Earlier this week I travelled up the beautiful Northumberland coast for a game of golf, with three good pals, at Alnmouth Golf Club. The course, also known as Foxton, is located on cliffs above Alnmouth Village where there is another golf course by the same name.
There are a few rare places in the world where time as a linear construct just doesn’t seem to make much sense; places where the past, present and even the future seem to be all jumbled together, like pack ice piled up along a shoreline. For me, Yellowstone National Park is of those scarce spots. There is a magic about Yellowstone that comes from the mist of hot bubbling springs and steam-sprouting geysers. In the hills and valleys throughout the park, ghostly sulfur mist rises from soft rock outcroppings and thin, crusty salt surfaces. Boiling brooks below gurgle in the ground. The geysers hiss, whistle, give and moan before erupting.
It’s September, 2019. A storm came upon us as we had driven through Ouray and Silverton, Colorado. We were on our way to Durango to find new lodging after a disappointing surprise for our original lodging. We did find a decent place and stayed for two days.
I took this image on my iPhone 7+ at about 8:30am. My son was eating breakfast and I was drinking coffee, staring at the wall behind him. I noticed in moments that the morning sun was low enough to cast a lot of direct light onto our balcony window. In the original image, I wasn’t even sure if I liked it. Typically I use a Nikon for photos, but the moment was right and wouldn’t last long, so I used my phone. Standing as close to the wall as I could manage, I cropped out the recognizable details of our blinds until the focus was the shapes of light and opposing vertical/horizontal momentum of the composition. In the VSCO app, I played with color grading and light values until I found a cool toned, high contrast sweet spot. Film aesthetics are coveted in my favorite personal photos, so I gravitated toward a Kubrick space-inspired tone.
The work day is always unique for me. I try to find some type of way to embrace the sunshine in that day. On this particular day the sun was shining bright. The warmth of the sun kissed my melanin in a way that sowed joy into my soul's field.
For the past five years, this photo has been the lock screen on my phone. I love this photo, the energy, the memories it brings back, and it reminds me of one of the best summers of my life.
Photographers often thrive for that "perfect shot" when anticipating the next click. They take one look at the scenery and the aura surrounding it and map out the science via the lens of the camera. This, combined with an intense amount of patience and skill, can often lead to some stunning portraiture. But, I'd be lying if I told you I've spent hours debating every single snap in my portfolio. In fact, I've probably quickfire-clicked at least half of them without really thinking about the chemistry between subject and scenario. And, you know, those were actually some of my best images captured in my photography career. Those blind-fire, careless and shotgun round snaps were actually some of the crowning achievements over a lifetime of complex theory. The best part is – I never even realised it, either.
For centuries, we've domesticated animals to be compatible and convenient parts of our lives. Our love for their company and devotion has made them members of our families...some may even say our kids! Unfortunately, companion animals specifically have been bred for centuries, to the point where there's now an overpopulation issue and many face euthanasia, to no fault of their own. Open admission animal shelters around the country take in an abundance of animals every year as strays or from community members who are no longer able or willing to care for the animals. To say the least, there's no shortage of fluffy lives who need our help.
