On Fine Art Photography
It takes a master to know a master.
In this world of constant judgment, where the eyes of others burn relentlessly upon us, no soul—noble or broken—is spared. Every move we make, every word we utter, every battle we wage is weighed by those who, for want of understanding or will, see only the surface of our struggle. They bind us to standards we never forged—standards built on fleeting illusions, on what they wish to see rather than the truths we endure.
They urge us to rise, to overcome, to become something worthy of their approval. Yet the moment we do, we stand beneath the crushing weight of their expectations—expectations that cannot, and will not, contain the heart’s full measure. They fail to see the storm that rages within, the fierce fires we have fought to survive. And still, no matter how high we climb, no matter how steadfast we stand, we can never satisfy their definition of success.
But here—in the quiet covenant between our vision and our resolve—lies our power: we do not walk this path for them. We walk it for the beauty that calls us, the beauty that reveals the deepest truth. In a world of lies, truth in beauty is the only bedrock of the soul.
Our journey, through their eyes, is never clean, never pure. Our choices, however noble, will always fall short by their measure. Yet still, we press on—shouldering their judgments, bearing the weight of their misunderstanding. It is not their gaze that defines us, nor their voices that shape our course. It is our own vision that charts the road we tread.
And when they ask, “Why do you continue? Why not lay down your burdens?” we answer simply: because we must live our vision. We must live our truth in beauty. For those who cast stones have never known the fires we’ve walked through. And those who dare to judge us have never stood in the ashes of our trial, nor seen the beauty we have seen—not even close. They have never felt the spark forged in the heart of it all. They are the ones that are empty, and know not how to fill that void.
Pete Myers
Santa Fe, NM
They urge us to rise, to overcome, to become something worthy of their approval. Yet the moment we do, we stand beneath the crushing weight of their expectations—expectations that cannot, and will not, contain the heart’s full measure. They fail to see the storm that rages within, the fierce fires we have fought to survive. And still, no matter how high we climb, no matter how steadfast we stand, we can never satisfy their definition of success.
But here—in the quiet covenant between our vision and our resolve—lies our power: we do not walk this path for them. We walk it for the beauty that calls us, the beauty that reveals the deepest truth. In a world of lies, truth in beauty is the only bedrock of the soul.
Our journey, through their eyes, is never clean, never pure. Our choices, however noble, will always fall short by their measure. Yet still, we press on—shouldering their judgments, bearing the weight of their misunderstanding. It is not their gaze that defines us, nor their voices that shape our course. It is our own vision that charts the road we tread.
And when they ask, “Why do you continue? Why not lay down your burdens?” we answer simply: because we must live our vision. We must live our truth in beauty. For those who cast stones have never known the fires we’ve walked through. And those who dare to judge us have never stood in the ashes of our trial, nor seen the beauty we have seen—not even close. They have never felt the spark forged in the heart of it all. They are the ones that are empty, and know not how to fill that void.
Pete Myers
Santa Fe, NM
