Another Song, Another Mile... Ramblings on Photography-The Environment-Society-Life

I dropped my son off at school this morning, then went to Walmart to buy some Slip-Resistant shoes. It wasn’t where I thought I’d find myself today. The shoes are for a new job that I start on Monday- and while I am grateful to have found something- the job market is horrendous right now- at 48, it’s a hard reality to be starting over...

MARCH STATS

Days in Gym: 11

Time in Gym: 15 hours 12 minutes

Monthly Mileage

Run-0 Bike-21.6 miles Hike- 4.1 miles

2025 Mileage to Date

Run-0 Bike-21.6 miles Hike- 8...

The following is from Issue 6:4 of my newsletter, originally released to subscribers April 7, 2025. Of special note to those who are subscribed, I happened to reference this issue in a social media post about a week after it was sent, and had several people message me to say they'd never received it...

This is the beginning of a new monthly series in which I’ll chronicle training, and hopeful progress, toward attempting my first hundred-mile race, the Mines of Spain 100 in Dubuque, Iowa this October...

The following is from Issue 6:3 of my newsletter, originally released to subscribers January 26, 2025.

Happy Sunday, everyone. Me again, in my third and final installment of this series, talking about directions for the new year...

The following is from Issue 6:2 of my newsletter, released to subscribers January 20, 2025...

Hello again, everybody. As I said when I left off in the last issue, I’ve done some soul searching since the abrupt ending to my art festival season last summer, and wanted to take a little more time to discuss my plans, and where I intend to devote my energy heading into this new year...

The following is from Issue 6:1 of my newsletter, released to subscribers January 12, 2025...

Greetings friends- and welcome to 2025! I hope the new year is off to a great start for everyone, and that you’re feeling optimistic for the stories, lessons and experiences that will fill the blank pages before you...

This past summer, after years of admiration and interest toward the sport, I finally took up trail running. I think that running, in general, is one of those things that can get in your blood and always remains a part of you, even when you’re not actively engaged in it...

And without further ado, here's a closer look at the images included in my 2025 United States Calendar. These 12 month calendars are printed on high quality, heavy weight paper, measure 8.5 x 11 inches (8x17" when opened) and feature my original photos of natural wonders captured across the U...

I'm proud to announce the official release of my 2025 Iowa Nature Calendars. These calendars are printed on high quality, heavy weight paper, measure 8.5 x 11 inches (8x17" when opened) and highlight the beauty of Iowa's natural landscape through my original photography...

The following was originally sent to my newsletter subscribers on October 25, 2024. It has been slightly revised to reflect a few additional thoughts, in light of ongoing events.


Greetings everyone,

First, please let me start by saying that this is not a political message...

It was the middle of the night back in February 2023 and I was working my way through western Wyoming, trying to get to Omaha for my best friend's funeral. John had been in rehab for several months stemming from complications following a stroke, but I still never thought this day would come...

“Man, I feel bad for you,” my supervisor said. It was a Wednesday afternoon a few weeks ago, and I’d just told her that I’d be in for my full shift the next day, instead of leaving early to drive to an art festival in Jackson Hole as planned...

Originally written after Coach Sesker's passing in 2017, I was asked to re-share this piece ahead of an upcoming alumni gathering for the Tipton track and field programs in Des Moines. Paul was one of a kind, and though I can't be there in person I'm already smiling thinking of the fond stories so many who knew him will have to tell...

It had been kind of a rough trip. Any time I try to pack a mad dash from Utah to Iowa and back into an extended weekend there are bound to be challenges, but as far as such things go this one seemed destined to take the cake...

Greetings everybody... it's been a long time, but I hope this finds you well and looking forward to exciting things in 2024. Big adventures, great successes, time with loved ones... I don't know, whatever it is that's written on your heart, whatever you wish to achieve, I hope your sights are set and you're ready to go...

A closer look at the images that make up my 2024 United States Calendar...

A closer look at each of the monthly images that make up my 2024 Iowa Calendar...

As I sit and reflect a bit on my most recent show- the Whitefish Arts Festival in Montana- I thought I’d share a quick story. Many who know me, or follow my work, have already heard ad nauseum how Whitefish is one of my favorite places in the world; that I lived there for several years and one of my most cherished, rewarding experiences in life was working the lifts on Big Mountain...

