From The Archive

Over the past week I've been uploading photos to my new PhotoShelter account as part of the process of getting my website going. As a result of the process I've come across many images I haven't laid eyes on in a while. The photo above was shot back in 2002 while I was still working at The Daily Times in Farmington, N.M. I was out hunting for wild art that day and noticed a good deal of smoke coming from the Bolack Ranch on the south side of town. As it turned out Bolack's ranch hands were busy burning underbrush in a stand of pine trees on the property. The combination of smoke and back lighting combined for some really nice photos. So nice that the image made New Mexico AP Photo of the Month, an honor I had garnered numerous times while at The Daily Times.

By the summer of 2002 I left my job at The Daily Times and relocated to Northwest Arkansas to freelance and start a new chapter in my life. The image had faded into memory as I was fresh into a new job at The Morning News – the freelancing wasn't as appealing as a regular job with benefits. To my surprise I received a call from a photo editor at Time Magazine in mid December informing me they had selected the image to run in their "Best Photos of 2002" issue. The honor capped off a pretty hectic year for me, both personally and professionally, and it ultimately helped me to move from a temporary position to a full time position at The Morning News.

After rediscovering the photo this week I find myself re-inspired. This PhotoShelter thing has been a bit redundant and tiresome, but I know I'm on the track to something good, my new website. It's funny how the old can inspire the birth of the entirely new.