News & Stuff
Hello everyone! Welcome to the second edition of this newsletter. Your enthusiasm for the first edition was overwhelming and I want to thank all of you who sent kind words, shared it, and enjoyed it. Also, my work from The Sun Was Gold Like A Yolk Dripping will be showing in Amsterdam at What Is Happening Here Gallery in from June 25th to July 8th. Big thanks to Wesley Verhoeve for making it happen. If you're in town, check it out!
USO Artistic Swimmers
In May, I had the incredible opportunity to spend two days photographing the United States Olympic Artistic Swim Team as they trained for the summer Olympics. This year, the Olympic Committee began allowing men to compete alongside women. The story centered on Bill May, a prominent figure in artistic swimming and the first man to vie for a spot on the team. He's been involved in artistic swimming, also known as synchronized swimming, since he was 10 years old, and now, at 45, he's competing for a place on the team.
My two-day experience was incredible. I hadn't paid much attention to the sport before, viewing it more as a fantastical performance than a sport in its own right. Seeing the team in uniform blue bathing suits, stripped of their usual outfits, allowed me to appreciate their athleticism. Seeing first hand the power it takes to bluster such grace, the core strength required to spring from the water time and time again, the sheer endurance it takes to tread water for eight hours at a time all severed to shed light on my previous ignorance about the sport.
This was my first experience with an underwater camera. I'm not a strong swimmer and was worried that my investment in the underwater system might be wasted due to my lack of ability. Those anxieties were quickly dispelled once the first few rounds of images came in. Depriving various other senses, working underwater is an exercise in hyper awareness. The cyclical nature of their training allowed me to anticipate certain movements, to predict the flow. What started out as jazz began to read like sheet music. It was one of the most fun shoots I've ever done, making me a lifelong fan. Their team chant, "U-S-A WE MOVE AS ONE," will always be a part of me. You can see more of the work on my website.
Lone Star Eclipse
The plans to travel to Dallas for the eclipse had been on the books for well over a year. My in-laws call it home, and it's where my wife spent her formative years. While Dallas may not be our favorite place to visit, we were well overdue for a visit. The weather in April is usually great, and the eclipse would be the cherry on top. The stars aligned for this trip (pun intended). Our travel started off with a rocky start; our 6:45 pm flight was delayed by three hours, then six hours. Finally, after a 13-hour delay, we took off at 7:30 am the next day. We thought it was a sign to stay away from the eclipse, but we were too invested to back off.
On the day of the eclipse, the overcast sky gave us pause. It was another sign we should have backed off and stayed home. We headed towards the neighborhood park with only twenty minutes to spare before totality. The park wasn’t packed, but it did draw a crowd. I was comically unprepared to photograph this with only my Fujifilm XT-5 and a cheap pair of eclipse glasses my mother-in-law lent me. With lawn chairs set up, seltzers cracked open, and camera contraption set, we watched the sun through the cracks of broken clouds, hoping that we’d get at least a glimpse.
As totality set in, the clouds broke wide open, providing a clear view of the black orb floating above us. The temperature dropped from a warm Texas afternoon to the brisk chill of fall. Crickets began singing, and the street lights flickered on as if twilight had arrived and you were supposed to head home for supper. Dogs in the neighborhood barked like their houses were being ransacked by robbers. The small crowd behind me cheered as if they were under the Friday night lights and the home team had scored the winning touchdown. The four and a half minutes flew by, leaving us all with a strong sense of astonishment.
Soon after, I heard someone chanting, "TOAD IN A BOX! I GOT A TOAD IN A BOX!". A teenage boy had come to the park and was showing off a toad in a shoe box. He graciously let me take a photo of this toad in a box (it wasn’t good) before he went to the marshiest part of the park to set the frog free. We then met the next-door neighbor, Lily, who said, "I think this (eclipse) is the beginning of something. This is the beginning of the rapture." She went on to talk about how she has five thousand rounds of ammunition and how terrible her son’s wife is. Lily also didn’t believe that scientists actually knew how the eclipse happened. I left with the impression that Lily thinks the eclipse was a warning signed from God. A warning of what’s to come for who aren’t doing the righteous fight in God’s name. Lily may have felt righteous in her heart, but I didn’t hear anything righteous from her voice. I hope that toad is doing well.
CaseyMQ for NUVO
Dwell May 2024 Cover
Current Inspiration
Current Reading: Ocean Vuong - Night Sky With Exit Wounds
Current Listening: Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee
Current Art Book: Kristine Potter - Dark Waters
Current Watch: Shōgun
Current Restaurant: Baroo
Can’t Let It Go: Rolling the dice for lunch. This man rolls dice for each part of his sandwich. Sometimes it’s great, sometime it’s cursed.