Saved by the Lens #25
Resonance in Paper and Time
It began with a photograph - a faded print from my father’s days in Vietnam.
A woman stands beneath a corrugated roof, her dress blooming with color even as the years have dulled the ink.
She sings, guitar cradled close, her voice long vanished but somehow still echoing through the grain of the paper.
Saved by the Lens #24
From Screens to Springs: Reclaiming the Body, the Breath, and the Moment
There is something ancient in the act of releasing energy in nature, especially through the ritual of hot springs. For centuries, cultures from Japan to Iceland to the Roman Empire have honored geothermal waters as sacred medicine. In Japan, onsen bathing is not just about heat and minerals; it is a purification ceremony for body and spirit. The combination of heat, water, and earth pulls toxins out while grounding your energy back into the planet. Each soak becomes a dialogue with nature, your tension dissolves into the steam, your thoughts quiet, and your pulse finds a slower, older rhythm.
Saved by the Lens #23
In this special edition of Saved By the Lens,
Daniel Acuña reflects on how years behind the camera led to the creation of Studio Acuña Fine Art Prints — a space where art, story, and stillness meet.
Saved by the Lens #22
Fish, Faces, and the Heart of Ensenada
Ensenada smells like salt, stories, and fried fish — in that order.
I went down there with my camera thinking I’d photograph boats and maybe catch a sunset. Instead, I found a whole world stitched together by weathered hands and community deeper than any ocean.
Saved by the Lens #21
“He doesn’t just fish — he listens to the river.”
Will reminded me what it means to show up for the things you love — not because it’s easy, but because it matters.
Saved by the Lens #20
Portrait of Talissa James, Financial Services, @thefinancialhottie, Northridge, CA,2025
Saved by the Lens #18
Besties Photoshoot with Amy and Caslyn, photographed in Newport Beach, CA, February, 2025.
Saved by the Lens #17
Portrait of Norman Madison for my “America Speaks” series. When I met Norman, we immediately hit it off trading travel stories, dreams and a love for adventure, long hikes, women and Kilimanjaro. In his 60’s he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro twice! (He’s climbed it a total of 3x!!)
Today he’s 80, and still exploring the good in our planet. Next week, he leaves for his annual trip to Thailand, where he plans to dive deep enough to see manta rays gracefully swimming by. It’s a tradition that he’s kept since the early 1990’s.
I love his story about perseverance, truth and forgiveness. Growing up in the South, to his move to LA, his parents being professional photographers and owning several businesses, a beautiful self-made story during one America’s darkest periods in history. As Norman puts it “I have a choice on how to react to the bullshit, and I always choose whats good and positive. It’s just who I am.” So when he agreed to sit for my “America Speaks” project and pick his brain on today’s politics …and let me tell you, dude it was a dream!
Thank you Mr. Madison!