Sometimes It Happens

There’s something about it. Going out with happy film rolls in your pocket, a trusty bald-faced lightmeter, a few wide-eyed manual cameras and an aire of inspiration.

Birds, San Simeon California

When that artistic energy happens, there’s no other way about it. For you songwriters, it can wake you up in the middle of night to speed scrawl your lyrics down before floating away, and for me, it’s a hook pulling into unwalked paths and unturned corners. I’ve learned to listen to this energy, as many of my favorite photographs have resulted. In fact, all of the images in “Sometimes it happens” were born this way.

There can be the perfect weather conditions, you can have the perfect technical settings for a solid exposure, and you can have all the equipment in the world, but there is “something” else that must happen in order to create those rare images with depth, with staying power, that’ll last throughout the years. Many times, these images are a dance made from the light, your preparation, and all of the moving elements conversing to an exact space within time and each other. This is the true use of the term “decisive moment” that Henri Cartier-Bresson, a famous French photographer coined back in the day. A split second before, and a split second after wouldn’t keep the same energy. Yep, these are rare records indeed. Ansel Adams said he’d be happy if he made one great picture a year… I imagine he knew what he was talking about.

“Sometimes it happens” is a collection of images that I have made since 2002. They have been exclusively shot with manual cameras and film while meandering along, paying close attention, and surrounded by a peaceful cuiousity. These photographs, along with others, are featured on my fine art website, and sit happily for sale.