story behind the photo

I photographed The Presence along Barton Creek in Austin, Texas during my film years, working in a place that is both deeply familiar and quietly unpredictable. Barton Creek is known for its clear water, limestone banks, and constant movement of people, light, and wildlife, yet there are moments there when everything slows and something unspoken seems to pass through. This image came from an experiment with motion and perception, using a slower shutter speed to follow a bird moving through the frame until form dissolved and only gesture remained. What has always drawn me to this photograph is its refusal to fully reveal itself. The subject is present, unmistakable, yet undefined, suspended between appearance and disappearance. Color becomes atmosphere, motion becomes suggestion, and the bird reads less as an animal and more as an impression, a fleeting awareness passing through the landscape. Grounded in a place so many people know, the image moves beyond location and into intuition, inviting prolonged looking rather than explanation, and leaving the viewer with the sense of having encountered something felt more than seen.

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?”
Psalm 139:7 (NIV)

print process and availability

The Presence is offered as a pigmented ink print, produced using archival pigment inks on baryta fine art paper, a paper choice known for its subtle surface sheen, rich tonal depth, and exceptional detail rendition. Baryta paper provides a visual bridge between traditional darkroom prints and contemporary pigment printing, enhancing shadow detail while allowing motion and color to remain smooth and atmospheric. This combination is particularly well suited to the abstract, impressionistic qualities of the image, preserving its mystery and sense of quiet movement without sacrificing permanence or fidelity. This work is available as a limited edition of 25, printed at 17 x 22 inches, with each print signed, titled, and numbered by the artist, and once the edition is complete, no additional pigmented ink prints of The Presence will be produced.