A Tribute to My Muse

I know there are times I tend to go on and on about Alex' madding little quirks, but his recent trip to Moscow over the holidays gave me a little time apart to step back and really look at him. As I gathered together this series of photos it came to me that he is really my muse and that my life is a lot less fun when he is not involved in it.

He is the smartest man I have ever known. And, despite his tendency to analyze and organize everything, he has a sense of humor and fun about him that always seems to lift my spirit.

When it comes to photography, of the two of us he is the one with the better eye. He seems to work at positioning and composition in ways that make people interesting. I prefer objects because they are what they are and I simply have to find them. People are always moving and you have to anticipate and then wait for that perfect moment you hope to capture. He never seems to tire of the waiting...

One day after a particularly active day of photographing something he decided on a nap and I took some study shots of him as he slept.

Those eyes...

There was something odd and peaceful about them that caused me to want to focus only on that part of his face. Maybe this is how we all look once we are asleep but I don't see you while you are napping. Click to enlarge the photo and really look at the eyes. Maybe you too will see what I saw.





I particularly liked this shot and his positioning. The hands seem strong and gentle at the same time, and then they disappear behind the legs. It is a strange position but one he generally finds comfortable and assumes quite often. And yes, I know, the legs are quite white...but that too is Alex. As he puts it he is "a winter man."










This one I titled "Deliverance Alex" and you can tell we are movie buffs. He has all of his outdoor guy stuff on and has assumed a strictly business pose that hides his curious nature.

Every time I view this picture I am reminded of the time we went to the Okefenokee Swamp and he was determined to ride a boat through the swamp. He pestered and harassed the boat rangers until they provided instruction and then pushed our boat from the pier. You know you are in for something different when you hear the ranger say "If you are not back by 5 o'clock, we will send out a search party." But his sense of navigation was true and he even was able to overcome my naive excitement to "Get closer!" to take a picture of a gator from the boat. We made it back alive...and have pictures to prove it!

And so I just wanted you to know that the next time I complain about something he has done in print...don't pay any attention. It is simply a momentary loss of appreciation of my muse.