Anatomy of a Composition - morning got better, while the world fell apart

Reconciling our inner and outer lives can be one of the hardest challenges we face. We can either be deep-water calm while the world is crashing around us, or our emotions may be spinning and destroying our every fiber as we sit and witness the most serene and a breathtaking scene unfold.

This contradiction became brutally apparent watching the passing of the cotton candy sky over the Sangre de Cristo range. I embarked on this photography journey a little over seven years ago, as my fiftieth birthday passed and I faced a melanoma surgery. The camera became instrumental in guiding me through that challenge and soon opened up a new world of exploration. In so many instances in this time the camera and the setting have provided the calming contrast while internally chaos reigned. It all seemed like perfect timing.

I have found myself in that place again - conflicting thoughts and painful emotions competing with each other as I try to unwind a narrative and make meaning of what has been an absolutely unexpected turn of events. I hate how memories can become so easily distorted, especially when so much is at stake.

Life and photography are both dictated by timing - this particular morning I found the perfect timing for an image I’ve long wanted to capture, while seeing the timing in my personal life gravely misaligned.

morning got better, while the world fell apart - Sony a7rv & FE 70-200 GM II - ISO 160 | F/2.8 | 1/125 sec ~ 16mm