a fish named Ike

ISO 2000, 1/60, f/1.4

I have a feeling I’ll be taking this same picture for decades to come. I imagine his face will change and the pet will too. But that twinkle in his eyes as he watches the animal in his care – my gut tells me it is always going to be there.

When I see this picture, I am reminded of why I fell in love with photography. There are days I look at the work of other photographers and walk away wishing I could capture what they did. Comparison is a road that once I step on its path, I’m always taken somewhere I never wanted to go.

And then there are moments like this – my son and his new fish named Ike. They dance. Instead of looking around me, my eyes linger at the sight in front of me. And in that moment I am taken down a different road. I travel to a place I want to go. A place of awe. A place of delight. A place of gratitude.