Lookng Back

I retired 9 years ago

I've been going back through old photos, here's a "baker's dozen" of my favorites from that first year.



Heron, Laurel MD

When They Were Little And Full of Wonder

Azaleas, National Arboretum

Omaha, Nebraska

Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, Omaha

Rock House, Hocking Hills State Park, OH

Waterfall, Hocking Hills State Park, OH

Zebra Swallowtail Butteryfly

The Inaugural "Blink" Cincinnati

Old Milford Novitiate (Jesuit Cemetery), Milford, OH

Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC

Clifty Falls State Park, Madison, IN

Tulip Poplar Leaf in Fall

Spring Time is Portrait Time...

...for iris.
I've kept very busy this month between a photography workshop in the Smoky Mountains, a few charity photo gigs, and some personal things (like family birthdays etc)

But it is spring in southwest Ohio, which in my mind means...
Spring flowers... and especially Iris portrait time. Here are a few:

Woodland Poppy

Iris #1

Iris #2

Iris #3

Daffodil

Iris #4

Iris #5

Iris #6

Iris #7

Iris #8

Iris #9

Iris #10

Iris #11

Iris in Profile and more than one too many

What's For Dinner

A Cooper's Hawk sat down for dinner next to my driveway a couple days ago. It was not going to be interrupted, so it let me approach with my camera.

There may have been a murder involved.
Here are the mugshots.


Face Forward

Look To Your Right

Look To Your Left

Abstract Thinking...

Or is it thinking in abstract???

A number of years ago now, 2021 to be exact, I took a workshop "Creative Exploration: Pushing your Photographic Boundaries and Lightroom" led by Julia Cumes at Miami University (Ohio). It was part of Miami U's "CraftSummer Program", which I believe has been discontinued ("on pause" they say - unfortunate). Outside of the Tremont Institute Photography Workshops, any other workshop I attend, I pay particular attention to the leader(s)/instructor(s) as I prefer to have photographers with styles and/or interests different than my own. I learn more from them. In this particular case, Julia brings a totally different eye to travel photography than I do. The condensed college class approach with daily assignments (vice weekly) was also unique to prior workshops I'd taken.

Anyway, every workshop I attend has something that sticks and alters or has an impact on my photography in one way or another. In Julia's case, the assignment on "Abstract" really stuck with me. I always shot "details", many to the point that they were a bit abstract. But the assignment and presentation she gave really stuck with me. I was thinking of her workshop when I revisted the first photo below for a rework and then again when I took the four following photos with my iPhone on a walk this weekend.

Into the Void

Abstract #1

Abrstact #2

Abstract #3 - Rivers and Canyons

Abstract #4 - The Tree

Inside and Out

Just to post a photo or two. A couple of days ago I went down to Cincinnati's most iconic building, The Hall of Justice, aka Union Terminal - The Museum Center for the "Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away" exhibition. It's a very cool building and at some point I'll have to take my cameras. Until then, here are just a few phone photos.

(and the Auschwitz exhibit is very good too, if you don't see contemporary parallels, you're not paying attention)

One of the Murals

The Ceiling

The Outside

The Approach

Snow

Like much of the eastern half of the U.S.A, we've had our fair share of snow this year. And like many other people, I took some photos.

Leaf in the Snow February 2026

Snow "Dunes" February 2026

The Little Miami River February 2026

Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Cemetery, Carriage Way Park, Milford OH February 2026

On, Now Off, the Road

A few days after presenting my photography workshop, I headed to the southwest on a roadtrip. Along the way, I followed the advice I tout in my photo workshop "7 Steps to Make Your Photos 10x Better" (see previous blog post)

Step 1. "Take Lots and Lots of Photos"...

Along the way we checked out:

• Gateway Arch National Park
• White Sands National Park
• BOTH sections of Saguaro National Park
• Then I spent three days on the Grand Canyon National Park south rim
• A couple days of "rest" in Sedona

After that, we had the long drive home.
The first day we drove quickly through Oak Creek Canyon,
then just a little more leisurely through Petrified Forest / Painted Desert National Park.
The final two days included just a pause to say hello to friends in St Louis.
...all the above are just the highlights.

I took over 1800 photos on a 17 day trip when a number of those days were just pure driving. I'm just beginning to wade through them all, but at first glance, here's some of my favorites:

Sunrise, Gateway Arch National Park, St. Louis MO

White Sands National Park, NM

Sunset, Saguaro National Park, AZ

Sunrise, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

Sunrise, Sedona, AZ

Petrified Forest / Painted Desert National Park, AZ