Creating from Home Part III: Magical Memories

This is the third in a series of posts where I'll share photos "from the archives" that I've recently rediscovered. Since I've been spending a lot of time at home lately, as most of you have too I imagine, I have been going through old photos to see what ones I may have overlooked in the past. I know a lot of other photographers I follow on social media are doing the same thing. I actually do this periodically when I don't have a lot of new photos to share, but this time I dug up so many that I decided to make a series of blog posts dedicated to them. In this post I'll share some of my favorite photos taken at Walt Disney World and Disneyland that I dug up. These are photos that I either never shared on social media or that have seen a significant re-edit since I last posted them. You can read my previous installments, where I shared some old travel photos, here, and where I shared some old photos from my hometown of Saratoga Springs, NY, here.

Print Sale to Benefit the NAACP Legal and Educational Defense Fund

I have recently redesigned my portfolio website and I am excited to share it with you!  In addition, from now through June 27, I will be donating profits from print sales to the NAACP Legal and Educational Defense Fund.  The only exceptions are Nipper Knolls and Old Friends at Cabin Creek, from which profits are donated to those respective organizations.

As per their website, the NAACP Legal and Educational Defense Fund "is America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans."

Here are some of the newly added photos of which you can order prints:

Remembering D-Day: Images of Normandy

As I publish this post, D-Day, the anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, has already ended in France.  That being said, I don't think there's ever a wrong time to reflect on history and pay tribute to fallen heroes.  I had the opportunity to visit Normandy in 2004, the year of of the 60th anniversary, and then again in 2009, where I got a historical tour of the area from a retired major general in the British Army.  In this post I will share some of the photos I have taken of the D-Day Beaches, the American Cemetery, and other important historical landmarks.

A Few Thoughts on Current Events

This is a little blog where I share my photography and every once in awhile offer tutorials, but occasionally an event happens that shakes the world so deeply that it demands to be addressed, even on platforms, large and small (like this one), that don't normally deal with current events.  As you all know, on May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an African American man, senselessly died at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Following the news of his death, many people across the United States and around the word, of all ages and backgrounds, have demanded that more attention be paid, and more efforts be made, to reform racism, both individual and systemic, against black people in the United States.

For centuries African Americans have faced and continue to face grave injustices.  I know lots of work needs to be done to eradicate it and I stand with all those who are calling for self-reflection, solidarity, and reform in this direction.  I am committed to joining in these efforts.  I can't simply publish this post and go back to life as usual, never doing another thing again to help put a stop to this problem, and I promise I won't do that.

I have recently been working hard behind the scenes to update my website and portfolio.  In the coming weeks, I will be having a two week period where I will donate 100% of my profits from print sales to a charity or non-profit that works to fight injustices against the black community.  I haven't made a final decision yet on which one, but once I have, I will share the details on this blog and provide a link.  The only exception to this will be the sale of prints of horses at local equine non-profits where I volunteer (Nipper Knolls Equine Center and Old Friends at Cabin Creek), for which I've already committed to donating my profits from sales of prints of their horses to those organizations.

While I don't have a very large platform on this blog, I believe even small acts of solidarity can make a big difference when added up together, so this is one of the ways in which I can contribute to the bigger picture.  Thank you for taking the time to read my message, and if you have a platform on which to share your support and solidarity (be it a social media account or a blog), even if it's a small one, I strongly encourage you to use it.