Our Earthly Bodies

Dee and I moved to Lynchburg, Virginia on January 6th, 2017. It has been almost one year. Today is Sunday and it's a typically quiet day on Main Street. We have plans to make coffee, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, curried cauliflower, cranberry chutney, rosemary potatoes and mushroom gravy. But before all of this, we took our time getting out of bed. We spoke about the middle way. A place between our earthly bodies and our ethereal souls. And we sincerely believe our happiness is the result of this delicate balance.

This is how our morning began.

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Polaroid Swinger

My first camera was a Polaroid Swinger. A gift from my dad. I used to keep a Swinger photo of the family in my wallet. I was so proud of them.

My dad loved taking pictures. He was a faithful documentarian. My mom would make something good to eat and we would dim the lights and watch slides and Super 8 movies projected on the walls. These were times of laughter and love. So thank you James W. Wiggins, Jr. for introducing me to the art of photography and associating the viewfinder as an act of affection.

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Michael Wiggins & John Wiggins | Lindsay, CA | 1976
(photo: James W. Wiggins, Jr.)

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Happiness

I take pictures when I am happy. This happiness opens my awareness. An awareness of time and place. Happy to be right here right now. This is what I see. The composition is dependent on balance. The balance is related to light and shape. It is a combination of math and spirituality. Just before the picture becomes art there is a great sigh. This is the most relaxed I can be at that exact moment. The shutter clicks.

It starts and ends with happiness.

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