Jan 25th Newsletter - Tackling Creative Blocks, and Photo Stories!
Gday champs,
I’ve got some goodies for you today after letting the last few weeks of writing get away from me. There’s some chatter about things I’m doing to tackle creative blocks / procrastination, and then a section telling some stories & background from my favourite current photography works!
On creative expression & motivation..
I have been feeling an itch for something. Different than what I’ve made before, and different to what I have the skills to make. I love the landscape works I have made up to this point, though the level of expectation I place on myself when making these bleeds over into unrealistic expectations when I have ideas that are outside of my regular skillset.
I have thrown away too many compelling ideas for fear of imperfect execution. Sometimes we would rather never get started on something new than risk failing at it.. sounds silly when we say it out loud, huh?
I also feel a growing urge to make things that I can’t capture with my camera; in part because it’s not possible to put together a Hollywood budget for a visually complex solo project, and in part because I want to express things that photography simply isn’t the right medium for at times. Prior works of mine explore themes of curiosity for, reverence of, and beauty within the natural world. As the world has rapidly changed in the past few years, these themes (while still valuable and important) have slowly begun to feel almost dishonest, as I actively repress ideas related to other areas of the human experience in favour of the work I’m already good at. Maybe less beautiful, less comfortable, but honest. So the question is: how do I, and how can you, get comfortable with making crappy work again on the journey toward growth (creative or otherwise)?
I think this kind of block - while frustrating in the short term - is a positive sign of being ready to delve into a new chapter of creative growth & renewal. One key way I have decided to tackle this problem is to pick up some completely different mediums at a hobby level. Just this week my spouse and I decided to try our hand at some air-dry clay sculpting - and it was fun!! The fact it was so far removed from our regular skillset dismantled any barrier of expectation on ourselves. I also recently picked up a second hand easel + acrylic paint set, where I am extremely excited to start playing with paint. I’m gonna suck, of course, but where is the growth if not trying things we’re bad at? I’m eager to see how it may ultimately complement my photography work creatively, and for the opportunity to express ideas that I can’t quite articulate with a camera. I hope to also expand my philosophy of working with cameras that treats the sensor like a canvas, and light as a paintbrush.
Storytime & Limited Editions!
Those of you I had the chance to meet at a recent market / display might be familiar with the smaller editions of my current limited collection, and some of my favourite open editions. I wanted to share some of the stories behind them, and what I was thinking about throughout.
Icy Tendrils (unlisted)
This photograph was during a Massachusetts winter in 2022, where a thin layer of ice in the middle of a lake met flowing liquid water - motivated forward by a crisp breeze. This little moment stood out to me amongst the larger environment, as a subtle battle between solid & liquid states takes place. The icy tendrils slowly overwhelm the lakes surface, while the intermittent energy of the water pushes back. The process of melt/freeze right at the borderline resulted in these fascinating micro structures, where waves of water instantly freeze as they lap over the icy edge. I found this image to be a compelling study of changing states that exist at the tension between high & low thermal energy.
Currently an unlisted image, but presents well as a glossy or metallic paper, or an aluminum metal print.
Shimmer (Open Edition)
Another close-up of water, but this time a little more abstract moment formed through the reflections of the surrounding scene. As context; The blue reflects the deep blues of the sky above, the orange hues represent a late sunset on the horizon, and the black is made by a silhouetted bridge that the sun was setting behind. By using a long focal length (long zoom), I honed in on this spectacular little patch of colour interacting in a river.
What I find compelling about this kind of photograph is that it is 1) so surreal in appearance, and 2) a real moment that was visible at one specific point in space and time.
When I look at it now, it feels like some strange set of cosmic formations - like the light that surrounds a series of black holes / galaxy cores. I love that such scenes of dimensionally ‘other’ feeling moments exist all around us, all the time, if we take the time to look for them.
Echoes of the Frontier (open edition)
Where the spirit of the frontier lives on in dust, sunlight, and saddle leather.
