Paul Cotter
The Truth About Tears
I have a confession to make: I’m someone who gets teary-eyed quite easily. That's not a typical thing for guys, I know, but it’s always...
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Paul Cotter
Jun 261 min read
The Way You See
Ordinary things can surprise us by revealing a charm, elegance or quirkiness that's easily overlooked. In the end, it all comes down to...
Paul Cotter
Jun 191 min read
Rusted Train Thoughts
My mother-in-law, who turns 90 in August, understands the paradox of aging. She suffers from a long list of ailments and chronic pains,...
Paul Cotter
May 82 min read
Layers of the Onion
When I was 25 years old, I thought I knew everything about everything – including photography. Full of youthful arrogance, I walked with...
Paul Cotter
Feb 212 min read
Abstract Thoughts
For me, abstract photography is like a free-wheeling jazz solo: it riffs and improvises, taking your brain to places it can’t get to by...
Paul Cotter
Nov 15, 20231 min read
What If?
Whenever we face an obstacle, there’s a simple way to move forward – a way that helps us break through the confines of ordinary thought...
Paul Cotter
Aug 8, 20231 min read
Time as a River
We think of time as something to be measured in precise ticks of the clock, calibrated with certainty like the markings on a yardstick....
Paul Cotter
Jul 28, 20231 min read
Thoughts About Thoughts
Approximately 6,200 thoughts will pop into your head today, according to the latest scientific research. That’s a lot of brain blips. And...
Paul Cotter
Jun 28, 20231 min read
Alternate Perceptions
When my father was in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease, something happened that turned my notion of reality upside down. My Dad...
Paul Cotter
Jun 13, 20231 min read
It's Not What You Think
When I ask people to guess what I photographed here, everyone assumes it’s something soft: a plush blanket, towel or other fabric. They...
Paul Cotter
May 24, 20231 min read
When Lightning Strikes
A few days ago, I read about a 34-year-old father in Texas who was killed by a lightning strike in his driveway. At the time of the jolt,...
Paul Cotter
May 17, 20231 min read
The Music of Light
How do you perceive light? When I first picked up a camera many years ago, I saw light as something that illuminated a subject, allowing...
Paul Cotter
Apr 25, 20231 min read
The Luminous Core
When I’m photographing, I sometimes see things that speak to a deeper meaning. This is one of those images. I shot this photo at night,...
Paul Cotter
Apr 22, 20231 min read
Shadow Thoughts
A shadow is there, but in another sense it isn’t there at all. It has a shape and a tonal intensity – yet it’s as formless as a thought....
Paul Cotter
Apr 18, 20231 min read
In Lieu of Flowers
Sometimes when I’m taking pictures, people will stop and ask me “Why in the world would you photograph THAT?” I can understand why...
Paul Cotter
Apr 11, 20231 min read
Climbing
We spend so much of our lives climbing, trying to get to that next step: that next job, that next house, that next level of success....
Paul Cotter
Apr 5, 20231 min read
Unexpected Beauty
Sometimes good things present themselves in unexpected ways. One morning last fall, my wife and I got up before sunrise and drove to...
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