When the Sky Becomes the Show
As a musician and photographer, I often find myself straddling creative worlds. One of those worlds brought me to Magnolia, Texas, for a portrait session with a local singer-songwriter, arranged through my friend and longtime collaborator Jack Saunders—an accomplished producer and studio engineer.
We spent the late September afternoon photographing around the artist’s wooded property, even incorporating his vintage Mustang. As the golden light began to fade, I packed up and began the drive home, thinking the day’s best frames were already in the bag.
A Sudden Shift to Black and White and a Sky Transformed
But just eastbound on Texas 1488, I glanced to my right and saw it: a towering thunderhead, glowing gold and peach in the fading sun. Knowing time was short, I pulled into the nearest parking lot, unpacked my gear—including the 300mm lens I’d nearly left at home—and began shooting. For a few breathless minutes, the Texas sky turned theatrical, the storm clouds sculpted in light and shadow, rising like mountains in the atmosphere. And while the original color capture is impressive, it was when i converted it to black and white that it really began to sing!
I started my photographic journey after seeing a print emerge in the black and white darkroom at my junior high school in Elkhart, Indiana.
This image is a reminder that sometimes, the best photograph of the day is the one you never saw coming.
Exhibition Highlights & Recognition
-
A Smith Gallery “Light” Exhibition (2023) – Selected for the show’s companion book
-
Southeast Center for Photography “Light” Exhibition (2020)
-
Texas Photographic Society Members’ Show (2019)
-
APA Los Angeles “Off The Clock” Exhibition (2023)
-
Featured in the Loews Arlington Hotel & Convention Center permanent collection
Available in a Limited Edition of 15 prints, with 2 Artist Proofs