Ahhhhhh. Man, what a banger. I can’t describe how unreal it was seeing this atmosphere in-person.. At the Bryce Canyon Rodeo in Utah, I got to spectate the first rodeo of the season in 2022. The spectator area was far left of camera, though I shifted around to the East side where I suspected the dust being kicked up would look INSANE backlit by the sun. And wow. I was on a road trip toward Bryce Canyon + Zion National Park, where our group of 5 were crammed into an SUV along with most of our belongings (I was headed home to Australia immediately after the trip, following the end of our Junior year in college). I remember seeing one of my old roommate’s faces framed inside of a comically stacked backseat, where he was buried under bags & suitcases for hours. We did the canyon river walk in Zion, hiked Observation Point (by Angel’s Landing), saw the Hoodoos at Bryce, and camped all along the way.
This image feels full of spirit, and alludes to traditions and lifestyle that date back to the early days of American westward settlement.
Frame recommendation: ‘Dark Cross-Grain’ gallery frame (with mat).
Here are a few other images from this event, because they’re also pretty epic:
Emergence (Open Edition at 8x10” | Limited Edition of 10 at 24x30”)
A passage shaped by time; an emergence from the comfort of shadow into the light of the unknown.
Captured in a cave system in Arizona, this photograph captures a feeling of deep, lasting history and fleeting human interaction. The stunning layers of stone formed over millions of years, while the loose pebbles and footprints evidence the momentary existence of people navigating the system. Pictured is a small, alternative exit to the cave.. Meaning most people entered in a larger, main entry, revered the landmark - perhaps reflectively - and emerged on the other side through this narrow opening (~0.5m tall). All emerged a slightly different person than the one that entered, shaped by new thought and experience.
Printed on the Hahnemuhle Photorag Metallic Paper, which enhances the physical finish of this piece in a way that cannot be replicated on a screen.
Shadows Rest (Open Edition at 8x10” | Limited Edition of 10 at 24x36”)
This photograph was taken while kayaking across a lake in Vermont in the early afternoon. I was struck by the calmness of the experience, with the faint sound of an eagle and other birdlife (cliche but so cool in the moment) and being surrounded by quiet, dense forest. Small structures like this boathouse were nestled comfortably in the trees.
I centered the white tree to separate the left zone of untouched forest from the little patch of paradise claimed by the boathouse on the right, while framing the rippling reflections in the bottom to contrast the stillness beyond the shoreline.
Printed on the Hahnemuhle Photorag Metallic Paper, evidently a huge favourite of mine for this style of Black/White print. It lends the physical finish a stunning luminescence to the highlights of the central tree and the boathouse.
Framed by default in a ‘Dark Cross-Grain’ gallery frame (no mat).
Rolling Tide (Limited Edition of 30 at 12x30” | 20 at 24x60”)
I stood chest-deep among mangroves in the Caribbean Sea, and watched quiet gentle waves rhythmically envelop then reveal the setting sun. Each moment before the waves broke, there was an instant of gorgeous, glassy rippled texture in the water. When I see this image I feel calmed. One of Earth’s most powerful forces - the ocean - is offering a quiet and gentle reprieve, while our solar system’s core - the sun - watches over like a guardian.
I framed this image with a 500mm telephoto lens + crop, that lent a perspective compression that made the sun appear very large in the frame. I held the camera a few inches off the water’s surface, which meant swimming with thousands of harmless looking gnat-like bugs chilling on the surface of the water. By that evening I had hundreds of bug bites from head to toe. Oops.
This piece is made as a ready-to-hang aluminum metal print, with a rear edition plate along with the archival certificate of authenticity.
