Do you know that thing with film cameras where it may take you weeks, months, or even years to shoot a whole roll of film? And then you get the film photo printed, and it’s like rediscovering everything you photographed over that time period? I do that on my digital cameras, too. … | Continue reading
Love Lawren’s style and subjects. Good interview by Willem Verbeek. | Continue reading
“Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” asked Elizabeth Willing Powel. “A republic, if you can keep it,” replied Ben Franklin. | Continue reading
Love this Bloggers portrait project by Gabriela Herman. Simple, stark, drenched in shadow – just my style. | Continue reading
Cascades Park – Jackson, Michigan | Continue reading
It’s hot. Nothing like going from sweatshirt weather to 90 degrees F within a week. I took a walk around the yard to catch that golden summer light that lasts and lasts. Shot on the Canon 5D mark II and EF 40mm f/2.8. | Continue reading
I can not stress how important it is not to let the pressure of posting a photo only to have no one pay it any attention stop you from enjoying what you do. You can jump from service to service all you want but the only thing that will change the reactions you get is […] | Continue reading
Welcome to Homer. It’s hot – early July, mid-day hot. And quiet. Homer is a sleepy rural village in southern Michigan. Americana was on full display walking around the village square just after July 4. Shot on the Canon 5D (classic!) and EF 50mm f/1.4. | Continue reading
Images, combined with words, can become greater than the sum of their parts. – Greig Fraser, Dune cinematographer | Continue reading
We managed to get away for our 10-year wedding anniversary. It was chilly for the last weekend in May, but we returned to two of our favorite spots near the Lake Michigan coast: Virtue Cider in Fennville, Michigan, and The Kirby Hotel in Douglas, Michigan. Virtue Cider Virtue was … | Continue reading
Tucked in a cozy corner of Art 634 in Jackson, Michigan, Jason Heinrich’s Yesterdream Studio isn’t just a storefront. It’s a portal to comfort, creativity, and memory. Admittedly, the space defies easy classification. “It’s not really a furniture store, not really a record store, … | Continue reading
Driving back from Stockbridge, Michigan, on a super foggy morning, I drove through the little village of Munith. The truth is, throughout my life here, I haven’t ever seen Munith. It’s tiny—a village on the northeast edge of Jackson County. But here I was on the first day of autu … | Continue reading
In my latest YouTube video, I test out several film-like Canon Picture Styles to see which of them can give Canon photographers that Fujifilm-like simulation experience. Preslav Rachev left a comment asking for feedback on a Picture Style he recently developed, Cinematic Color Ne … | Continue reading
This is an old neighborhood in Jackson, Michigan. Here on Wildwood Ave and Edward St, behind the public high school, you can sense the age in the size of the homes and their proximity to downtown Jackson. It’s quiet. A little under construction. And here on a sunny day in early M … | Continue reading
Do what you can with what you have. Nothing more is needed. – Rick Rubin | Continue reading
It’s tough for me to make photos in cloudy conditions. I rely on sharp, dramatic sunlight for much of my work. But here, on the northwest side of Jackson, Michigan, I gave it a good go around the Hibbard and Hallett Street neighborhood. Instead of capturing light, I did my best t … | Continue reading
Om Malik on Instagram: Photos and videos are increasingly used for informational reasons rather than just for pure aesthetic and artistic purposes…Everyone is advertising everything. The idea of getting people to see, engage, and appreciate your still images feels so quaint in 20 … | Continue reading
Creativity and transformation define Logan Swoffer’s artistic journey. As both a musician and printmaker, his artistic evolution is deeply tied to his lived experiences that were shaped by hardship, discovery, and ultimately, a second chance at life. His near-death experience in … | Continue reading
To be around musicians as they make music? Try new things? Rehearse new songs? It really is the best thing. My wife’s band, the Harmony Gardeners, is working on original songs for their summer concert series and a new album. It was fun to grab some rehearsal photos with them in t … | Continue reading
Shot on the Canon 5D and EF 50mm f/1.4. | Continue reading
True solitude is the boredom of hearing nothing but our own voice. That’s an increasingly rare occurrence. – Patrick La Roque | Continue reading
When I worked close to an urban center – Ann Arbor and Albion, Michigan, for instance – exploring neighborhoods was a good way to get out, take a walk, and make photos of what I saw. I do it around my own neighborhood, too. This style of photography reminds me of something Willia … | Continue reading
It’s hard being a serial hobbyist. Erin’s advice and strategy are solid. | Continue reading
Call this a love letter to a 13-year-old camera. I purchased my Canon EOS M 12 years ago during a Canon fire sale. Very quickly, I appreciated the M’s size, portability, and image quality. As the years went on, the M was always there. It went everywhere: to the beach, on family t … | Continue reading
