The first stage of the new beelining pinhole camera is complete. This time with a laser cutter rather than sawed in a woodshed. I have tested it for light leaks and temporarily reinforced it with gaffer’s tape. Successfully having produced a negative, exposures are running anywhere from 8-30 minutes. Next steps are to add the second slide, a second compartment, hinged doors, and a window so it can also function as a bee box.

About a week ago, I traveled to Sewanee, TN where I worked on a shoot of a painter and her home for an upcoming editorial feature. While I was off grid, I met an elder whose meditation practice is oriented around “the pursuit of wholeness.” We talked for a long time about transformation and how repentance, stripped of shame, is just the willingness to change. And how so many of the world’s religions share this idea, that darkness is a prime and necessary condition for becoming.

While walking in the woods, I realized the exposure time of the pinhole camera was the perfect amount of time for meditation. And what was supposed to be a test run for a tool not quite in it’s final form, became a serendipitous invitation. I feel grateful for the opportunity and the reminder, to slow down, deeply listen, find alignment, and set intentions within my practice.

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The “Art of Community,” is on display for another week at Belmont University. Four of my students have work up as part of the annual juried art exhibition. The work includes large format prints, double exposures,and solarized prints - all of which were made in the darkroom this year. The show is up until May 29th. So proud of them.

"The best way to predict your future is to create it not from the known, but from the unknown. When you get uncomfortable in the place of the unknown - that's where the magic happens."
Dr. Joe Dispenza

Fair Winds,
Cache