Father and Son

I made this image back in 2009 in central Mexico.  I was a film photographer at the time but had just purchased a small point and shoot digital camera.  We were in a rural mountain town wondering around and I found my way into an old church in the center of town.  In the back of the church there were people that lived in a small room that apparently had no home.  I spend some time there and made a few images but the people were quiet and subdued.  Just for a few moments I was in their daily world and felt the struggle of their existence.  Whenever I start to feel self pity and grumble I look back at some of these images and realized how blessed my life has been.  The human condition varies  all over the world and sometimes it is easy to forget that most of the world lives with far less than myself.  Being grateful for what you have should begin with the start of every new day. 

First Image of the New Year

I went out photographing on New Years day hoping to do some wading around in some mangroves.  It was an overcast day with no wind to deal with.  I grabbed my hip boots and camera gear went out to a salt marsh area on the Indian River.  As I explored the area I found that the low tide had drained some of the areas I was interested in photographing.  I decided it was best to return another day and started looking for other subject matter to photograph.  As I made my way back to my truck I saw this palm frond tucked back in group of palms and it had a wonderful glow to it.  I setup my tripod and and configured the best possible composition to display radiance of the palm.  After I processed the image I was quiet pleased with the results and it removed any disappointment I had of not being able to photograph in the mangroves that day. 

Cedar Key, Fl.

We were in Cedar Key, Fl. last week, a place we enjoy going to eat some fresh seafood.  The winter months there are usually foggy and the heavy fog can be around the entire day.  We stayed in a small motel right near the bay that had a great view of the water.  One morning I was sitting there with a cup of coffee waiting for the fog to lift so I could go photographing.  As the fog moved around I noticed a sail boat on the bay with all of it's sails up.  I quickly grabbed my camera and went down towards the water.  Much to my surprise when I got to the location to photograph, the sails were down on the boat.  I was a bit discouraged because the scene had changed and wasn't what I saw from the motel moments before.  I went ahead and made a few exposures and still enjoyed the changing atmosphere of this foggy morning.  In my years of photography I am always amazed with how quickly a scene can change.  Many wonderful images never got made because of the fast changing light, but they live in my memory.  The craft of photography is like many other disciplines in life.  It takes consistent practice to maintain a creative eye and to handle the equipment with little thought.