attitude for which I’m happily sharing with my daughter today. We both dive headfirst into anything we touch, see, and create. Together we feel like we may conquer the world and most of the time we haven’t left the confines of the living room.

To truly relate to this tale, is to feel like a child again seeing the world through wide eyes and wonder for the first time and to me, that’s what I try to instill in raising my little girl.

Capture your firsts, hold them as close to your heart as possible, enjoy the seconds, they’re the chances made of miracles, learn from the thirds, these are lessons that shake you hard, and know you’re not always going to have all the answers ... sometimes you’ve just got to put in the work.

I don’t want to fall off the tracks but then there’s a reason I write this story in this manner. It’s so one day my girl will look to the heavens and feel me watching those vivid colours splashed over the horizon with her. I wish for her to always be aware of the beauty that surrounds us every single day, no matter what our given situation may feel like at the time.

Most of my life was occupied with a creative spirit which occupied my days drawing or painting. You’d most regularly catch me with a brush or pencil in my hands while resting on the rooftop to a neighbour’s garage or hanging off the limb of a tree.

So, when I was introduced to photography when borrowing my partners' camera, it was a clear and easy transition into the life of imagery.

For weeks it had been speculated that for my thirtieth ninth birthday, I was to receive a surprise. At the time I thought nothing out of the ordinary, possibly a few gift cards, maybe even some cash; you could never have enough cash.

So, when the day arrived, and the family followed the natural order of business when we traditionally gathering around the kitchen table. Our usual Italian ritual consisted of a birthday cake that would hold a couple of candles (one burning to blow out for you’re a wish and one for good luck) all while everyone would try to give their best rendition of Marilyn Monroe’s happy birthday, just kidding that would be me singing.

This custom would also include some pastries, a giant bowl of fruit, and a mix of desserts, oh! let’s not forget the espresso. Unravelling the ribbon on the gift bag and stripping away the tissue paper. The logo seized my attention like a drill sergeant.

My very own Canon Powershot SX10IS. Sure, it wasn’t the best choice at the time considering the many brands out on the market. but I was grateful for the gesture. That night I planned to take pictures of the moon.

The bug infected me, next thing I knew. I was scouring the fields behind the house filling the memory card to the brim with every prize captured.

We had five acres to play with, not to mention all the animals ...

Seven ponies (Roxy, Breezy, Candy, Star, Peach, Fabio, and Nighty),

Five outdoor feral felines(Bowinkle, Mortimer, Coincidence, Oskar, and Maya),

Four Aussie Shepperd’s (Trinity, Pint, Kismet, and Dexter) one Collie(Mia), and surrounding wildlife.

So, you may imagine the opportunities I had to take decent shots.

It’s always been a joyful experience to mesh and bond with them. I wish I still had all their pictures but alas my computer crashed along with the drive.

I had managed to salvage a couple of shots and here’s Candy’s Sunset. I will always cherish this one because we sadly lost her tragically in a pond accident.

To catch lightning in a bottle is one thing. I was extremely fortunate to be pointing my lens in the precise direction at the exact strike of her power.

These last few are images I caught just being in the right place at the right time (it also helps that you do explore your surroundings). And it also helps to be lucky...right Mother Nature?

If you so desire and wish to have a look into my creative spirit feel free to visit my Instagram profile ...

https://www.instagram.com/crphoenix3/