Photography to Explore
2020. It's not that I sat down, ready to write after months, weeks or even days of contemplation for an end-of-year post. On the contrary, it just happens that I've found myself at my laptop with a few spare moments to jot. A year ago it was 2019; yet it may as well have been…
No Need to Travel Far Imagine this: It's 14 degrees Fahrenheit in your quaint burg and you're trying to find the inspiration for making pictures. For those of us in the Midwest's finest snow belt, a decent pair of warm gloves and boots can be hard enough to find, let alone a dose of creativity.…
Continue reading ➞ Why Small Towns in Winter are Perfect for Photography
Most Important Though: Use What You're Comfortable With Readers, my journey through photographic gear started many, many years ago. Gear can be the absolute kryptonite of creativity so what I'm offering here is a simple observation from my point of view. Take what you can from it but understand that it's not gear that makes…
The Story of Photos Over Time As often happens, I sat down at my computer one morning—on the desk, a hot coffee to my left and Harriet, our 16-year-old Maine Coon, looking out an open window to the right—and decided to revisit photos I'd taken. It's a rabbit hole I look forward to traveling down,…
Let It Snow If it sounds borderline insane to appreciate the benefits of photography in cold and snowy conditions, I understand. Making quality images is hard enough when the weather is perfect. Traverse City, Mich.Camera: Leica M6 Once the temperature descends to freezing and below, operating a camera can present challenges: batteries run out of…
Continue reading ➞ Why Winter is a Great Season for Photography
Chicago, Illinois The gritty and storied streets of Chicago are only five hours away, by car and train, from our front door. Yet, it's on the extreme other end of the spectrum as far as worlds go. Grit, characters, flashing lights, buildings—so many tall, beautiful buildings—honking and life. Steam and smoke rise out of nowhere…
Adventure, Rest and Everything In Between We were sitting in a plane, about to take off from a small airport toward Placencia. A pilot and co-pilot checked switches, controls and gauges while we passengers were facing a stretch of runway that ended at the sea. A couple of thoughts entered my mind here: This is…
Continue reading ➞ Placencia, Belize: A True Caribbean Escape
Location: Bad Axe, Mich. It's one of my favorite stories about how a town was named; don't settle in for it though, the story is quick. Here it is: A piece of broken axe was discovered in a tree at an old camping site toward the mid 19th century. Short story made even shorter—where the…
Continue reading ➞ Why Quiet Moments in Photography are Important
Mesick, Mich The temperature was hovering around 15 degrees Fahrenheit in northern Michigan; that's not a bad temperature because it wasn't windy, you see. So the question becomes: Where should I travel to for pictures? Mesick, Mich.Camera: Leica M6 Most photographers would make their way to Lake Michigan, possibly to explore any of the nearby…
Always Have A Camera On You With the holidays being upon us, we're waist—maybe even neck, or higher—deep in obligations, commitments and responsibilities. It can seem like a miracle to find the time to even eat or breath; time flies by at such a dizzying pace. Petoskey, Mich.Camera: Canon 6D If you're the type of…
