Spring on the Gulf Coast

Well, the weather has started to warm up. It will be a matter of time before all the Snow Birds will be returning to their sumer nesting grounds up north. That can mean only one thing... those crazy adolescents will soon ascending on us, to create havoc and fun. This is the start of the Spring season on the Gulf Coast.

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finding my kidney donor

I can attest that there’s nothing more exciting than finding your organ donor. But imagine coming home after a hard dialysis treatment and wishing you didn’t have to do them anymore and there was no light at the end of the tunnel; only to have your best friend, soulmate and wife tell you that she got a call and that she was an excellent match for a kidney transplant. I had been battling cancer and dealing with dialysis treatments 3 days a week for 2 years. I had been given the news that my cancer was in stringent remission however, I still needed to do dialysis treatments until I could get accepted into a transplant program. I finally did get accepted into the transplant program at Vanderbilt University, the only problem was with my blood type. I was looking at a six to eight year wait. I was happy just to be in the program. My journey continued, day after day, dialysis treatment after dialysis treatment. I felt like the walls were closing in on me and there was no end...

Planning to Shoot

Ever wonder how your favorite photographers capture those magical moments? Those shots were planned days, weeks, months, and in some cases years in advance. In may instances a photographer will keep a journal of conditions or times to revisit certain locations. For me I plan my shots out to the next season. In the Spring, when I go to a particular location, I try to imagine what the Summer, Fall, and Winter scene will look like from that spot. I write it down and set reminders in a calendar a week or two in advance, to revisit that area. And, depending on the weather conditions this may even be a year or two away. Have you ever anticipated the bright colors of Fall to only wake up to a heavy rain fall? The leaves disappear almost over night. Below are a couple of shots that it took me some time to get just the way I wanted them. From the type of light to the amount of water flowing over the waterfall. I by no means...

Seeing My Toe for the First Time

Today I woke up with a bit of excitement knowing that I would be seeing what my toe now looked like after, the partial amputation to remove the bone infection. This would be one step closer to getting my kidney transplant and one step closer to taking back my life. The fact of the matter is that immediately following the toe surgery, my foot felt normal once again. I was in no pain and my foot more specifically, my big toe, was no longer mad (infected). It felt as it did years before the diagnosis. It felt content and normal. This was a bit alarming as I was use to having neuropathy in my feet and now, it felt normal once again. I felt like I was moving my toe and that all was right in the world once again. But, looking at my foot, I knew it wasn’t. The spot where my big toe once sat was a bit shorter and wrapped with bandages. In addition, my foot was secured in an inflatable boot for stability. I kept thinking to myself… What have I done now? In the days after t...

Ray McMullen Fine Art Photography

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