The golden hour is more than just a time of day; it’s a feeling — a moment where time seems to pause, bathed in soft light and quiet reflection. For Paul Joy, Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences photographer, the golden hour became the canvas for an ambitious year-long project in 2024. Each month, he set out with camera in hand to capture the intersection of light, life and change on DMU’s campus. With each click of the shutter, Joy not only documents different spaces on campus throughout the seasons but also connects with the heartbeat of DMU — its energy, its history and its beauty.
What begins as a simple commitment becomes a deeper exploration of the reflection of change, a reminder to slow down and take in the beauty around us. The act of returning month after month teaches patience — challenging Joy to honor the small, fleeting details that are often overlooked but are always worth noticing.
“The process was very therapeutic. Often, my photography work happens fast amidst many deadlines. This assignment allowed me to wander at my own pace,” Joy says.
“Photography is so much about truly seeing. Being forced to slow down and even retread the same ground gave me quiet moments to do just that.”
Every photo Joy captured over the 12 months of 2024 reminds us how sometimes the same view can hold a thousand different perspectives, depending on the light, the angle or the mood of the day. DMU’s campus, though seemingly static, reveals itself as a living canvas, evolving with each season. Subtle shifts, like the sun’s angle, cast longer shadows or softer glows on the same buildings and pathways. With every image, there is an understanding that nothing is permanent, that time is always moving forward and that beauty lies in both stillness and change.
“Light is magical and always changing,” Joy says. “The season, weather and timing all factored into how light played off the sparkling glass of the buildings. The glass construction creates the effect of blending with the Iowa sky. As evening deepens, the glow of the inside lights becomes a warm beacon calling toward the place of welcome that DMU has always been. This building may be new, but the ethos remains the same.”
