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The Canadian wildfire smoke rolled into town yesterday. Wednesday, we went to bed with clear skies. Thursday morning, I took the dog out in the morning, and there it was: a terrible smell, a yellowish haze, and a dramatic decrease in air quality – so much so that many summer events around town are getting […]
Jackson, Michigan – shot on the Canon EOS M6 and EF-M 28mm f/3.5 macro.
For Americans, we mostly think in terms of a week of vacation – summer vacation, Christmas break, whatever. Few of us take more than a week off work to go somewhere. Europeans, however, often take up to a month. I know this firsthand, as many of my EU colleagues disappear in July and August. For […]
The latest stop on our Canon Picture Style voyage: Agfa RSX II. One (of many) limitation of Canon’s Picture Style system: a lack of control over highlight and shadow tones. White balance is up to the camera, so you don’t have much control over color grading. Individual color HSL settings, levels, contrast, and sharpness – […]
For our family, summer means trips to Lake Michigan. In two hours, you can be right next to one of the world’s great bodies of fresh water. Summer also means Pentwater, a little west coast town in Michigan that we frequent – either visiting family friends or participating in our church’s summer camp. Pentwater is a […]
I try to follow a variety of photographers (and styles) on social media, Flickr, etc. Sometimes, I’ll find a photographer whose style is similar to my own. Pete Mustaniemi from Finland is one of those photographers, so I thought I’d get to know him and his work better. Where are you, and what do you […]
This weekend, I attended my first artist expo at Jackson’s The Sparks summer open house. Jen Dixon from my Artists In Jackson 2 project asked me to join. A free table around a bunch of artists and community members provided a great opportunity to promote my portrait projects and sell a few prints. And that’s […]
And these aren’t those white-inside strawberries you get in a store. No, these are red-all-the-way-through Michigan strawberries. So we made pie and I froze some to make some mead. Shot on the Canon 5D (classic!) and EF 100mm f/2.8 macro.
When Abby Dawson and her husband Phil decided to convert the back room of their Brooklyn, Michigan property into a ceramics studio, they ran into a minor structural reality: someone had built the room around a hot tub. “We had to chainsaw the hot tub into four pieces,” she says, laughing, “and get it out.” […]
No more homework, or concerts, or waking up early to drive kids to school. It’s summer. Finally. Shot on the Canon 5D (classic!) and Tamron EF 28-75mm f/2.8.
A few leftover shots from my last morning in Manhattan. Shot on the Canon EOS M6 and the Viltrox 23mm f/1.4.
William Eggleston’s work is full of emptiness. While he does make photos of people, most of the work he’s known for is a colorful void. What is it about us as photographers that makes our art-making so devoid of humans? (via Alan Thomas – photo above from Jackson, Michigan’s Greenwood cemetery on Memorial Day 2026, […]
My recent work trip to Manhattan included one perfect, spring sunny day – so I hit the streets to do some New York City street photography. The constant sunlight and plentiful shadows made this a rich environment for my style. Everything south of 34th street and west of Park Avenue was mine to explore. While […]
Shot on the Canon 5D mark II and EF 50mm f/1.4.
Our daughter, Riley, took a chance on the running club at school. The culmination of the semester was participating in the local Tunnel to Towers 5k. So we braved a rainy May morning and watched firefighters, first responders, and about 50 elementary students run through Sparks Park in Jackson. I took this as an opportunity […]
For years, Ari Simeone did not make art because he had learned not to. As a kid growing up on Prince Edward Island in Canada, art was always around Ari. He drew with his father, who he calls “a fantastic artist,” and grew up in a family where creativity was part of everyday life. “My […]
I’m not rich or famous. I don’t have camera companies sending me gear to test. But over the years, I’ve built a reliable camera collection that works for my needs. Each of my cameras – two DSLRs, two M mirrorless bodies – has a place and a purpose. Kind of by accident, it reminds me […]
Count Times Square in New York City as a place I’ve never been to, until a few weeks ago. I’ve been to New York twice before, but never so close to some of the more iconic destinations: Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, etc. For this work trip, I resolved to fix this and visit […]
Grabbed some tree blossoms at golden hour, before they disappear for the season. Shot on the Canon 6D and Helios 44-2 58mm f/2.
I don’t have a particular dog in this race. Jake Hayden recommends two Canon EF lenses that I own (he’s only missing the EF 85 f/1.8), so I’m already on his side. And I don’t own any RF glass just yet. But the presentation and creativity here, plus the examples, make it a fun watch.
I’ve always heard that Washington Square Park in New York City is the place for street photography. So when I had a work trip planned in Manhattan, I decided to put that statement to the test. It was a beautiful spring day in NYC: the sun shining, a light breeze, and not too warm or […]
Jackson, Michigan – shot on the Canon EOS M6 and EF-M 28mm f/3.5 marco.
Periodically, I’ll go through my photo archives and remember a particular event, trip, or memory. Think of it like a Lightroom-based rediscovery. One such album dive took me back to the summer of 2012, and one of my most memorable engagement photo sessions with my high school friends Matt and Jennifer in Brooklyn, Michigan. Matt […]
Made a quick video about my recent urban photography outing in Chicago while on spring break. Have a Canon M camera, will travel – that’s me.
Sidney Wallace will try just about anything once. She’s sketched, painted, made wire jewelry, picked up beading, decorated cakes, attempted a tattoo apprenticeship, and, at one point, filmed her own drawing tutorials for YouTube. That last one didn’t really take off. “That didn’t really go well,” she says, laughing it off. She’s in her early […]
Had the chance to shoot some Artists In Jackson photos at the River Raisin Distillery in Manchester, Michigan, this weekend. It was a great venue with amazing light. Lots more to come. Shot on the Canon EOS M6 and Viltrox EF-M 23mm f/1.4.
This year, I’ve laid out a challenge for myself: Get weird. My photography style revolves around documentary photos. I tend to capture things as they are: people, objects, scenes, abandoned buildings. Sure, I’ll play with the light, shadows, and color grading. But the camera captures the scene, framed by me, and that’s it. I mostly […]
I often struggle with street photography. For one, I don’t live near a major metropolitan area, so I don’t get a lot of practice. And for two, when I do street photography, I feel like I capture people from too far away. Rarely, I’ll get the right conditions and have a great session or day […]
Chicago, IL – shot on iPhone 13 mini.
Back to Chicago – this time with the kids on Spring Break. I brought along the Canon EOS M2 and EF-M 22mm f/2. One lens, one perspective, one view of the Windy City. Or lots of views: through windows, outside and inside, on the train, people walking through the streets. Street photography wasn’t the point […]
