In February,  I spent 3 weeks in Asia, the most authentic trip of my life.  Early
on in the trip I was able to experience the buzz of wet markets in
Wuhan China (a wet market is where meats, and perishable goods are
sold) are a photographers paradise. 

Different than my normal genres of photography, and a language barrier, I was
reliant on non verbal communication to convey the messages allowed for
an intimate and interesting dance of both the vendor and the
photographer to express themselves.   

These markets are being replaced to a certain degree from delivery services
and more modern concepts so it felt even more important to document this
lifestyle. 

Additionally, abundant with many people allowing me to develop skills, on the fly, in both portraiture and street photography. Two genres I hope to continue to learn more about.

Camera at the hip, and sub optimal lighting this was a fast paced series. But, I welcome your thoughts on this content.  

This landscape is one of the harshest, and most resilient, experiencing every storm surge, the stark beating down of the day star, and the ever present intrusion of waves. Across the vastness, pools of eelgrass, crab, urchin, anemone, jellyfish all play together in a chorus of resilience, dancing their way through the enchanted speckled shimmer. 

It truly feels like big sky country amongst the tide flats, pulled in strong by the moon. She has a strong pull today, a whole assemblage of critters exposed, but only for part of the day. This interplay of moon and earth reveal a plethora of enchanted, resilient homelands.

I pause to take in the colors and textures at play. A soft contrast of blue and white are what I first see, across the vast open expanse, and then I zero in. These tide pools are rather elongated ovals, waves of green eelgrass dance. Also, I take note of a harsh white shell which is contrasted amongst the subdued green eelgrasses and shimmering tan sand below. 

Finally, I walk a few steps closer to the water’s edge. Underfoot, I hear my feet shuffle, a crackling sound emerges, as I walk to the shore, I shuffle over barnacle filled rocks protruding just a few inches above the waterline, but quickly receding amongst the crash of another wave. The slack tide has now arrived given respite to this harsh and beautiful environ so close to home.

Forests are the above ground expression of years of earth’s consolidated history. I roam forests often in a space of admiration to be transported out of the busy world and transported into a space of timeless and tireless wonder. At a grand level forests for me are: A space to gather thoughts, observe colors, textures and tone. 

With each visit into a forest a new set of characters emerge, depending on the interplay of light, season and conditions. These characters chisel out their place on the woodland stage. From this stage, I begin to learn the story of this place.   Each visit brings about a new set of lessons.  Sometimes it’s told in a bit of soft morning light, on occasion a bright wound dripping in tacky pitch, periodically it’s a abandoned roadbed, intermittently it’s a set of trees all laying in one direction and often it’s a mosaic of tones coming together interwoven. Alas in the forest, I am home and tuned in to observe these interwoven players and lean into learning their stories .