27/05/2026
That's a wrap!
What an honor and a privilege to conclude my 2025-2026 UW Photography Certificate Program last night.
This comprises one of six black and white images from my final project entitled "Clouds Float, Water Flows" -- a Zen proverb about impermanence, letting go, and serenity.
As a native Pacific Northwesterner, I grew up anchored between clouds and sea.
However, as a writer, home turned into a blur between travels on the road.
So as an image maker, this project reflects one season studying the ebb and flow of clouds and water within my own lakeside community -- finding unexpected lessons in impermanence, letting go, and serenity along the way.
A heartfelt thanks to program instructors Dave Julian, Ray Pfortner, and TA Colin Fox.
Ray taught me the value of examining my own backyard for storytelling - and that bad weather makes good pictures:).
Dave taught me the importance of collaboration, how to look at images in new ways, how to tread gently as an image maker, and so much more.
Colin provided a calm presence and quiet inspiration.
Additionally, the program exposed me to photographic icons like Jay Maisel, Joel Meyerowitz, and Phil Borges, master artisans like Keith Carter and Chris Jordan, and local legends like Richard Duval, Rosanne Olson, and Kevin Cruff.
More importantly, I gained a tribe of cohort collaborators - from New Mexico and Las Vegas to China - in this brave new world of visual storytelling.
It takes a village. Now the real work begins. Thanks, all.
