Quiet Gratitudes, Part 1

Quiet Gratitudes, Part 1

“I can’t help sensing in these works, which photographically

verify the passing hours or days or years, a quiet gratitude

 about the simple fact of return.”

- Teju Cole, New York Times Sunday Magazine Photographic Columnist,

February 5, 2017

I look forward to Teju Cole’s monthly columns about photography in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. His writing is elegant and insightful; he teaches his readers about the inner lives of photographs and of their photographers. Appointment reading at its best.

Yesterday, his column was entitled, “Returning to the same landscape gives photographers the chance to catch time itself at work.” He focused on photographers who make photos of the same subjects over the course of several weeks or years, recording the large and small changes that come with time.

The appearance of the column was serendipitous – just a few days before I had visited dear friends who share a home in rural Hastings County. Both the inner landscape of their house and the outer landscape of their farm are a pleasure to behold. While having lunch with them, I asked if I could record some photographs. Much to my delight, they agreed. I pushed further and asked if I could also return and record the changes that come with the seasons, weather, and time of day in the months ahead. Much to my delight again, they graciously agreed.

The images that follow are my first visual meditation on their home and farm. With the passage of time, I plan to return and record more photographs with an eye to turning each visit into a blog posting under the title of “Quiet Gratitudes.”

I hope you enjoy these images as much as I did recording them.