The End of an Era… a Year in Japan?

Long-term readers will know that my journey as a photographer has been quite varied, to say the least, and it has coincided with what I guess many people would consider the main phases of adulthood. When I started photography, Tina and I were building our life (and family) together back in Austin. As time passed and the business of photography and blogging evolved, we looked out into the world to find the best environment in which to raise the kids, ultimately settling in New Zealand in 2012. It was absolutely the right decision—this place is an amazing place to raise a family. Great schools (well, let’s be honest, they’re OK… but I’ve never been a fan of traditional schooling), incredible outdoor adventures (way better than school!), fantastic organic local food (so fresh it almost introduces itself to you before you eat it), and basically no crime down here (the kids can ride bicycles, and you can say, Come home at sunset, like in the Leave It to Beaver days). All the sorts of things many people look for in a home. I hope that, combined with all the traveling we did as a family, it has given the kids a balanced and complete outlook on the world and life. Overall, it was a joyous time.

Time moves on, though, and now Ethan is on his own adult journey, Isabella is doing her thing at university, and Scarlett is not far from completing high school and take on whatever comes next for her. Tina, of course, sadly passed away last year, which brought a whole host of changes. For me, that ultimately means I’ve made the decision to move on from New Zealand. I’ll likely keep a small place here in NZ to return to in the future, but I’m now looking for a new home in Japan. Of all the places I’ve visited across the globe in the last couple of decades, Japan is one of the few that constantly seems to pull me back. There’s a connection to the life and culture there that I feel needs further exploration.

This also means that our family home, along with the cottage I call my studio, is now on the market. It’s a lovely house, but with seven bedrooms and just Ethan and me, it mostly feels like an echo chamber where I occasionally lose my coffee mug for days at a time. And since I’m a minimalist at heart, I figure it’s time to trade it in for something a little smaller, perhaps with sliding paper doors and a tiny garden where I can contemplate life’s great mysteries—like why socks always disappear in the wash but never return.

Anyway, as for my place here in Queenstown, you can find out more over at THIS LINK. Either way, I look forward to sharing the next phase of life with you all. Here are a few images from above and around the property…

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