Town Scene
Happy, Texas
Aspect Ratios
Focal lengths and aspect ratios correlate. A 50mm needs a narrower 4:5 to emphasize relationships between foregrounds and back grounds, and on the other side, a 28mm focal length does better with a wider 3:2 because it emphasizes side-to-side relationships that share a focal distance. A 35mm equivalent lens screams 16:9 cinema.
In the moment
It transitions from play to art as we age, and in learning, it continues.
Lightweight
The less we make photography about something, the more it may accommodate.
Pond
Midland, Texas
Interstate Twenty
Warm sunlight and desert mountains blanket the horizon. Miles of asphalt fly under my feet. I love being out here among trucks.
Working Town
If people knew you were out there making pictures, you’d probably get in worse trouble, a proper way of going wrong. Odessa is a working town, and everyone needs a good way of going wrong.
Taking or Making
In photographing landscapes, places, and found environments, perhaps the difference between making and taking lives in the focal length, where a 35mm takes, and a 50mm makes.
Roebling Suspension Bridge
Cincinnati, Ohio
Enjoying the Day
Interesting places exist wherever we look long enough. Odessa is a real place, nothing touristy about it, so real that it’s utterly clueless about itself in a good way, and that’s why I stay.
Keep Going
If you think it’s bad now, it used to be worse. That’s why I’m not too worried. You are a part of the change you would like to see.
Broken, please use other door
A sign at a convenience store says, “broken, please use other door,” and then apologizes for the inconvenience.
I don’t know what to tell ya
Bad advice permeates. Everyone offers it freely. The rarest thing is something helpful. So don’t worry. Go ahead and make a wrong decision and regret it later. It’s perfectly normal.
Complaining, a how to guide
Live a great life. From wherever to whatever, I love taking pictures with my camera. It’s an obsession, a small footprint. It’s prints, posts, and film resting inside a trusty binder.
Film Emulation
It’s fine to digitally emulate analog. A box of monochrome 8x10 sells for $250 — a $150 rise from a decade ago, and some 35mm rolls fetch $15. Analog was once the primary photographic method.
Wooden shutter button
How nice would it be to have a camera shutter button made from mesquite?
Parks
Near passing cars, a walkway loops around a pond. Trees grow, and ducks eagerly anticipate snippets of bread. The park, known as Buffalo Wallow or Memorial Gardens, is an excellent place to walk in the evening hours.
Wooden Tripod
I serviced the tripod today. I repaired a loose hinge, polished the head plate, and applied mineral oil to the wood.
Bloom
Penwell, Texas
One-Eyed Dog
Photography is a gentle way to see oneself alive.