A photograph created during my transition away from military life has found a new home as the cover image for the Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, Vol. 11, Issue 5 (2025).
Journal link (open access): https://utppublishing.com/doi/pdf/10.3138/jmvfh.2025.11.issue-5
A Collaboration Rooted in Community
This photograph was created in an unexpected place, a multi-use trail tunnel beneath Highway 401 in Kingston. Working alone, I set my camera to take fifty frames, one every two seconds, and then walked the length of the tunnel, letting the camera witness the act of crossing through. The silhouette is visually striking, yet also intentionally anonymous, allowing viewers to see themselves, or those they care about, in the figure’s place. The soft focus distorts the body and echoes the disorientation of transition, standing at the threshold between darkness and light, between one identity and the next.
This publication credit stems from work initiated during the Collaboration module of my MA Photography program with Falmouth University, where I was exploring the emotional realities of medical release and identity transition through mindful, conceptual photography.
The journal is published by the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR), based here in Kingston, Ontario. CIMVHR’s mission supports those who serve, those who have served, and those who stand beside them. As a Veteran, service spouse, and father who has lived the military family experience from multiple perspectives, their mission resonates with my own lived journey.
This cover represents more than a publication milestone; it carries forward my commitment to the military and Veteran community through art, advocacy, and storytelling.
Per ardua ad astra ✨
First published: 21 November 2025 · Last updated: 24 November 2025
Scott Murphy – Photographer 