About My Absence
Hi everyone! A friend always greets me with, “Wha’d up, bro’?” I haven’t submitted a story in a while because of some family matters that required my attention.
I took my Mom to the emergency room on April 1, and a week later, she had surgery to remove a small grapefruit-size tumor from her colon. As part of the surgery, she received a colostomy, and over the past few weeks, we’ve been learning how to live a little differently.
My life is returning to normal nowadays. Can you call it normal at all? I’ll leave the answer to you. But I am now ready to get back to writing and photographing the stories I’ve thought about during my absence. Here is a summary of upcoming stories and projects I’ll be submitting.
Stepping Up To The Plate
This story is about how the Lord sometimes asks us to commit to a deeper level. My experience helping my Mom has illuminated the necessity of being flexible with my plans and adjusting almost daily. There are expectations placed upon each of us our entire lives. I’ll examine those expectations using a reference to the 1967 Atlanta Braves.
Living In The Moment
I recently gave a devotional about living in the moment and leaning into the mundane, seemingly insignificant activities we perform every day. I quoted one of my favorite authors, Kate Merrick, from her book “Here Now.” This will be a great message of faith and hope as we travel our daily paths.
My 50th Junior College Reunion
Okay, this gives away my age, but I recently attended my 50th reunion at Young Harris College. I was nervous about attending because I had only attended one other reunion in 2005. Yes, to answer your question, I graduated in 1974. I’ll explain that just being yourself is all it takes. I didn’t need to try being someone everyone expected me to be.
My Surfing Friends
Several of my friends surf in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I took a lesson in Costa Rica with my friend Santiago, so I hope to join Gulf Shores friends soon as a participant. In the meantime, I’ve taken some photos of them surfing at Cotton Bayou. After my first shoot, I realized I needed to purchase an extender for my 70-200mm lens. I have a project to shoot using a longer focal length now that I have this new tool. I hope to share my experience and findings with other photographers who want to photograph at longer distances but can’t afford those expensive lenses.
An Experiment With Video
I worked in the tech world for all of my career. My MS in Computer Science led to some exciting projects, including AI-like development. It’s no secret that I love technology. With that in mind, I will create a video explaining how to set up a Canon 5D Mark IV. This video will be generated using AI and Adobe tools. This will be quite the experiment for me.
For The BIG NEWS
Alright, I saved the most significant news for last. My friend and fellow photographer, Dena Kollin, and I are opening a studio on Cove Avenue in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Can you believe it? The story of how it came to be is something only the Lord could perform. I’ll wait to reveal its name and other information in another post, but stay tuned for this exciting event.
