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

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...

Okay... so those of you who know me well will be absolutely shocked to hear this (might be pushing the legal limits of sarcasm there) but I've already fallen a little behind on this weekly photo series...

This weeks edition of "Last Week in Pictures" brings the conclusion of my short trip through the Tetons and Yellowstone (and back through the Tetons.) You can see the first set of photos HERE, and as I work through my edits I'm sure there will be more to come...

The following was written in late April. I held off on publishing it with the intent of writing an accompanying piece discussing this year’s State Fair entries- which I still intend to do- but time got away from me and it sort of got lost in the mix...

Alright, so I guess technically I'm a day or so late on this one (my goal is to create a collection of photos every week, and allow myself the following week to edit and post them) but regardless, here is the second installment of my "Pictures from Last Week" series...

Followers of my newsletter have probably heard it now almost as many times as I have. I vent about it more than I should. I know it's an honest question, but one I get asked at every show. Over and over and over again...

The latest round of votes are now all tallied and the divisional champions have been crowned as we head in to this weekend's Final Four. I've made a slight adjustment to the schedule- it's been a hard fought week and today has been...

The second round votes are all counted, and a sincere thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to share their views on the competing images. I definitely appreciate both the insight and the thought you've all put into your responses, and I'm eager to see where this next round leads, as many "crowd favorites" will now be meeting head to head...

The votes are counted and results are in, and it's time to move on to Round 2 of this year's March Madness tournament. Before we do, however, I want to express a sincere thank you to everyone who has taken part so far...

The results are in, with the images highlighted above advancing to Round 2.

A breakdown of opening round votes by platform (FB-Facebook, IG-Instagram, T- Twitter, E- Email) for the Iowa Landscapes Division are as follows...

The results are in, with the images highlighted above advancing to Round 2.

A breakdown of opening round votes by platform (FB-Facebook, IG-Instagram, T- Twitter, E- Email) for the U...

The results are in, with the images highlighted above advancing to Round 2.

A breakdown of opening round votes by platform (FB-Facebook, IG-Instagram, T- Twitter, E- Email) for the "Open Road" Division are as follows...

We're kicking off this year's March Madness Photo Showdown with 32 images, split into 4 divisions that coincide with entry categories at the Iowa State Fair. Your votes will help me to decide which of these photos to submit to this year's fair photo contest...

This category has of course long been near and dear to me, as one of my primary photo goals has always been to showcase the beauty of Iowa- in all it's seasons, features and forms. I do have a couple of ideas for specific locations that I'd like to attempt to photograph this spring if conditions line up well- so this is the one division where I am most likely to add options prior to this year's entry deadline- but for now these are my top contenders...

The official title for this category at the fair is "U.S. Places and Landscapes" -so it can include a wide variety of subject matter (including human made structures.) I have a mix here for consideration, with a few newer images photographed last year in Arkansas and Colorado, and the others taken in years prior...

Though I generally only print in black and white by request, I do enjoy experimenting in this format, and as far as awards at the state fair go this is the category where I've had the most success...

Each year, the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon has one special themed category- this year's being "The Open Road." Entries are open to personal interpretation (so it doesn't necessarily have to be a far-reaching stretch of highway...

On behalf of the Frank "Kinney" Holbrook Memorial Society, I'm excited to share that we will take part in a special Black history month presentation on Saturday, February 19 at Hope + Elim Church, 2500 University Avenue, Des Moines...

The following post originates from my October 22 newsletter, and ties in as a continuation of a review of my 2021 season, and my focus for the future. To view that newsletter, click HERE.

-I went out a couple days recently to photograph the fall color...

With a busy art show season coming to a close it’s time to turn some of my focus back to writing again, including renewed effort on this long neglected blog. While much of what I post here going forward will be photography or environmental themed, I do like to mix some more general life stuff in from time to time...

I always appreciate the moments in life that present opportunity for reflection, and find that returning to places where significant chapters of our stories have played out can provide great windows to recognize the influences of our past...

One of the biggest motivations in sharing my photography has always been in celebrating wonders found in the great outdoors, and the hope of opening eyes to the beauty that exists all around. I’ve always found deep reverence and connection in the natural world, and my photos are documentation of the special times I spend there...

I held a contest recently in which I matched a number of photos against each other and asked viewers to vote for which they liked best. Throughout the tournament, the most common reason people offered to explain the choice they’d made was “bright” or “unique” colors...

Well I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pulling for my sentimental favorites... especially as we got into the later rounds. So when "After the Storm" made it to the final it felt a bit like poetic justice in a way...

"MORAINE LAKE" vs "AFTER THE STORM"

The people have spoken, results are in and we've made it to the Championship round.

Out of the Canadian Rockies is "Moraine Lake" -the number one seed from the Mountains Division that sailed through the competition thanks to its dramatic sky and turquoise glacial water...

The Division champs have been crowned, and now we move on to see how each fairs against the favorites from other landscapes. Voting in these semi-final match-ups ("Moraine Lake" vs "Mesa Arch" and "After the Storm" vs "Macbride Rainbow") will run through noon central, Sunday, March 28...

Results are in on the Elite 8 round, and we've crowned the Divisional Champions. I was a bit surprised by the final point margins with many of these as I expected much closer contests...

Time to determine the Divisional Champions and see which photos move on to the Final Four. A few of these have sailed through the tournament without too much of a challenge, but we'll see how long that holds true as many crowd favorites are about to clash...

The votes are in and the Sweet 16 round is in the books. There were a couple of very close match-ups this time, but for the most part winner's are advancing after comfortable victories...