This is a post that I’ve meant to write for a while, and though a lot of time has passed, and I’m still struggling to find the words, there are people that I feel I owe it to- especially the Gravert family, and John himself-to say more than I’ve been able to bring myself to so far...

Debuting a new feature on my blog this year, at the end of each month I'll take a look back at some of my favorite new images. I say favorite instead of best for a couple of reasons. One being the subjectivity of photography, as often shots that may appeal to one person don't necessarily do it for another, and I feel the favorite over best distinction better acknowledges this and invites personal interpretation...

Following is the final post in a three part series, originally written in the spring of 2012. You can find the first and second entries linked at the bottom of this page.

Still Working on the Railroad

Originally published- April 6, 2012

I’ve been off on a bit of a tangent lately with the Iowa Public Lands Legislation (still no vote on the bill or proposed amendment to strike the DNR portion) so today I’d like to return to the tangent I was on before this tangent, and possibly embark on another...

Following is the second post in a three part series, originally written in the spring of 2012. You can find the first and third entries linked at the bottom of this page.

Bridges of Cedar County...

Following is the first of a three part series I originally wrote in March of 2012, on a now dormant blog. It has sustained significant interest through the years so I wanted to repost it here, on on my current website, where I know it will be preserved and remain accessible for the long-term...

I'm sure the "So Far" in this title seems a bit optimistic seeing as how, at the time that I post this, 2022 only has about 36 hours to go- so let me explain. I've been dealing with a wide range of computer problems for the past couple of months and am currently without the ability to process new work...

I released the latest issue of my newsletter this past weekend after a several month hiatus- and took the opportunity to kind of explain to new readers what it's all about. My approach to this is probably different than a lot of photography newsletters you'll find...

Many years ago, a group of friends and I started an annual tradition centered around college football bowl season to see who could correctly pick the winner of the most bowl games. We bought a football and affectionally named it "The Paul Sesker Trophy" in honor of a beloved teacher and coach we'd had at Tipton High...

Following up on yesterday's post sharing a little bit more about each of the monthly photos chosen for my 2023 Iowa Nature Calendar (which can be seen HERE) I'll offer the same now for next year's United States edition...

With the release of my 2023 calendars, and as I've reviewed my portfolio choosing material for this years editions, I'm reminded once again of my love for photography- and particularly for it's ability to eternalize special moments in time...

For me, one of the great motivations of photography has always been in sharing. It started when I was a kid (long before social media) showing little three by five inch prints of scenery I’d photographed on family vacations to friends...

Well the summer of '22 keeps racing by and I'm still struggling to keep up- evidenced by my failure to meet that weekly goal with this blog series, and now punctuated by my reference of "Last Week" to scenes from nearly half a month ago...

While it was nice to spend a leisurely day hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park coming off of my festival in Boulder, my main focus during the few extra days I had to spend in Colorado was actually a little further west...

After a nice morning of hiking in the Bear Lake area of Rocky Mountain National Park, I ran back to Estes for groceries (which took way longer than planned) then continued on to the west side of the park via Trail Ridge Road...

As this busy summer keeps rolling on I've had to skip a few more weeks of this series, but hope to make up for it a little now by adding three posts this weekend from a recent trip to Colorado. Part 1 here will cover my morning in the popular Bear Lake area of Rocky Mountain National Park, and then we'll cross the divide and move west for Parts 2 and 3 tomorrow...

I'm posting the following copy of my latest newsletter (from July 25, 2022) for anyone who hasn't subscribed yet but would like to check it out. This is more or less what you can expect- new issues are released every few weeks, tops, and it's not meant to be spammy or a marketing gimmick...

Adding a new twist to my annual March Madness photo tournament this past spring, I gave participants the chance to help me select which images I would submit to the 2022 Iowa State Fair. The bracket was divided into themes to coincide with each of the four categories I planned to enter (Iowa Landscape, US Landscape, "The Open Road" Special Division, and Black & White Landscape) and people voted in head to head pairings to choose which photos would advance through those respective rounds until a champion was crowned in each...