Of Land — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
I stand upon thee shaken and uprooted. Winds of change erode the tenets of false truths exposing past misdeeds naked and afraid. Rampant theft and wanton expansion laid bare. Am I up for it? Do I possess real strength? Am I worthy of the challenge? A force for good? Will I cling to comfort, run for cover, and drape myself in the familiar linens of false prophets? Or will I see Others, hear their pain and adapt? Land is stable, of this we know. Yet slowly, near imperceptibly it shifts and moves without stopping, transforming the long view into something new. Do I have the courage to grow? Of Land, surely He would know.
I Remember — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
I remember sunset. I hold her grace. I see her green her beloved salt marsh, festooning her summered wetlands with pastel gossamer. Knowing, she looks up at herself and I see. Centered in all this color I remember. I remember a heart that beats to new rhythms still comforted in the familiar embrace of the melody. I remember sunset. I remember why I am here.
This Is Not Important — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
The moment is important. The movement is important. Tectonic forces shift as fault lines give way to the titanic pressure born of our nation’s original sin. Righteous activists are drawing back the iron curtain concealing a four century legacy of enslavement, oppression, colonization, segregation, and forced separation. A reckoning is upon as, and long may it reign until we address and redress the trauma, theft, and death wrought by racism is all its insidious forms.
Ignoring the moment is not ok. Denying the moment is not ok. Choosing to undermine the movement is active participation in amoral treachery and doles out tangible harm against our BIPOC brothers and sisters. This is the time to listen, to learn, to understand, and to empathize with our fellow citizens long denied access to the many freedoms we take for granted. This is not the time to insist in our righteousness and double-down on our own spoon fed, sugar-coated worldview with history written by the winners. I am a privileged cis-gendered heteronormative white man born in the United States in the late 20th century. I hit the birth lottery. Sure I have worked hard in life and struggled at times, but I’ve earned so many undeserved free passes because I look the part and fit a certain role. This is not ok, and to deny it is heretical.
So what am I going to do? I am going to sit. I am going to listen. I am going to learn. I am going to accept the painful stories our Black brothers and sisters are sharing across the internet. The issue of racism and the violence it engenders is being met head on, and I will not stand in the way of this challenge. In the United States we love to highlight all our past glory. I get it, I, too, am passionate about our founding mythology. It is long past overdue we spend equal time peeling back a hidden shame so unconscionable we built power structures to bury it. We ask of people to be introspective, to probe and understand our failings so we can address them, correct them, and grow. Why do we not apply this same logic to our national story? Denying America’s failings makes zero sense, and it only leaves us weaker and morally bereft. Worse yet, it leaves our most vulnerable and oppressed exposed and endangered—and in too many cases dead at the hands of those whom pledged to protect.
We are only as free as the most oppressed and disenfranchised among us. Freedom is a cudgel of oppression up until the moment it fully liberates and embraces us all. We must challenge ourselves every moment of every day to live up to our highest ideals. The self-evident truth that every person is created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Can we finally make this a reality for all Americans? And in the event I was not clear: Black Lives Matter. Full stop. End of discussion.
It is in evening blue light when the day’s last comings glow, ebbing slow each night as the final light of day goes. It is a soft kiss, a gentle embrace as day shares love with her partner night. For a few moments the two poles dance together, igniting passion in the pastel embers of yearning. It is devotion writ large, a passion play painting tenderness on nature’s most dramatic stage. Ensconced our lovers intwine but twice each day, and they are here to teach us whenever we choose to learn.
Out of Exile — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
A weary traveller, chastened and humbled returning from isolation made his way out of exile to this sacred place of restoration and life. To the marsh he’d seen so many times before. The same marsh he’s photographed for more than eight years with dutiful care. To this holy marsh where centeredness and peace comes easy. It is at this place he bears witness to its cyclical grace of death and rebirth marked by its annual rise and fall. The comings and goings of its grasses, the arrival and departure of migratory sea birds, the summer flourish of bugs to feed the ecosystem, and all manner of life in between. It is the marsh of his youth that will god willing serve as the marsh of his golden years. It is the marsh to which he will always return when called out of exile.
Last Light of Eve — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
Made back on Christmas Eve, I have been sitting on this photograph for a week now. No real reason other than way too much life happening right now, and far too little of it the good kind. Nevertheless the capstone holiday for many children the world over met well with a fine burn over southern Ocean County. Doubtless the North Pole swarmed and pulsed with its final pre-flight check as the sun kissed its goodbyes.
