Life is full of turning points
A Life Framed by Moments
Life is full of turning points, and some moments become the frame through which we view everything that comes after.
This post marks a new chapter in my journey, one shaped less by where I’ve been, and more by the wonder of what’s to come. On June 7, 2025, my grandson, Marshall James, entered the world. With him arrived a new light, a new path, and a renewed reason to keep framing the moments that matter.
A Path Through Light and Time
My love for photography has never been just about the technology, the gear, or even the medium. It intertwines with my curiosity around how light behaves, how moments vanish, and how a shutter can pin down a sliver of what we feel. That same curiosity has carried me through an evolving journey from analog to digital, into 360-degree and aerial capture, and finally back to analog and the rich world of alternative processes. It has always been a way to stay connected to something deeper: learning, wonder, presence, and meaning.
In 2022, a thoughtful gift from my wife, a 1920s Kodak Brownie, rekindled something long dormant. That small gesture became the spark that drew me back into photography’s slower, more deliberate forms. I began exploring analog and alternative mediums: paper and glass negatives, tintypes, and how they can be influence artistic expression through long exposures of flowing water. Through these experiences and processes, I rediscovered both my creative voice and the subtle magic of seeing the world unfold, one frame at a time
Today, the story moves forward, not just my own, but one now shaped by my grandson’s arrival and by the love and strength of my son and daughter-in-law, who will help bring these next chapters to life.
How the Next Chapter Begins
With the birth of my gandson Marshall James, I find myself wondering not about the theory or practice, but about the experience. What does it truly mean to be a grandparent. Not as a title, but as a presence.
What does it mean to offer guidance without stepping ahead? To hold space without filling it? To listen more and speak less?
Maybe it’s like a cloud drifting over a mountain ridge. Never imposing, yet always present. Or like the steady ripple of water, shaping the stones below with patient, unhurried force, never demanding attention.
Perhaps it means being a keeper of small moments, the bearer of stories, and a gentle reminder that life is measured not only by milestones, but by the luminous beauty found in the spaces between.
Looking Ahead
This is more than a celebration of new life. This is about the beginning of an expanded journey.
With the arrival of my grandson, Marshall James, I’m stepping into a role I’ve never known. He is just beginning his journey, one that will hold both joy and sorrow, raise new questions, invite gentler reflections, and open the door to experiences still unfolding. His presence is already expanding how I see the world and deepening the meaning behind the stories, scenes, and images I create. In the months and years ahead, I may shape Marshall’s path in ways yet to be seen , just as he will continue shaping mine.
I’ll continue sharing these subtle shifts, not just in what I see, but in how this new chapter invites me to feel and understand more deeply. It’s an evolution, not only in how I create images, but in how their stories unfold. If these future moments spark a feeling, raise a question, or simply invite someone to pause, then they’ve done what I hoped they might. And I’ll be grateful that something I made found its way into someone else’s moment.
To my grandson, Marshall James
May your life be filled with light and wonder, with moments of stillness that reveal gentle strength. May you find your own path, shaped by curiosity, courage, and stories yet to be told.
Here’s to the journey ahead, Marshall, one image, one moment, one discovery at a time.
Want to see more of my work? Visit my website at jdarenbledsoe