Something different

I’ve been quiet here for the last couple of years.

I was still working on my “Chiaroscuro” series when the pandemic hit, and that put a damper on intimate photo shoots in controlled lighting. I also dealt with a major health issue, which I’ll talk about eventually. I hope it’s behind me now. We’ll see what the coming months and years bring.

One thing I did not do during this time is stop taking pictures. Here are some.

Funky pic of my daughter, filtered and overlaid using the Polish app.

This colorful spatula image was manipulated and filtered using the Polish app. I like the painterly quality.

Daughter Emily enjoying a lovely summer day last year with some interesting graffiti.

Father’s Day during COVID. We traditionally do a Father’s Day photo session with Emily’s dad every year. The pandemic didn’t keep us from having a socially-distanced outing.

Update

I've received many kind and supportive comments from people regarding last week's post about my daughter Emily's evacuation from the Long Island Railroad (and the very sad death that preceded it). My family and I are very grateful for the compassion we've seen in the days following the event. Emily is doing well, and life is more or less back to normal in our household.

My post generated over 6,000 views in just two days. It is humbling to think that our story could reach so many people. 

The man who was struck and killed by our train was an LIRR foreman named Michael Gregory Ollek, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and . There is currently a GoFundMe campaign set up by one of Mr. Ollek's coworkers to raise funds for the Ollek family. You can view the campaign and donate here. The funds will be used to reimburse the cost of the funeral.

The New York Post did a story on the event. Here are the photos that accompanied their story:

Photo credit: G.N. Miller / NY Post. Here, you can get a good look at what I called the "ladder-stairs."

Photo credit: G.N. Miller. This is the train car Emily and I had to exit from. Emily was evacuated through the rear door on the left, and I had to come down the "ladder-stairs" in the rear of the car.

I've been in touch with Officer Bryan Marksteiner, the police officer who was so kind and helpful to Emily. I'm glad I was able to thank him properly for his work. Though I realize it was simply part of his job, Officer Marksteiner went far beyond the scope of his duty to ensure that Emily got out safely. We will forever be grateful to him.

My next post will be on photography, I promise. I just wanted to write this quickly so that the many people who've written to ask how we're doing know what's going on.

Love always,
Amy, Chris, and Emily