Body of Water and Work

This past year I put together my first exhibition: Body of Water and Work. It is comprised of five images I took in Colorado, Texas, and Missouri. Each image contains water as the main feature in its various forms: a still lake, a morning dew, or a brilliant waterfall. The photos are edited uniquely to eliminate all color. They are almost true black and whites if it were not for the streaks of brown I left throughout them. For me this represents a drowning out of the unimportant; it forces the viewer to look where I want and focuses their eyes on what matters in the images.

The photo featured above from my exhibition was recently curated into the Black Box Gallery's Focus: Trees and Water in Portland, Oregon. It has been up for over a week and I still don't believe it. I never thought that a photo I took would one day be considered good enough to be featured in a gallery dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary photography. It is interesting to note, however, that the photo curated was my least favorite in my exhibition. When I was selecting images for Body of Water and Work, "Torrent" almost didn't make it, and even after I decided to include it, I never thought that it would be curated. 

For reference, the entire exhibition can be seen on my Instagram. Out of those five images, "Torrent" ranks the lowest on my personal favorites list. This is probably because I strive for each of my photos to tell a story. If you look at one for a while, you can almost imagine what the subject has been through. The small details fill you in on what you may not have noticed upon your first glance. Storytelling has always been one of my passions—hence why I started this blog—and it is amazing that I get to do that through photography. Even when I shoot portraits, I love to capture organic moments. Candid shots are far more enjoyable for me as a photographer because of the stories behind them. Catching someone mid-laugh or a couple locking eyes in a moment that only they understand makes the photo that much better. Stories are all around us, and my camera gives me the ability to freeze one as it happens so that it can be told in detail later.

Looking back at "Torrent" there is a story there, and it would never have been told if the photo were never curated and this blog had never been written. The photo was taken after a long hike with my family, friends, and a few strangers who joined along the way. The hike was laborious but filled with rich conversation and laughter as we hiked up the trail and reflected on the beauty around us. I made the hike with way too much camera gear on my back—a lesson I learned the hard way—I definitely did not need two camera bodies and three lenses. At the top, I pulled out my tripod, assembled my camera, and captured the waterfall without much thought. I spent the rest of the time cracking up with my brothers and—against our parents' wishes—getting as close to the dropoff as possible. The RAW photo stayed in my storage for months before I even thought to download it. 

That last sentence reminds me of a quote I once heard.

“The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is [there] that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.” -Les Brown

If I had never gone back for that photo—even though I didn't think it was my best one—I would never have had the opportunity to be curated into my first art gallery. There are so many people with dreams that simply need to take that first step. It may be as small as going through your old stuff, but it can start you on a journey towards what you have always dreamed of.

There is so much that I long to do in this life. From photography to music, from writing to carrying out The Great Commission, it seems like I will never have time to do it all. However, I want to do as much as I can before I am laid to rest in the ground one day. I hope my grave is the poorest grave possible because I have spent my entire life seeking to be the best in every area that I can to further glorify Christ; so that when I die, I have left no stone unturned, no project unfinished, and no call unanswered.

-Luke