I’m not good at vacations. If the family stays on-island and some of us are still working, or going to camp, or preparing for college, things get even worse. This summer, all of those ingredients combined. I was on my own – with free time – much more than I would have liked.
I could see this coming when I requested the time off. That’s when I told Deborah: “I need a project.”
After taking a number images I liked at the mahogany forest in Piti, I decided to spend more time there, hoping I could collect enough keepers for a photo book. I began by taking a machete to clear up some of the debris still present after Typhoon Mawar in 2023. During those initial trips I cleared enough of a path to explore places I had only seen or photographed pre-typhoon.
Open spaces in the canopy from fallen limbs allowed the sun to reach tiny new mahogany trees, which were sprouting up everywhere. While this had always been a chaotic environment, the disorder created by the storm was reaching new levels. Compositions that could simplify the natural confusion seemed almost impossible to find those first few days.
But I kept coming back; eventually finding more ways to capture beauty in the clutter. I did so by looking up, or looking down, or putting the camera on the ground amidst the leaf litter. Below you’ll find the result of ten trips with the camera during my vacation, a few more just days before it started.
I have already selected a format for the book and purchased some test prints. These 41 images will be included, but more research is required before I begin writing the text to accompany them. I’ll keep you updated on its progress in coming months.
