Category: Photography

WHY TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS?

“This is not a hobby, this is my life,” Kazu Nakajima

The Walkie Talkie videos with Paulie B are amazing. As my curiosity about photography has ramped up, I’m devouring stuff like this, just taking it all in.

And I’ve thought this – what if I’m a photographer in my 50s?

I mean, I’m an absolute novice with any and all of it.

Internet marketing stuff? Email newsletters? Editorial planning and all that? Sure. I got 20+ years of doing that.

But what does a year being serious about photography look like? A dedicated practice? A system?

CRITICAL FOCUS

Make cool stuff, show it to your friends. Those words from Rick Rubin are stuck in my head for months and months now.

Key point in this clip from MacAndre Pierre is all about bouncing your ideas off of other people. Present an idea, refine it, and keep making it better.

Take more photos (or writing, or music), share your work with people who appreciate it, get some sleep, and do it again the next day.

ALONE

I am joyously filling up this space, this site, this blog.

I’m writing freely here, as nothing gets sent to anyone (I’m pretty sure). Apologies to those who may read via RSS.

Moving photos from Flickr has been fun, too. Revisiting so many memories from my time living in New York City.

And to think I have these images and brief bits of text dating back to 2004. Freaking 20 years of writing, and photos, and adventures.

This site covers nearly half my life. That doesn’t even make sense.

BLUE MARSH LAKE DAM

Going back to 2004 on my Flickr account has thrown me for a loop. I mean, between that time period and the tens of thousands of photos I have in my Photos app, it just made me realize how consistent I’ve kept with photography. Not in a grand way, by any means, but I’ve always messed around with cameras.

In the 90s I remember shooting shows with my little point and click Kodak (got one on eBay last year). During my Bike Nerd days I had a Canon PowerShot SD940IS and Canon PowerShot S95 (see ’em here).

Got a Nikon Z30 because I’ve wanted to make videos but found I’m loving taking photos with it even more. Even the iPhone 14 Plus has me shooting more, and being more mindful when out and about.

Thought this photo was fun just because of the wall of green ends so abruptly with that blue sky.

BIKE LANE

From Flickr:

Walked over the Williamsburg bridge this afternoon, after my appointment at the Apple store (don’t worry, everything is fine). It had rained earlier in the day, which leaves all the brick buildings cleaned and bright looking.

That tall building off in the distance is the Chase (?) Citibank bank office building in Queens, the lone “skyscraper” in that borough.