I've always been drawn to art, but for much of my life I believed I had little artistic talent. I was one of those people who couldn't draw a straight line, and I admired those who seemed able to create beautiful things so effortlessly.

Then, sometime in the mid-1970s, I attended an art fair that changed everything. Among the painters and sculptors was a photographer selling his photographs mounted on card stock. I remember looking at his work and thinking, “I can do that.”

I bought my first camera, befriended that photographer, and began learning everything I could from him. For the first time, I had found a creative medium that felt within my reach.

Of course, this was long before digital photography. Film, processing, and printing were expensive, and eventually life took me in other directions. When my daughter was born in 1985, I picked up the camera again. As my family grew and my career in the restaurant business demanded more of my time, photography became something I pursued primarily during our travels.

But the fascination never left me.

Around 2010, I began taking photography much more seriously, immersing myself in books, online classes, and countless hours studying the work and techniques of other photographers.

In February 2017, I retired and moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, a city overflowing with artistic inspiration. For the first time, I had the freedom to devote myself to photography.

Along the way, something wonderful happened. I came to understand that photography wasn't simply a way of recording the world around me. It was my way of creating art.

Today, I'm especially drawn to the interplay of light and shadow, the character of old architecture, and those fleeting moments of everyday life that so often go unnoticed. I've learned that sometimes the best photograph comes from simply slowing down, observing, and waiting for the light and the moment to come together.

I may still be unable to draw a straight line, but I've discovered that I don't need to.

Greg Cavanagh

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico