The Story Behind the Image

Most everyone occassionally retreats to a sacred place at the end of the day to recover from their daily stresses. Some find it in a glass of wine, or a cocktail, but during the Summer Intensive program at RMSP I found my retreat on the outskirts of Hamilton, Montana, at the Lee Metcalf NWR. I spent endless hours here, listening to the chorus of a myriad of birds, shooting endless portraits of bobble-headed wildflowers, and fought an endless struggle to encapsulate the stupendous beauty of the Bitterroot valley on a mere piece of 35mm film.

Three quarters of the way through the curriculum, I attempted a photojournalism assignment: a photo essay consisting of four images on a subject of my choice. I wanted to document the changes the refuge went through during the course of the summer, but I found it impossible to do, using only four images. So, instead I chose four images that best depicted the essence of the refuge.

Heavenly Sanctuary was one of the images I used, because it contained the essence of my experience. It didn’t just bring to mind the memory of my experience, it filled my soul with the same euphoric sensation, as if I were once again standing in the middle of the refuge. A healing of the soul, if you will.