crisp beginnings & twist endings
- Jan 21
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
you choose the start, but the end chooses you
Took a little breather after a short year of long days. Here’s to crisp beginnings and twist endings! Because that's all we ever choose, right? The beginning. To start something, and how. How it ends, is typically out of our hands. No matter how this 2026 will turn out for you and me, let's get started on those beginnings.
embracing reality
I'll thrilled to start this year by partaking in a double exhibition at two outdoor venues in the US. My work E Y E V E R S I T Y will be featured, large as a billboard, as part of "Embracing Our Differences" at two public parks. For the exact dates and locations, and to find out what makes this a candid portrait—two words somewhat at odds—read on:
how I define candid portraiture
As a devoted believer in reality, on a mission to capture the world as is, my body of work doesn't offer much space for staged portraiture. However, now and then, it would be inappropriate and inadequate to skip permission, especially when we are talking about children. Like on that lucky day when someone pulled my arm and said “you have to see this” while I was taking pictures at an event in an indigenous Ecuadorian community. I met the girl's family and asked for their consent before taking her picture. When I shoot a portrait like this, I try to stage as little as possible to keep it as candid as possible. That is, I take the picture then and there—with only the lighting and setting naturally available at the time—and without giving instructions on how to pose. Most children naturally smile and smile naturally when photographed without an agenda, contrary to what many famous child portraits (like Steve McCurry's Afghan Girl) suggest by extracting an artificial mysticism from ordinary moments, perpetuating stereotypes and falsehoods.
exhibition dates and venues
Bayfront Park | Sarasota, FL — January 17 - April 19, 2026
Poynter Park | St. Petersburg, FL — March 7 - April 12, 2026
Nikon Wildlife Comedy Awards
vote FLAMINGONE, win £ 500
Last year ended on a no less thrilling exhibition note: the Nikon Comedy Wildlife awards. Glad I could make it to London, where FLAMINGONE got to hang out with some brilliantly hilarious creatures. The exhibition is also on display at the Natuurmuseum Brabant in the Netherlands until May.
FLAMINGONE is now nominated for the contest's People’s Choice Award, and you can win a £ 500 cash prize with your vote. Tell your family and friends, thanks for your support, and good luck;)
Earth Journalism photo essay
Earth Journalism Network just published a photo essay that includes some of my images and a quote. Titled “Making the Invisible Visible: Portraits of a Hotter Planet,” it draws an urgent picture, framed by hope. Exploring complex issues and simple solutions, the essay shows heat impacts on human health, the economy, and infrastructure, followed by resilience strategies. You can find it here.
The piece came about in collaboration with GHHIN (Global Heat Health Information Network) and my image "sun sails" was included in the GHHIN - WMO - UNDRR Extreme Heat Risk Governance Framework and Toolkit, presented at COP30.
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So long,
Miles
