Have you ever...

Have you ever...

Climbed a volcano? Danced on a wave? Given away your favorite thing... because it was just a thing? Taken a chance on love... and won? Walked in the rain without an umbrella... and smiled the whole time? Let go of the past, so you could have a future? Thrown away a map in return for an adventure? Driven down a foreign road with reckless abandon? Walked along the Louvre at sunrise... until sunset? Chosen happiness because you realized it was a choice? Had a conversation that didn’t involve words? Lost everything only to find you were left with everything? Discovered that you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing, simply because that’s what you are doing? Cried and laughed at the same time? Said goodbye when you wanted to say don’t go? Closed one door and have another one open?

This is the theme of my next book... "Have you ever..." It is a joy to create, and a process of questioning, both things that I have done, and things I want to do... all in the name of living.

It's also been a great refresher looking through the thousands (yes, tens of thousands!) of images I have collected in my travels. And since a post is always better with an image, here is one that I hold particularly close. Taken in Australia at sunrise, it reminds me of many mornings spent walking and exploring the beaches to see how it changed over the course of the night... ebbing and flowing, continuously changing and replenishing itself, the beach became a part of my daily renewal.

Book: Jayden

There's nothing better than getting a parcel in the mail. It can pretty much turn any rainy day into a sunny, happy one. And this is especially so when the parcel I receive is a book I've made. After the initial frantic flip through to make sure it is up to my standards, I sit and look more thoroughly at my images in print with a feeling of contentment that is hard to match. As digital photography has increased over the years, the number of photos we get printed has shockingly decreased. I believe this to be tragic. There is nothing more beautiful than a printed image. Even the vibrant image on my 24" iMac doesn't compare. What I also love about the books is that they tell a story, about the individual, the family, their interactions, their spirits. Something that a just single image can rarely do.

Here are some sample pages from Jayden's book...