I put my DSLR away in 2019.

2019 was bad. The loss of my godmother and father, frightening family trauma, and the end of 10 years of employment sent me into a mental and emotional tailspin. Soon my physical health faced the same fate. A small pain in my shoulder that started in late 2018 became intolerable and spread to my arm and lymph nodes. By 2021, no position allowed me to sit or sleep for more than a few moments. I cried at the touch of a hand or even the weight of my own clothes. And, of course, it kept me from carrying even the smallest camera kit. Lifting a short telephoto lens to my eye was excruciating and keeping it up for the “right shot” was out of the question. So the camera was put on the shelf to gather dust and be forgotten.

Thankfully, months of hard work with the right physician, the right physical therapist, the right occupational therapist (and the right budtender) has diminished pain to a manageable stage. And I have brought out the camera again. Recently, I stood on the high deck at one of my client’s homes to photograph a beautiful red-tailed hawk hovering over the meadow in search of an easy meal to emerge from the squirrel colony (no one left the tunnels that day). Because of my elevation, I had a spectacular view, and the sun illuminated her beautiful plumage. I still used a short lens (400x), and I could only take a dozen shots before I had to rest. But my heart soared when I saw this picture. It feels good to be back.