Out on a Stretch
Sometimes I don’t know if I’m out on a stretch or out on a stretch of highway. The thing I’ve learned in taking pictures is that when you’re out with the camera, you have thoughts. I like to sit with those thoughts and write them down. Some of what I've posted is exactly that.
Living Snapshot
A change of scenery is a change of mind. If I could write one thing that’s lasting and useful, that would do. We usually sound repetitive inside, but outside, we become something new.
The Universe Observing Itself
We are the universe standing in our shoes.
Truck Stop Coffee
West Texas prose should sound as flat and dry as an industrial equipment manual, and every sip should taste like a thirty-mile stretch of highway.
The Ethics of Seeing
This practice is built on the belief that photography is a way to stay tethered to the real world. Using a detached, topographic approach, the work records the landscape exactly as it is — without the distortion of sentiment or the distraction of escapism. Whether the subject is beautiful or uncomfortable, the goal remains the same: to provide an honest, standard-lens account of the places we inhabit. This is not art as a hiding place; it is art as a form of witnessing.
From Memory
One way to truly see what’s all around is to go somewhere else.
From Start to Finish
It’s about the picture, and maybe we’ll learn a few things along the way.
The Look
The trick is to a make picture that’s neither too saturated nor flat — neither too contrasty nor flat — just plain honest. It’s tougher to accomplish than one might think.
In Parts
West Texas is just far — far from perfect — far from over — far from anywhere.
Off-kiltered
We’re each a little so-so and better at different things. The fear of not measuring up stings.
You have to be
I’m as interested in how a picture is made as in what it shows because you have to be. I’m talking about tools, texture, and tone. I’m thinking about lighting, color, and composition, and how well-assembled pictures can show nothing at all — and that’s okay.
Beyond Awful
Whenever I see a perfect picture, I’ll think, surely this isn’t real.
A Thousand Tiny Diamonds
Out by a truck stop, work camp, and several oilfield equipment yards — trucks have cracked the pavement to hell under scarce rain, and when the sun returns, the damp road will sparkle.
Bumbling
I embody something infuriating — an average person doing something. The combination of being run-of-the-mill and doing something creative is a frontier.
Virtual Movements
With enough resolution, we can crop in, move a frame around, and simulate a view camera’s movements in post — including rise, fall, and shift.
Basic Editing
Pull the contrast slider down to -100 and then set a tonal curve to one’s liking.
Big Bend
A plan to construct a physical barrier across Big Bend would be unpopular.
Nikon F Lenses
Nikon’s manual F lenses are worth considering because they’ll mount to just about any mirrorless camera today.
Going to Town
A black-and-white picture of small-town Texas is sort of what western swing music looks like — if that makes sense.
Film, Post 2020
Put film photography to rest. Digital is better.