Face It Head On
This photo was made just outside of Mt. Pleasant here in Michigan. I was traveling down a random backcountry road on my way to shoot a concert and I came across a massive herd of 400 head of buffalo.
I'd been trying to find a property local to Michigan that was similar to Antelope Island in Utah. I hadn't had much luck. I asked friends, googled, looked everywhere, googled some more and just wasn't coming up with anything.I turned down a random road to get to my AirBnB. After a 20min straight shot through legit "Ag Land" of open fields, old barns and Amish roadside furniture, my jaw dropped.There, among some trees, and in open fields was a herd of buffalo. 400 head of some of the toughest, most majestic and beautiful brown you've ever seen. Buffalo are pretty special to me. My very first buffalo image was the first photo from a couple years ago that everybody made a big deal over and kept asking for prints. It was the first key to unlocking a door to somewhere I'd never given much thought until years later. I dropped the ball on quite a bit then. Not knowing photo print sizes, where to get things printed, how to talk to people about buying my artwork (still learning that one apparently 🤣)
I learned. I learned A LOT. Then during a special trip, I was gifted a ring from a man I consider a brother. Sterling silver and turquoise with a beautiful buffalo head on it.
It broke me.
That's one of the hardest times I've cried. Not because it made me sad, but because it felt...right. Because some sort of truth had been revealed to me and I was able to understand it in the moment.It all came rushing in that photography was what I was supposed to be doing with my life. That the photo of the buffalo had opened the door, crossed the threshold, and there was no going back. The ring was my light to see in the darkness. To navigate the abyss as I began my freefall into living the life I was supposed to. What came after all that though, is what took years for me to fully process. I've written about it previously.
I hugged a buffalo.
I embraced my brother in a hug of gratitude and was instantly transported to the middle of a field with my arms wrapped around the neck of a buffalo. I could feel the coarse fur scratch against my cheek, hear the depths of the deep breaths of the universe, of something larger than life enveloping me and this overwhelming sense of peace came over me.The hug was the final reveal that my Brother Buffalo was not just there to take pictures of, or just look at and then pass by. He's there to show the potential for a path. Each step gifted if I'm open to receiving and taking the risk of the unknown.
To learn.
Grow.
Help provide the light for others as I try to find what's possible. For myself and others.
He is a guide.
And each step, each proceeding threshold crossed has led me further into the unknown but without the fear.
For I have my brother with me.
This is a Giclee print with a Deep Matte finish, meaning there are no glares, hot spots or reflections from the piece itself. The giclee printing process provides higher image detail than traditional photographic printing. Using 7 dye-based inks, Giclee Prints offer improved color reproduction, a wider color gamut, and enhanced image clarity.
When paired with an archival dry-mount and museum glass, this will look like a sealed painting and will be something that can be handed down through the family for decades.
This photo was made just outside of Mt. Pleasant here in Michigan. I was traveling down a random backcountry road on my way to shoot a concert and I came across a massive herd of 400 head of buffalo.
I'd been trying to find a property local to Michigan that was similar to Antelope Island in Utah. I hadn't had much luck. I asked friends, googled, looked everywhere, googled some more and just wasn't coming up with anything.I turned down a random road to get to my AirBnB. After a 20min straight shot through legit "Ag Land" of open fields, old barns and Amish roadside furniture, my jaw dropped.There, among some trees, and in open fields was a herd of buffalo. 400 head of some of the toughest, most majestic and beautiful brown you've ever seen. Buffalo are pretty special to me. My very first buffalo image was the first photo from a couple years ago that everybody made a big deal over and kept asking for prints. It was the first key to unlocking a door to somewhere I'd never given much thought until years later. I dropped the ball on quite a bit then. Not knowing photo print sizes, where to get things printed, how to talk to people about buying my artwork (still learning that one apparently 🤣)
I learned. I learned A LOT. Then during a special trip, I was gifted a ring from a man I consider a brother. Sterling silver and turquoise with a beautiful buffalo head on it.
It broke me.
That's one of the hardest times I've cried. Not because it made me sad, but because it felt...right. Because some sort of truth had been revealed to me and I was able to understand it in the moment.It all came rushing in that photography was what I was supposed to be doing with my life. That the photo of the buffalo had opened the door, crossed the threshold, and there was no going back. The ring was my light to see in the darkness. To navigate the abyss as I began my freefall into living the life I was supposed to. What came after all that though, is what took years for me to fully process. I've written about it previously.
I hugged a buffalo.
I embraced my brother in a hug of gratitude and was instantly transported to the middle of a field with my arms wrapped around the neck of a buffalo. I could feel the coarse fur scratch against my cheek, hear the depths of the deep breaths of the universe, of something larger than life enveloping me and this overwhelming sense of peace came over me.The hug was the final reveal that my Brother Buffalo was not just there to take pictures of, or just look at and then pass by. He's there to show the potential for a path. Each step gifted if I'm open to receiving and taking the risk of the unknown.
To learn.
Grow.
Help provide the light for others as I try to find what's possible. For myself and others.
He is a guide.
And each step, each proceeding threshold crossed has led me further into the unknown but without the fear.
For I have my brother with me.
This is a Giclee print with a Deep Matte finish, meaning there are no glares, hot spots or reflections from the piece itself. The giclee printing process provides higher image detail than traditional photographic printing. Using 7 dye-based inks, Giclee Prints offer improved color reproduction, a wider color gamut, and enhanced image clarity.
When paired with an archival dry-mount and museum glass, this will look like a sealed painting and will be something that can be handed down through the family for decades.