1. Psalm 23

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need…

…Even though I walk through the dark valley of death,

because He is with me, I fear no harm…”

It was a cool winter morning when I heard these words, as if for the first time, in an old silent movie theater-turned church on Hollywood Boulevard. I was awoken, energized, and I had no immediate idea where this verse would lead me.

Walking and photography have always been ways for me to clear my mind. They are the closest things I know to meditation. When I heard the words of Psalm 23 that day, I had a vivid mental image of myself walking through the salt pans of Death Valley, which I had visited to photograph only once before.

I felt a great disconnect on that first visit. I never seemed to find clarity in the way that I typically do when behind the camera. It was like a barrier existed between my soul and the massive space that surrounded me, almost as if it had something to hide. I never printed a single negative from that trip.

I recalled this thought in church that day and wondered to myself if it were possible, over time, to somehow gain intimacy with this forbidding place.  And if it were, would it reveal these secrets to my lens? I also felt that the valley may hold something spiritually, for me, that I still needed to learn about myself. I was so convicted by these ideas, that it caused me to completely ignore the rest of the sermon… and for a while, pretty much everything else in my life.

Saltpan of Death Valley's Badwater Basin. Elavation: -282ft.

I knew when I strolled out of church that morning that I would take a long walk through the valley of death. I mentioned that I was planning such a walk to friends only a few days later. Their reply was the beginning of a trend that still continues, “Why?”

Though I gave many explanations (to myself and others) as to why I was really embarking on this journey, I would eventually realize that the truth was quite simple. There was a long conversation that I had yet to have, and a fear that I had yet to overcome.

I was certain that this quiet valley would be the place for both these things to happen. I could then, hopefully, be able to transform my life while giving a voice to the Valley through my photographs.