One of the benefits of starting to disengage myself from social media is rediscovering RSS feeds for news sites I follow (instead of relying on a billionaire funded algorithm) as well as finding blogs that have really good writing. Case in point, this article from a couple of days ago describing the evolution and future role of social media in photography. Photographers After Social Media Unlike the author, I’ve never cared for Instagram. The limitations of the format that it allows always seemed heavy handed, arbitrary and hostile to photographers. And anytime I posted a photo of our dogs I got inundated with spam offers of monetizing my content.  But as he points out, now it’s just a metastasizing thing that defies description. I used to love Flickr. It always seemed to have great respect for photographers, and at the time had a vibrant community and the ability to find groups with common interests. I’ve had an account since 2007. I might start using it again but I was way over t...

It’s easy to tell yourself “it’s too cold outside to do anything”. Easy to make excuses not to go outside. But sometimes you just have to say “fuck it”, get bundled up and head outside looking for some beauty in the frigid cold.   It’s not like I’m going to find polar bears, or penguins or any other types of arctic wildlife, or even the Aurora borealis (although we did get the Aurora a few months ago). This is the ‘burbs.  If you slow down, and take the time to notice what’s around you, sometimes you can find beauty.  These prints are available for purchase from my SmugMug Gallery.

  Do I really need another social media presence? Maybe, maybe not. But about 4 months ago I signed up for a limited beta of a new photo sharing app. Foto is still under development, and so far only available on mobile devices. Their beta program is currently capped out in terms of users.  After signing up for it I didn’t really do anything with it for months, sort of wasting that slot in their beta program. But recently my thoughts on social media, and photo sharing have crystallized around detangling myself from algorithm-driven social media platforms.  When I first started getting serious about photography, I was really active on Flickr. The photo on this post was one of my favorites from those days. I learned a ton about photography, and met some really good friends through Flickr. Then I put my cameras aside for about 10 years for various reasons. When I go back to Flickr now, it just doesn’t resonate with me the same way.  As I’m getting back into photography n...

Thank you so much for the first sales on my Etsy shop. Woohoo!  I know it’s a small step, and I’m still learning the ins and outs of selling with a print on demand service through Etsy, but it’s a first step. Now that I’m past my first sales, and I’ve had a first hand look at the quality of the final product being produced, I’m going to be a lot more active uploading merch to my Etsy store, and SmugMug gallery. Onward and upward.  Happy Monday!

I stopped by Eagle Creek Reservoir yesterday afternoon on my way up to the north side of town for other business. Eagle Creek Park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. It's a favorite spot for local photographers doing some nature photography. Yesterday the conditions were almost a white-out. No wind, mild temperatures, and heavy show and overcast giving flat lighting conditions perfect for this high key image. #embracewinter 

  We’re entering the part of the year when winter is truly settling in. Even though the days are getting longer, the end of year holidays are over and we’re entering the home stretch of the dark season before spring arrives. In the spirit of fully embracing my art, regardless of the season or weather, here are some images I took today on my way back home after trying to do some photography at a wildlife refuge south of where we live.  Unfortunately the roads in the refuge were still trashed after heavy snow earlier this week, so I thought I was heading home empty handed. On the way home the sun filtering through the overcast clouds gave the farmland a dreamy appearance that I had to capture. I’m happy I pulled over to the side of the road to take these photos, five minutes later the sun came out and the image was gone.