It was the morning of September 4th, 2022, as we stood in front of our home in New Jersey. We were ready to head to the airport for our flight to Amsterdam to begin our six month hiatus from the home and the life we’d built over the past 19 years. Anticipation mixed with excitement of the unknown.
We spent the better part of 3 months in Amsterdam, living in 3 different Airbnbs along the way.
That magnificent city was all we had expected and much more. The vibe on the streets, the beauty of the architecture, the unpretentious nature of the Dutch, all made for days of walking, biking, reading, writing, and for me photographing on the streets. This snapshot of a sunset, like all the images in this selection, was made with my Iphone. The canals brought us peace and calm.
Within a week of arriving in Amsterdam, I started to teach a photography workshop with Veronique Sutra, who I absolutely love to work with who was also fabulously pregnant. Veronique runs the Eyes in Progress Workshops based in France and came to Amsterdam to teach a one-week class on visual storytelling with me. It was yet another wonderful teaching and learning experience and allowed me to do some street photography along the way.
P.S. I’ll head back to Amsterdam in September for another workshop with Veronique!
We then took a trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to visit our dear old friends, Hugh and Jackie. They were instrumental in supporting me and guiding me on my first long term documentary project, between 1988 and 1992.
It had been about 15 years since we had visited so it was a joyous time to reconnect with friends, and as it always seems to be with true friends, no matter the time and distance apart, when you reunite it’s like you never were apart.
On this day Hugh took Julie and I for a breathtaking hike in Donegal, on the west coast of Ireland, a place of tranquil yet dramatic beauty.
From Belfast we decided to go up to the Isle of Skye in northwestern Scotland. Hands down, this is one of the most breathtaking and beautiful places we’ve been to on Earth. We also lucked out with sunny, not too rainy late September weather! The weather gods were following us so far on this journey. We got to take long, gorgeous hikes and soak in the open spaces, mind blowing scenery, freaky gorgeous light and fresh air.
When we returned to Holland, it was in time to celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary. Kinda crazy to think we made it this long and this far, given the insane life we’ve led and the stresses of raising two kids while juggling our challenging yet fulfilling careers.
As with any long-term relationship, we put in a lot of hard work to make sure we’re always listening to each other and staying sensitive and open against the gale winds of frustration, resentment and sometimes anger. Yet, here we were, biking for over 30 kilometers outside of Amsterdam to a quaint town along the sea, having one of our most beautiful days together. Feeling gratitude for life and each other, something to never take for granted.
And then a few weeks later we got to hang with our kids in Amsterdam. Being with our kids while away on our journey was a highlight but also an affirmation of our familial love and commitment. And once again, the deepest gratitude to have this life. I came from a very rough family background, where I basically had to raise myself. To be a part of this family, having learned so much from Julie about how to be in a family, is my main source of life giving energy and goodness.
On one of our last days in Amsterdam, we finally took the prerequisite tourist selfie by a canal. What can I say?! For me to see Julie beaming with such joy made it all worth it.
Then it was ciao Amsterdam, next stop San Francisco!
In San Francisco we rented a flat on Russian Hill, one of the most picturesque parts of a very picturesque city. From every window we could see Coit Tower, one of the landmarks of the North Beach section of the city.
Cafe life afforded us a chance to read and write, meet with folks and find time to think. What a concept!
We also worked on a big project in California that took us from San Francisco, to Oakland, to Los Angeles and all the way up north to Mendocino County. California is a remarkable place.
Our son Eli lives in San Francisco, so we also got a chance to spend more time as a family together. Our intrepid traveler of a daughter, Isabel, was good enough to come out for the holidays and New Year’s.
In January we went on assignment to Nicaragua to work on a new film about CKDnt, chronic kidney disease of non-traditional sources, a project I’ve been dedicated to for a decade now.
It was a dream to finally have Julie join me to co-shoot on this production. We spent time in the sugar cane fields in Chichigalpa.
I was always following Julie, which was a really smart move. She’s always so curious and ready to check out new things.
It was time to say goodbye to San Francisco, so we made a drone portrait from atop the flat we were renting.
Now it was time to hit the road and begin our month-long journey to drive across America to begin a new project: American Sketches.
Our first stop was the Steinbeck House in Salinas, California. Julie has been reading John Steinbeck for the past year as a source of inspiration for writing, but also for his keen observational skills about American society and human nature.
And we couldn’t resist fitting in a couple of nights in a yurt so we could do some awe-inspiring hikes in Joshua Tree National Park in southern California. The rock formations are stunning!
And just when we were making our moves cross country, we arrived in Texas only for me to head to Cairo, Egypt for a one week photo festival, where I was a keynote speaker, had work in a group exhibition about climate change and had the chance to hang out with two of my favorite folks in VII Photo, Maggie Steber and Ilvy Njiokiktjien.
With us in our group shot is Marwa Abouleila, the powerhouse behind Cairo Photo Week.
And if that wasn’t enough, I got a chance to meet with Medhat, who 30 years ago to almost the day, Julie and I had hired as a 17 year old with some English skills as our fixer on our first project together. That story was about the City of the Dead, a huge cemetery in Cairo where up to one million people were living in. He's now a 47-year-old entrepreneur with a family, his own NGO that has helped more than one thousand families, women and teens get jobs and support.
These are the moments in my life where things come full circle and add a richness that I never thought about as a young photographer.
Back on the road, we were now in the Mississippi Delta, staying with friends.
Like most of our time away, Julie was always jotting down notes, which always made me feel proud and excited. She’s a great writer and keen social observer.
Julie even found time to dance at Reds, one of the oldest juke joints in America, in Clarksdale, Mississippi. She loves dancing and like watching her write, watching her dance always bring joy to my heart.
Photo buddies. One of the joys of being a photographer. Hanging in Mississippi with Rory Doyle.
We finally made it home to New Jersey, six months to the day.
What we have learned: That time goes by much too quickly and we are left with more questions than answers. This is a good thing for people like us, who are seekers and always asking questions and finding the journey to discovery the most fulfilling part of our lives.
How we feel: Confused by America, its dysfunctional politics, seeming lack of joy, the stress of life in modern society, the anxiety for the future, yet still hopeful, full of expectations and ready for the challenges, and finally glad to be back in our own home.
What’s next: The big decision of what to do! Has this time away, being in such beautiful cities as Amsterdam and San Francisco, seeing parts of the southern United States, made us feel like our home in New Jersey is the place to stay or must we relocate. My epiphany has been that I need and want to be in a more urban environment, closer to a diversity of people, cultures, activities and more robust energy.
We shall see where fate takes us next!