August 24th, 2018 at 08:10 am (Motherwell, Scotland)

By Derek Clark

I take the afternoon and head out for a wander with my camera. I've no idea what I'm looking for other than escape. Then my phone pings. Incoming, in every sense of the word. Dad's had another heart attack and has been taken by ambulance to the hospital. I head over there and make my way to the medical receiving unit. My mum and my older brother are there. The absence of my sister is front and centre, a gap in the chainmail, surrounded twisted metal.

My dad's levels are fairly normal, so the doctor asks if there has been any sort of trauma in his life lately. They have adopted a Japanese theory, that a lot of heart conditions are less to do with medical conditions and more to do with stress or trauma. My dad tells them that my sister died just over a month ago. It turns out there is such a thing as broken heart syndrome. 

AUGUST 23, 2018 AT 07:45 AM (MIZALA, SPAIN)

BY KEVIN MULLINS

We have exactly one week left in the magical valley of Mizala.  Its such an incredible place to spend the summer, and even though we have done this for the last several years, it never gets boring.

Of course, being a business owner means I can't simply "not work" for five weeks.  I have admin to keep on top of, even if I'm not physically shooting any commissions.

My favorite time of the day to do this is early in the morning.  Poking away at my keyboard after making a coffee, dealing with the dishes whilst watching the most incredible sunrise is an opportunely I'm very grateful for.

I love being the first one to unlock the wreckers and pad out onto the terrace.

I'll miss this place of course; I'll miss that sunrise, I'll miss the noisy cactus in the night and I'll miss wondering just what the heck goes on in that abandoned house where cars occasionally appear, then disappear.

This time next week, we'll be at the airport and my mind will be on the wedding I have two days later in the Lake District.

In the meantime, my friends, keep well & shoot well.

August 22, 2018 AT 11:37 AM (Zaventem, BELGIUM)

BY BERT STEPHANI

Run, shower, house keeping (laundry), work
Repeating patterns

21 août 2018 à 11h23 (Toulouse, France)

By Vincent Baldensperger

Faut suivre le rythme, garder la cadence, mélodie estivale, chansons et improvisations pour piano désaccordé, jeux de mains, jeux de cartes, règles en batailles, bleu, jaune, rouge, vert, tapis et tant mieux, tant pis pour toi, je recommence, on dirait que je suis lapin, j'écrit mon nom, du bout du coeur. M.

August 20, 2018 at 7:15 AM (Otterburn Park, Canada)

By Patrick La Roque

Our twenty year-old fridge broke down, forcing us to live off coolers for a week. We were obviously due but there’s very little joy to be found in buying a new refrigerator—it’s one of those utilitarian objects that quickly fade into the background of our lives. We’re far from the thrill of a new TV...ok, maybe that’s just me. Of course we were an inch short on height clearance when it was finally delivered: we ended up removing two cupboards, leaving a gaping hole where several mixing bowls used to chill, happily waiting to fulfill their duty.

Needless to say all of this wrecked whatever semblance of schedule we’d manage to figure out. So I spent the weekend alone, working, while the family attended the annual summer gathering at my in-laws. A shame...but those lost days represented time I simply couldn’t spare.

There are obvious signs of impending change in our household this morning: toys, bowls...carpets temporarily removed. Everyone’s back and we’re about to drive to the animals refuge in Ogden again—except this time, Watson is coming home.
Next up: Cats & Dogs - Wild Adventures in Fur...

August 19th, 2018 at 02:08pm (Maarslet, Denmark)

Photography by Jonas Rask

“After many a trial
We all silent there
It burst as new-arisen,
Throwing a shade to where
Time travelled at that minute.”
— Thomas Hardy

18 August 2018 at 01:54am (Toronto, Canada)

18 August 2018 at 01:54am (Toronto, Canada)

The sky is calling. It's time to go.

There's no clearer sign that a trip is ending than the email from your airline saying 'check in online for your flight tomorrow!'

The packing has been going on all day; and at the same time, I'm drawn back to the details of where we are, the particulars of this place, which may or may not be here when I'm next in this country. So my focus is split between putting things in bags, and appreciating my surroundings one last time…

August 17, 2018 at 7:05am (Motherwell, Scotland)

By Derek Clark

Every day seems like groundhog day, but different each time. I've been making adjustments to this pedal board for months, ironing out problems by removing pedals and replacing them with solutions. A mic preamp, a monitor mixer, graphic EQ. It always looks so over the top for saxophone and a little bit of guitar, but it's all relevant. I hope it's finished. I'll find out soon.

Then a short intermission in groundhog day to go to the opticians to get my eyes tested. My eyesight has got worse since my last check, but I already knew that. I take a quick look at the kids section because that's where I choose my glasses from, due to my tiny cranium. But I'm not in the mood for change these days and I ask the optician to find me the exact same Ray-Bans I have at the moment.

I format memory cards and charge batteries for a shoot on Saturday and then the kids come home from the first day of school, showing mum the new timetable as they grab the first thing that's edible. It's official, the holidays are over. The recent groundhog day is about to become more like the old groundhog day. Pretty soon dance and music classes will begin again and we'll settle in for the winter.

AUGUST 16, 2018 AT 07:35 AM (MIZALA, SPAIN)

BY KEVIN MULLINS

We are still here.  In the magical valley of Mizala,  Andalucía, Spain.  We've been here just under three weeks and we have two weeks left to go.

The place we stay at is very remote, but we love that.  At present, the kids are still young enough to be excited by the pool several times a day and long walks (at dusk) out into the vast, wild, desert-like environment.

We've been coming here for ten years or so, and every time we walk, we find something new.  Another glimpse into the lives that once existed here, that are past, and perhaps only existed fleetingly, but the lives whose stories continue and will forever be a part of the future.

The law of the land here is important, and it protects the history.  There are many ruined houses, some that were left in a hurry during the Spanish Civil War, others that have simply been left by members of the families that sought their fortune in the lucrative North or other parts of Europe.

This entire valley was once the belly of the earth.  It was part of the neolithic ocean bed, and there are still reminders of that.  We find them daily and you can see it in the land lines across the tops of the mountains.

I feel like I'm looking at my own reflection in a mirror every year.  It's almost exactly the same, but there are things that are different.  Usually subtle things, but things none the less.

And, as the children grow, and their expectations of a family holiday change, then I'm sure I'll face a challenge in spending so much time in this place with them.

'till then, we'll enjoy it.  Spend more time in the pool, hit the beach a few more times and have a few more lazy Sangria's whilst watching the sunset.

AUGUST 15, 2018 AT 5:11 PM (Nollevaux, BELGIUM)

BY BERT STEPHANI

The 15th of August is a bank holiday in Belgium and as tradition requires, the week of the 15th is a family holiday with my parents, my sister's family and us. The 15th is also Noa's birthday. 11 year olds still wake up pretty early, so I wake up even earlier to make breakfast. When I look out of the window, my sister is making a selfie with an escaped sheep. Noa takes a royal birthday bath while my girlfriend and I hold court for the traditional help desk event in which my mother and sister furiously bomb us with all kinds of weird computer issues. Birthday portraits are not a tradition yet, but I'm trying to make it a tradition to take a portrait of everyone who celebrates a birthday in my presence. I don't have time to structure or reread my post because I'm under great pressure to light the barbecue. See you next week for a more structured post.