During the Christmas break of 2022 where I couldn’t make it all the way back home to Australia, my spouse and I snagged some cheap tickets to Aruba for a few nights at an AirBnB. As an aside to this image, without prior context of Aruba I could immediately feel that this beautiful place had a lot of underlying strains, environmentally and economically. While ‘Rolling Tide’ is a depiction of the inherent natural beauty of this region that deserves to be celebrated, I feel compelled to acknowledge some of the evidence of environmental strain from the past. This image of a decommissioned beachfront oil refinery, run by Lago, then Valero and Citgo, illustrates part of Aruba’s journey. The plant was a major component of Aruba’s economy, and permanently closed in 2019 after attempts at reopening - the Aruba government has since designated the refinery area for the development of alternative, environmentally friendly industries - along with other green initiatives.
Remanoir (Limited Edition of 30 at 12×24” | 5 at 24x48”)
In my youth, I studied the works of influential photographers such as Ansel Adams and his environmental conservation efforts in Yosemite National Park. As a young boy from rural Australia, I had never expected to see such places myself, let alone try my hand at capturing the raw landscapes of Yosemite.
Come 2025, I stood in awe as the sun rose over the valley. I found myself consumed by the remarkable feeling that despite so much separation in time, this place is so enduring and unchanged from what I read about in my youth. And yet, it can only be this way with the concerted efforts to protect this place of natural wonder from the ever growing cities and industries around it. Note a subtle pair of natural and human elements in the top left of this image, with a bird and a faint trail from a plane in the distance.
I named this piece Remanoir - ‘to remain’.
I love the tones and layers of light that were present in this moment. The rangers mentioned some forest fires a few hundred miles away, which meant there were lots of particulates in the air along with morning haze that made for really dynamic lighting conditions. I also saw about 7 black bears, and as much as you guys love to say Australia is a hectic dangerous place - we don’t have bears!! They were super cool to observe from a distance. If I were to ever hike somewhere with grizzlies, though, you wouldn’t catch me without an experienced guide.
This photograph is printed on Hahnemuhle FineArt Pearl, 285gsm, 100% a-cellulose.
Framed by default in a ‘Bronze Reverse’ gallery frame (no mat).
Skógafoss (Limited Edition of 30 at 24×30” | 10 at 40x50”)
Last but certainly not least, this one is all about showcasing the raw, thundering power of Skógafoss from a new perspective - through the contrasting soft, calm palette the sky offered after sunset. Located in Iceland, there is a campsite located barely 100m from the foot of the falls. It was early evening when we drove toward the site when we were immediately struck by the huge scale and presence of this waterfall.. the roaring thunder of water was a constant presence throughout the night, acting as the best white-noise sleeping aid I’ve ever experienced. The waterfall is about 60m/200ft tall, the scale of which feels very imposing from the ground perspective.
Spending only one night, I felt compelled to try capturing an evening Skogafoss straight away before setting up camp, and I’m glad I did.
By seeking a higher aerial perspective, along with late evening light conditions, I stripped away some of that imposing presence to look a little further into its character and how it harmonizes with the broader landscape above. The soft, painterly colours in this late hour lent itself really well to this.
I captured a series of 3 horizontal frames that were later stitched into one very large vertical panorama, ideal for a very large canvas that reflects the scale of this scene.
If you are interested in getting your hands on one of these works while they’re available, feel free to reach out directly or check out https://www.murphsmedia.net/shop.
Appreciate you tuning in! I think my next newsletter will be an early insight into a new photo project I’m pursuing on the topic of Silicon Valley’s tech industry, and humanism (or lackthereof) in projects being thrust upon the country. Loaded topic, I know; and we’re all pretty exhausted from reading about AI.. this project is more focused on the impact it has on people and the on-the-ground reality of the tech hub that is rarely seen by the rest of the world. Or maybe I’ll show you the little turtle (Squirt from Nemo) that I’m making of out clay.
As early readers of my newsletters, you have an opportunity to help me shape the style and topics that I tap into here - I’m very receptive to feedback on what you enjoy reading about! Take care, be safe, and enjoy the rest of your January.
Cheers,
Murph
