THE STORY
One day, while waiting for a friend, I realized I wasn’t breathing. I was just learning how to live on my own after twenty-five years of marriage and helping my only child, a daughter named Zoe, fight cancer. It felt like the air had been knocked out of me. I tipped my head back and took a full breath. Above me was a deep blue sky, with white clouds that felt close enough to touch. That moment stayed.
It became a way through … a pause when everything felt tight, a breath when my thoughts were moving too fast. Looking up didn’t solve anything, but it made space.
When Zoe’s cancer returned, I had new tools to help our family rid her of this disease.
I began photographing the sky … nothing dramatic, just what was there. Light, clouds, change. Over time, the act of noticing became enough.
I spent twenty years building a career I thought would carry me forward. When I moved to San Francisco, I knew it might not last. What I didn’t expect was how much else would shift at the same time.
Through that uncertainty, one thing remained clear: when Zoe needed me, I showed up.
Our relationship wasn’t easy. There were moments of connection, and others of distance. But even in the hardest stretches,
something was taking shape … something that changed how I see my life, and what matters.
In the months that followed, I began to slow down. Through photography, writing, and long walks through the city, I started to make sense of what I had been carrying … what had stayed with me, and what I needed to let go.
Sharing these reflections with others brought a different kind of connection … and a different kind of healing.
This book comes from that time.
It is not a story about having answers, but about learning to pause, to look up, and to stay present.
If it offers anything, I hope it is this: a reminder to breathe, to notice what’s around you, and to find your way … one moment at a time.
Let's stay in touch!
Location
San Francisco, CA
Hello@MarkAustinPhoto.com