Tonight begins another round of goodbyes. Goodbye to both a year and a decade. It is time for the ’20s whether ready or not. No choice but to embrace what is and what is about to be. My wish for the new year is more love, hope, patience, and tolerance for us all. Less reacting and more understanding. Less judgement and more forgiveness. Less emptiness and more fulfillment. Appreciate all you have—for having that which matters most is always a temporary condition. So love full and love complete, and know yours is a life well lived.
Thanks again, everyone. Happy New Year to you and yours. I wish continued blessings to those whose cups are full, yet I will not miss the chance to recognize, love, and honor those whom struggle with loss and loneliness during this time. I see you.
Wait for It — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
Yesterday afternoon was a treat. A late stage pulsing sunset served a tonic for the soul. An overcast deck held sway even as the sun dropped below the horizon leaving grays and blues dominating. Yet I waited. There was enough breaks to the cloud and enough experience chasing sunsets to know I ought lend time to the sky. Five minutes passed and sure enough a touch of pink begin building to my south-southwest. Over the next five minutes a panoply of pastel color flourished. The game was afoot.
Unfortunately, a fellow sunset reveler about a quarter mile away threw in the towel too early. They packed up early and missed the show, reminding me too often people bail on the sunset too soon. So one quick tip I’m more than happy to share: Wait at least 10 minutes after the sunsets before punching out. (20 minutes if you have time to spare.) This simple change will take your sunset photo making to the next level. Far more often the best color comes 5-10 minutes after sundown. Remember this and please apply accordingly. Now get out there and wait for it.
Short Days — 14mm | f/8 | ISO 100 | 7 Bracketed Exposures
The sun sets early this time of year. Snuffing out daylight early and often. Long nights leave us vexed, corrupting our internal sense of time. How is it only 6:00 p.m.? It feels more like midnight. Premature exhaustion settles in by 8:00 p.m. and the call to hibernate is real. So is the struggle. When midnight hits so does the second wind and the time destroying whims of winter come full circle. Morning alarm goes off and we rejoin the dark waltz again.
Yet winter and its stunted days are not without benefit. Here’s a quick hit list of its boon:
Holidays! Halloween through New Year’s marks a run of festivities to cover all manner of secular and religious celebration. Hell, we’re even afforded our chance at the annual airing of grievances.
Time off! Dating back to our childhood we associate this season with winter break and snow days. Even into adulthood we appreciate the breaks we earn.
Snow! Many hate it, I love it. For my money it’s the only weather that makes living in cold climes worthwhile. Let’s all agree to slow down a bit more and stay safe when we have to drive upon it.
Video games! In honor of capitalism, entertainment companies drop all manner of first rate AAA titles upon button starved consumers. This pairs nicely with long nights and time off. As a lifelong Nintendo fanboy there’s nothing like questing through Hyrule on a long cold night.
Movies! Whether it was the early 2000s dropping The Lord of the Rings in three successive Decembers or the Star Wars drops of the late 2010s, winter blockbusters are a cozy way to spend an evening.
Sunsets! Sure they happen early, but nothing compares to cold fuel winter sunsets. It’s when the vivid pastels paint the sky, and the ever elusive purple comes to play.
Fresh starts! New Year’s gives us a chance to begin again. Wipe the slate clean and make new things happen.
What are some ways you make the most of long nights delivered at the hands of short days?
I am overfond of this oxbow feature of Cedar Run. It is a peaceful turn in the gentle meandering of a low key run of brackish water in the Cedar Run Dock Road marsh. It sets behind my usual sunset orientation from my most used spot to make photographs. Under a sky spanning sunset, even this northwest orientation colors up full and sets the oxbow aglow.
So it was on November 15. Minutes before I captured this smoldering sky fire to the west, I set tripod and lens about a pastel swoon. Pinks and yellows casting a near transparent gossamer glow upon the sky and the land. It is a boon from beyond when your surroundings offer up the chance to make multiple photographs, in multiple directions, with manifold compositions. It is an embarrassment of riches, and it makes for A Good Day. In this photography is like fishing: Skill, preparation, experience all count, yet it is right place, right time which matters most.
