When Time Is Yours: Rediscovering the Enjoyment of Photography

Now that I’m retired, I finally have the time to dive into some long-postponed photography projects - the ones I always said I’d get to someday. That “someday” has officially arrived.

I've been sorting through a mountain of old images, processing long-neglected RAW files, and finally rendering time-lapse sequences that have been quietly gathering digital dust for years. What used to feel like a chore (thanks to never having enough hours in the day) has now become something relaxing and rewarding. It’s been a joy to rediscover photography purely as a creative outlet again.

One of the projects I recently wrapped up is this time-lapse I shot a couple of summers ago in Arches National Park. Mid-summer in the Southwest often brings in moisture-laden monsoonal air from the Gulf of California, which can trigger dramatic afternoon thunderstorms over the La Sal Mountains.

We didn’t catch a full-on storm that day, but the sky still put on a show. Fast-moving clouds swept across the landscape—ideal conditions for a time-lapse. I set the camera to capture one frame every three seconds over a 15-minute span.

The final video loops three times: first at regular speed (30 fps), then at half speed (15 fps) so you can really watch the cloud forms shift and evolve—yes, it’s a bit choppier, but more immersive—and finally once more at full speed for a final look.

Retirement has reminded me of something I’d almost forgotten: creative work doesn’t always need a deadline. Sometimes, the best projects are the ones you revisit when time is finally your own.