IT SEEMED IMPORTANT at theTime

A Cloud Atlas

EVERYWHERE I GO, cloud photos are waiting for me. Sometimes friendly, at other times threatening, clouds frame our view of the sky. Whispy or whipped, the lighting on a cloud seems to follow its own rules. They are tricky to paint, and a marvel to photograph.

Here are a few cloud captures from my backyard and at places far away that made

me stop and say, Would you look at that?

VWs of San Miguel de Allende

Old VWs ARE UBIQUITIOUS in San Miguel, maybe because the mechanics in town know how to fix them. A few have even been restored to shiny new status, but most bear the scars of their age—with a sense of humor.

Some of my favorites include: a real red relic parked next to La Aurora mural; the scabby black beauty polished like a rock; and an original 10-horned (5 on each side!) VW that seemed to show up in every quarter of the old colonial town.

Portraits from the Poum

TEN PORTRAITS out of hundreds taken during my service in the Peace Corps (2015-17).

Most of the faces belong to friends or acquaintances in the village where I lived once upon a time in the Kingdom of Wonder, far away now, yet still so vivid.

Rounding up this essay is a portrait of a little

Khmer cowboy. With hemp rope in hand, he ran to keep up with his older brothers to bring the cows home for the evening. When the sunset glow lit him up, I asked for the picture and he obligingly turned his solemn face toward the sun.

Black & White

PHOTOS THAT AREN'T IN COLOR are almost startling in our color-saturated world. Yet there is something about a black-and-white photograph that slows you down—and makes you take another look.

The shape and tone of the thing are important when stripped of color; contrast becomes more noticeable. When the color cues are muted, the subject asserts itself. Emotion rises to the top.

So It Seemed

IT SEEMED IMPORTANT AT THE TIME is an ongoing game of tag. My camera is attracted to colorful things that make me do a double-take. What is that? Or even, what could it be? My best photos are gifts of serendipity.

To me, these images hold a little mystery:

My friend Jennifer's garden shed keeps its secrets; two hot air balloons are ready to launch; and the silvered sugar beet factory that shines in fresh rain-washed light looks like it could be a sister city to the Kingdom of Oz.

All of these photographs Seemed Important—at the Time.