Time flies…
The first recorded text of the age-old quote, “Time flies when you’re having fun”, originates from around the 1800s; however, history pre-dates similar idioms back to Shakespeare’s “the swiftest hours, as they flew” or even Virgil’s Georgics, line 284, book three in which he eloquently writes “fugit inreparabile tempus” roughly translating to “it escapes, irretrievable time.” But what does the history of idioms have to do with anything? What the hell is this guy rambling about this time? Well, because as old as the quote may be, it has stood the test of time in an ever changing, evolving world and it still holds true to this day. Time flies when you’re having fun!
Around this time in 2020 (November to be exact), I first held my Canon EOS R5 in my hands. Only months after it had been released, sold out, re-released, sold out again, and then finally I got my hands on one from a Best Buy in Oklahoma City. I finally had in my grasp what, to me at the time, was my dream camera. Now I promise this blog won’t be riddled with idioms and quotes, but you know the one “As happy as a clam” or “As happy as a kid in a candy store?” Yeah, F@#% that kid, F@#% that clam…hell, F@#% that candy store too! I was happier than all three. The elation I obtained from finally holding in my hands, what was likely the most expensive piece of technology I had ever owned…minus a car…I’m not even sure I have words for that moment. But I am sure of one thing; neither that kid nor that clam could come close to the joy I felt in that moment.
Fast forward to 2023 and I’ve traveled around the world with what has now become my best friend. Is it sad to say that an inanimate object can hold the title of “best friend?” Maybe, but that’s what it feels like at times. It’s there for me when I need it, I’ve created everlasting memories with it, and it has been one of the main things that has kept me moving forward. I’ve had so much fun with photography, that as this title of this blog implies, time has flown by.
From my first photo-trip in December of 2020, everything has happened in almost the blink of an eye. I can still remember standing on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for the first time and crying at the overwhelming views and accomplishment, traveling halfway across the country, driving through the evening, night and morning hours until I made it one of the world’s greatest natural landmarks. I can still remember snapping my favorite image of all time; the Photographer perched on the lip of a protruding canyon cliff perfectly highlighted by the cool winter morning sun. I can still remember driving to Sedona shortly thereafter, through the twisting, circuitous roads enveloped by the vaulted cliffs speckled with greenery until reaching the southwestern oasis. I don’t remember Vegas….but whatever happened there, stays there…Then there was Lake Tahoe. Four days of absolute bliss. Trying to figure out how to even take a picture of this mammoth-like body of water and to show the unadulterated beauty of the gem. How had I not tried visiting there sooner? How was I in my 30’s and only just now experiencing this part of life? I was hooked and I wanted more. More travel, more new locations, more photography and making memories with my best friend.
After that trip, I returned to work but I couldn’t stop taking pictures. I spent most weekends driving around a refuge looking for Longhorns and Bison. Visually documenting this place that had become a haven for my creativity. In the months that pasted, that same anchorage soon because a backdrop for many amateur photoshoots that I did. The knee-high grass, the rolling hills, the Parallel Forest, the lakes, Jed Johnson Tower, all of it embedded memories that I’ll never forget. But the plains and rolling hills of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge weren’t enough. I missed the mountains and that’s where I went, back to Colorado. I visited before but not in the capacity of a photographer. Seven days of surprisingly blissful trekking through the Colorado Rocky Mountains for my birthday. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate another year of life than to admire nature and the beauty that it exudes at no cost.
But what could compare to wildlife, endless mountain ranges, aquatic wonders, a desert oasis, and about three days in Vegas? (which I don’t remember…. or do I?) What could compare to the discovering the natural artistry, charm, and allure of your very own country? Discovering all those things in a different country, on a completely different continent. I was off to Germany; I was off to Europe. It didn’t take a full month before I was standing in front of my first piece of history and the first castle I had ever seen, Hohenzollern Castle. Not long after that, I laid eyes on Neuschwanstein Castle, the inspiration for the Disney Castle. Probably one of the most well-known structures in the country and I had shown up on a whim during a random, mundane weekend. I stood in front of a beautiful piece of architectural mastery which I’m sure for some people is a bucket list destination. I was in awe but reminded myself how blessed I was to have the opportunity to have within my sight so many beautiful scenes in one lifetime. And it didn’t stop there. Throughout my duration in Europe, I have visited so many places; the sublime beaches of Saint Tropez, the bustling street and quaint countryside of Poland, the towering Cathedral Notre Dame of Strasbourg, France, the lush, bountiful hills of Epen, Netherlands, the coastal city of Riga, Latvia, the majestic, beguiling ravines of the Partnach Gorge, the waters of Eibsee beautiful enough to be Adam’s ale, the unequivocal euphoria of the Wagenbrüchsee Cabins. I’ve been blessed with so much, more than I could name or remember. But that’s the allure of this craft we call photography. It is a way to capture those moments. It is a way, that as time flies and the fleeting moments pass in the blink of an eye, we can stop time in its hasty tracks for us to recollect on the junctures that matter the most.
I’m so thankful for all the experiences I’ve gained through photography. I’m blessed to have cultivated a skill into my life that could provide clients with joy and remembrance. I’m fortunate enough to have been able to see so much in such a short interval of my existence. It truly feels as though all of this has happened in the blink of an eye, but time flies when you’re having fun. But I have my camera to stop time and seize forever, the memories I never want to let go.
