Let’s talk story. Even though we discuss and view a single image, the real story is the story, the narrative, and how individual images work together to say something. This image is what I would call a B or C-level image. Simple, easy to read, clean, and has ample space for running copy over the top, but this image is NOT representative of me, at least I don’t feel that way. But, why does this image work? Let me explain.

During the time I made this image I was working full-time as a photographer in Los Angeles, but even during this time which was still early in my career, I was already feeling like working as a photographer was not for me. Assignments were short, fickle, and even those that paid well always seem to come with headaches and lessons to be learned.

I felt best and worked best when left alone. My own story, my own methods, and my own time. Often, these projects would lead to assignment work but most clients meddled far too much in the end product often with bad planning, too little budget, and too little time to really pull anything off. I knew my career would be short-lived but that my enjoyment of photography would increase the second I could walk away.

This day at Glamis ended with one damaged Leica, fear and excitement. Days like this taught me that the reward of all this is photography itself. The experience of being in the field working on something personal. This project was titled “Man vs Nature” and this particular chapter required two years of field time. The overall project took a decade. That is the reward, and THAT is enough.