But man is not made for defeat,” he said. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” ― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway is a classic saga of the struggles of man against the supreme forces of nature. In one of the passages of the story, Hemingway makes the old man say “Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?”. I don’t know how many times I’ve read this book, but as I get older I relate more and more to it.

Probably old men wake up early to simply try living more time, as we certainly feel that urgency during the late part of our lives. But, it can also be that waking up early attune our senses; in my opinion, early in the morning when most people still sleep, we are able to hear what I call “the whispers of the storm”, and not just literally, as I heard them when I clicked this image,  but in a more metaphorical way; in my case, I’ve anticipated some “storms” coming my way and I’ve gotten ready to battle them — like Hemingway’s unexpected hero in the “The Old Man and the Sea” — during those early-morning moments when most people still sleep.

I wish you all a happy holidays, and I encourage you to take some time these holidays, either in your early-mornings or at whatever time is right for you — I do understand that not every person is an early-bird — to listen to the whispers of your own storms, usually we associate storms with bad things coming our way, but remember bad things can be turned in something good, and being tested in this arena only will make you stronger.

I do appreciate your comments and suggestions. If you are interested in silver gelatin limited edition prints of my photos, please don’t hesitate to contact me to enrique.pelaez.houston@gmail.com

Also, if you’re interested in receiving more information regarding the making of my images, as well as general information about fine art photography, please subscribe to my blog to receive automatic notifications every time I publish a new post.

Website | Instagram Page | Facebook Page