Looking back, I cannot remember having such a good time doing photography on a trip in recent memory. I honestly think the pictures I have from the trip are the best I have ever taken. And since I’m the only judge in that respect that matters, then they are the best set of pictures I’ve ever taken.

Is too much freedom a detriment to my creativity and leave me with no foundation to build upon?

Your aesthetics, knowledge, and taste changes over time. Don’t delete those “non-keepers.” There might be a winning photo in there.

When we would travel down to San Diego every couple of years, we would take our daughters to the San Diego Zoo, mostly to see the Pandas. My oldest is especially nuts about them. Show the girl a Panda TikTok and she immediately gets those Puss in Boots endearing eyes.

Shooting in black and white forces you to look for different subjects and aspects to shoot. When looking for a black and white photo, you look for textures, contrasting light and shapes. It was the latter that I was on the hunt for that day. I wanted to make the perfect silhouette against the dramatic sky.

At one point, there was a subtle cacophony of squealing and we realized that we were hearing bats up in the darkened ceiling out of eyesight. Creepy. Where was Bruce Wayne when you needed him?