When Madison McCarver walked into 21Blooms Tattoo Studio in Jackson, portfolio in hand, she was terrified. She was looking to leave her job in Toledo, where she had apprenticed and worked as a tattoo artist, but she wanted to be closer to home in Ann Arbor. Taking a deep breath, … | Continue reading
Over the last few months, I’ve spent a lot of time testing Picture Styles – Canon’s version of Fujifilm’s in-camera film emulations. I’m not typically a JPEG shooter. I prefer to grab my RAW files and edit them in Lightroom, but in a few cases, using film-like simulations was ver … | Continue reading
Got to spend my birthday in Ypsilanti on Sunday and check off something on my bucket list: Meet my wrestling hero, Bret “Hitman” Hart. We also attended Astronomicon, a wrestling/geek culture convention. Shot on the Canon EOS M and EF-M 22mm f/2. | Continue reading
Dione Tripp doesn’t just make art—she builds it, reconstructs it, salvages it, and reimagines it. Growing up in a family of carpenters, inventors, and tinkerers, she was surrounded by the idea that anything could be created with the right tools and vision. Her father was into mus … | Continue reading
Many of these are so, so good. | Continue reading
The more I make an effort to engage locally with my neighborhood and my city, the better I feel about life. – Austin Kleon | Continue reading
Now this is more my style I’m aiming to try out the popular film simulations for Canon cameras – like the popular Fujifilm emulations on the X series cameras. While Canon cameras do not come with film emulations baked in, they are available via Canon’s Picture Style editor and ca … | Continue reading
Ten years ago, I introduced my first big creative portrait project called Artists In Jackson. Through that project, I got to know our local artists. Together, we told their stories and let our community know we have a talented bunch of people right here in our hometown. And – bon … | Continue reading
Detroit, Michigan – Shot on the Canon M6 and EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3. | Continue reading
And it’s a big world out there. There’s always room for one more voice, for one more blog. – Robert Breen (via Patrick) | Continue reading
The Law of Fuck Yes or No states that when you want to get involved with someone new, in whatever capacity, they must inspire you to say “Fuck Yes” in order for you to proceed with them. – Mark Manson Replace “someone” with “hobby” or “project,” and it becomes a pretty helpful th … | Continue reading
Took the kids to the Michigan Gem and Mineral Society‘s rock show at the event center this weekend. One of my favorite photography topics in people showing off their niche. In this case, the stone people were all around us. I’m more into geology—the study of the Earth’s crust and … | Continue reading
I take plenty of people-focused street photographs, but some of my favorite photo outings include urban scenes without people—simply capturing light, shadow, and textures. “What have people left behind,” Sean asks in this video, which is a great discussion about how street photog … | Continue reading
So far, so good. I’ve successfully launched four email newsletters this year. Not bad for starting totally fresh. Content-wise, I’ve covered everything from sunshine to digicams and shared proud parent moments and books I’m into. Along the way, I’ve also added some new subscriber … | Continue reading
Shot on the Canon 5D mark II and EF 40mm f/2.8. | Continue reading
I’m back with another Thomas Fransson film emulation for Canon cameras. This time, it’s time for a Fuji film simulation. Thomas released Pro Neigh High, a Fuji-inspired picture profile pack for Canon. I loaded Pro Neigh Standard, one of the options, into my Canon 5D Mark II and t … | Continue reading
This early in March? We Michiganders know better. Shot on the Canon EOS M and EF-M 22mm f/2. | Continue reading
Our middle daughter, Madelyn, was born to perform. Last year, she had a starring role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And for the past few months, she’s been working on writing and performing her own song for our elementary school’s winter concert. In late January, she hit the stage … | Continue reading
It is golden not to have any rule at all. – Henry David Thoreau The rules? The rules do not apply. | Continue reading
I often drive by perfect scenes or interesting settings and add them to my mental “I have to photograph that” list. My list is pretty long, and the geography of it stretches across counties and even states. When I’m on the highway, I must drive by this little one-room schoolhouse … | Continue reading
Do you want to know the benefits of being a hobbyist photographer? No pressure. No client to please. No money to make. No expectations. No deadlines. If I’m working on a big portrait project, the only deadlines or expectations are the ones I put on myself. And I do, but no one el … | Continue reading
I originally shared a list of projects photographers could tackle during the initial COVID lockdowns five years ago. In my latest video, I take a colder take on that list, though the advice is the same: take winter time and do some photography maintenance. | Continue reading
I think the pain and frustration we feel when we’re confronted with our lack of talent and skill is also the path to overcoming our talent ceiling. The pain an athlete feels when exercising is the proof that they are getting stronger. Shawn Blanc: Overcoming the Talent Ceiling Bi … | Continue reading