Don Senia Murray

First baseman Todd Helton played his entire 17-year Major League Baseball career with the Colorado Rockies, a rare feat in an era of constant player shuffling. Always a fan favorite, Helton generated loyalty on and off the field. For many fans, the enthusiasm came from his astonishing playing record that made him a five-time All-Star pick, four-time Silver Slugger, and three-time Gold Glove Award winner. For others, it was his dedication in supporting and inspiring kids, especially his work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. On Sunday August 17, 2014, Helton's #17 was retired by the Colorado Rockies during an emotional pre-game ceremony. With a career batting average of .316, 2,519 hits, 369 home runs and 1,406 RBIs, Helton will become Baseball Hall of Fame eligible in 2019, an honor that many feel is well-deserved.

When my editor called and asked if I'd be interested in covering the Dalai Lama's visit to Colorado, I responded, "Are you (expletive) kidding, of course I am!" After all, how often are you asked to spend three days with a world political and spiritual leader, bestselling author, and Nobel Laureate? Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was coming to town for PeaceJam's 10th Anniversary Celebration at the University of Denver, a blessing of The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya at the Shambhala Mountain Center, and a public talk, "The Science of a Compassionate Life," for a sold out crowd at the Pepsi Center. After three very long days with seemingly countless miles logged (unfortunately, not in His Holiness' helicopter), I had been in the company of 10 Nobel Peace Prize winners including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Shambhala Buddhism leader Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Queen Noor of Jordan, and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.

One of my most enjoyable assignments over the years was an advertising campaign for the national nonprofit organization, 911 Families. I got to spend a little over a month traveling around to fire stations and hanging out with some of the coolest people I’ve ever met, no exaggeration! The campaign, “I Am Not A Hero,” was about capturing, in portraits, the essence of the people who choose firefighting as a career, and really, as a lifestyle. I learned a lot about what it takes to do this physically and mentally challenging work, and about the fundamental goodness of human nature.

I have to admit it, I'm obsessed with examining abstract concepts. I just love looking for things that don't seem right or are out of place, and finding ways to visually express theoretical ideas. It’s a visual language where lines, shapes, forms and shadows create compositions beyond traditional references. A departure from reality influences these often fanciful, sometimes thought-provoking explorations. To be continued...

I really appreciate nice architectural work, and I enjoy photographing it. Lines, shapes and colors can all play off each other with such a resounding effect. I enjoy slowing down, and examining structures and spaces from different angles. I like seeing how the light plays, and composing photographs to reveal a story about the feeling of being there. My appreciation for this work has led to my creating award-winning images from the Colorado Awards for Remodeling Excellence for ten years running. Not bad, I’d say!

Cheyenne Frontier Days, the world's largest outdoor rodeo and western celebration, is a ten-day spectacle in July that's referred to as the "Daddy of 'em All." Held every summer in Cheyenne, Wyoming since 1897, it includes free pancake breakfasts, downtown parades, an Indian village, rodeo competitions, a carnival, and evening concerts featuring top country and rock musical performances called "Frontier Nights." Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) sanctioned events held daily gather almost 1,200 contestants who vie for over $1 million in money and prizes. Attendance now exceeds 200,000 fans from across the country longing for a piece of the "Wild West."

What does it mean to be a frontman or frontwoman, and how does one get there? Seemingly, it’s more than just being a lead singer. There are plenty of great singers out there who, somehow, just don’t rise to this stature. I wonder, is it due to some kind of mystical power of attraction? Seriously, as a journalist I’ve covered a lot of live music and this magnetism is real! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been photographing a performance and found myself mesmerized, maybe spellbound, in such a way that I have to remind myself to also focus on the other musicians; sorry lonely drummers. These images are a collection of some of “the greats” that I’ve had the pleasure of working with, and I hope there are many more to come.

It’s interesting that after thousands of years we’re still fighting in caves with clubs, of sorts. More than 100,000 years ago, Neanderthals fought in caves with crude, handmade wooden clubs. Today, U.S. Army Special Forces commandos are using handmade tempered steel hatchets to clear Afghanistan caves of enemy combatants. The idea of fighting on a battlefield is bad enough, but hand-to-hand combat in a dark cave with a hatchet is really disturbing. While it seems barbaric, it’s a practical solution given the dangers of using firearms in close quarters with ricochet potential. Michael R. Pick, a blacksmith in the Rocky Mountains west of Fort Carson, makes these instruments of destruction by hand the old-fashioned way with heat, hammers and heart. As a decorated Marine veteran with a Purple Heart award, he’s experienced combat firsthand, and wears the physical scars of battle across his back from a bayonet attack in the jungles of Vietnam to prove it.

Sometimes a story can be told with a single image, but it’s tricky. To be successful, other than through happenstance, it needs to be thoughtfully crafted, with a lot of attention to details. This challenge is why I enjoy doing commercial and editorial portraiture. That, and the fact that I really love getting to know people; about their journey, joys, and what inspires them. Silly as it may sound given our fast paced world, I like to spend some time with my subjects; digging deep and sharing. I usually come away with a new friendship, and what more can you ask of your work? Words often used in describing my portraits are: honest, natural and authentic. That’s my thing, what I want! After a recent promotional shoot for a musician, I received the wonderful praise, “Don, I love Annie Leibovitz’s work and yours is the closest I’ve seen to her incredible talent of capturing the essence of people. Well done.” I’ll cherish that! Here’s a collection of some of my work.

The Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball team runs a fun program, the Rockies Rookies Kids Club, for kids ages 1-15. Among the benefits, these young fans receive team merchandise, ticket discounts, activity coupons, and the opportunity to participate in pregame parades and postgame base running. The highlight of this season-long program, however, is the free Back-To-Basics Clinic at Coors Field in June. Here, club members hone their skills on the field and in the bullpen under the guidance of professional players and staff.

I’ve always been drawn to black and white street photography, but simply capturing a beautiful or interesting image just isn’t enough for me. Let me explain. The photography that’s influenced me most are the works of Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Eugene Smith, Elliott Erwitt and Bruce Davidson. The common thread among them, in my opinion, is the importance they placed on their work having a constructive impact, that powerful images can both inform and transform people. This Street Beat project that I’m currently out pounding the pavement on is about capturing candid images that make us reflect on what it means to be alive on this planet; things like joy, love, courage and compassion. Someone recently described this series as, “life in action.” I think I'll use that!

Ever since my early days living and working in Hollywood, I’ve found zoos to be a wonderful refuge from the congested, bustling existence of city life. Initially, I’d rise at the crack of dawn and get to the Los Angeles Zoo before it opened so I could be one of the first to enter and spend time photographing the animals while they were most active in the cool morning air. I soon expanded on this with an Association of Zoos & Aquariums membership that gave me access to parks throughout the country that I could visit when I was traveling. Over many years, I’ve built a considerable archive of animal, bird, reptile, fish and insect images but, for this photo essay on the Denver Zoo, I chose a different perspective. Instead of concentrating on the inhabitants themselves, you know long lens close-up stuff, my focus was on the visitor experience, their interactions with this great environment. And, I think it provides an entirely different view of zoos.