2026 on 365Pixels

You Shall Not Pass (191/365)

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 19:24:38 -0700

Back on the road. Short overnight in RNO.

BOI tomorrow. I haven’t had an overnight in Boise in a long time, looking forward to it.

Hope it was a good day.

Crown of Light (190/365)

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:12:36 -0700

I didn’t wake up to an account being hacked, so I made my zoo trip today. I could only make it an hour and a half in this heat. My Z8 was getting way too hot; it was a clear win for the F3. It just tanked along with no issues. Something to be said for yesterday’s technology.

Got some decent shots and shot a roll in the F3 with Ilford Vintage Tone Color film. Can’t show you those yet… film builds patients. It has been very good for me to shoot more film. It’s really slowing me down, manual focus, setting your aperture and shutter speed, reading the light, all give you time to study your subject. I like it. It brings back good memories, and the older I get, the more I like good memories.

19 more pictures in Stray Pixels and, warning, a little rant about zoos. If you don’t want to read a rant, just ignore the text and look at the pictures.

Click for Stray Pixels

I have to say it. I can’t not say it: I loathe zoos.

If I were in charge, zoos would have very high minimums for space and quality of life—so high that there wouldn’t be many zoos left. You can look into the eyes of these creatures and see the sadness. Yes, I know I’m anthropomorphizing, but I’m pretty sure I’m right. As an avid watcher of nature shows, I can’t be convinced these animals are happy and living full lives. They are not. These incredibly intelligent birds are kept in small cages, alone, while hordes of people gawp at them all day. It’s sad.

I know, I contributed to it today. And I’m not sure what to do about that. Do you support them so they have money to properly care for the animals, or stop going, hoping they go out of business? There is no good answer. We need stronger standards. I haven’t been to this zoo in many, many years. There will be many more before I return. My heart can’t take it.

I met a toucan‑sort‑of bird today that kept bringing me things and dropping them toward me. I would move from one side of his cage to the other, talking to him, and he kept bringing me things, looking at me. You know what I’m going to say, right? Yeah, I think he was trying to pay me for breaking him out. Or just wanted some interaction, something to do. He has no partner, no mate, nothing natural at all. There, I said it.

He was alone, with no space to fly or forage—no space for anything at all but to sit there all day in what turned out to be 115°F / 46°C. The last bird I photographed broke my heart. It just stared at you with soulless eyes. It looked defeated.

Yeah, I know, some zoos do good work and science, help rehabilitate animals, and breed endangered species, and that’s all wonderful. But these small enclosures and cages are unacceptable. And don’t even get me started on factory farms. If you can watch a video about how pigs, chickens, and cows are treated, then contribute to that… it all just makes me sad.

You can look into his soul-less eyes 😞

Light the Way (189/365)

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 16:42:21 -0700

Well, what a day. I had planned to get up early, take two cameras to the Wildlife Park, and wander around before the heat really ramped up. But I woke up to text messages and emails saying I had used airline miles to buy tickets on Qatar Airways, along with two credit card charges for additional mileage purchases. I logged in to my account and found 185k miles missing. The one damn account I did not have 2FA on. WTF OVER!

So it took all morning to clean that up. By the time I was done, it was quickly climbing toward today’s high of 113°F/45°C, so my photo walk plans went by the wayside.

So you get this mediocre iPhone shot instead. I do like the moody feel, though…

I’m aiming for the Wildlife Park photo walk tomorrow. Planning a digital-and-film camera walk. I was able to get out a short while today with the Nikon F3, trying to get through a 36-exposure roll of Ilford Ilfocolor 400 Vintage Tone. I wanted to start tomorrow with a fresh roll.

Hope your day went better than mine.

Click for Stray Pixels and a Film Journey Update

Well, I’m convinced that developing at home will save money and might just be fun. Might be fun, heck, I know it will be fun! I have such fond memories of working in the dark room, and this will be a tiny step toward that feeling.

I’m waiting on some C-41 chemicals, and I have my black-and-white chemicals to start with. I’ve watched numerous videos to refresh myself and have practiced rolling film onto the spools in the dark bag a number of times, both 35mm and 120. I’m sticking with the AP plastic spools for now. You can see what I’m using, what videos I watched, and other resources here.

I’m going to start with a few rolls of black-and-white film. Get comfortable with that, then dive into the temperature-sensitive C-41 developing.

I’m starting with rolls that don’t have anything precious on them to make sure I know what I’m doing. Any great shots will be brought to the local lab until I get my process down. Too many ways to screw it up.

I hope to get a blog post up soon about my process, what I used, and how it went. I’m guessing within a week or so, I’ll have time to start.

Equipment for this first round of B&W developing

ILFORD:

Developer: DD-X
Ilfostop
Rapid Fixer
Washaid
Wetting Agent

Paterson Tanks, AP and Paterson spools/reels, dark bag, scissors, film retriever, hanging clips, Pec Pads, and distilled water.

A shot from my last trip to RNO

The Day Begins (188/365)

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 18:52:34 -0700

Suspended in Blue (187/365)

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 18:58:41 -0700

World Class Clown Show (186/365)

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:10:05 -0700

Presented without comment.

Dark Skies (185/365)

Sat, 04 Jul 2026 13:02:30 -0700

Atmosphere (184/365)

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 17:22:26 -0700

The Waiting Room Time Forgot (183/365)

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 14:36:24 -0700

Went to a new doc today. He had the coolest, laid-back, 1930s-style office I’ve ever seen. And it was peaceful and empty!

It was the best medical office I’ve ever been to. With that said, you don’t want to have to go here; it means you have a nodule on your thyroid. Ya, you can pass on that.

Hope you had good light today!

ILFORD ILFOCOLOR Vintage Tone (182/365)

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:06:44 -0700

Happy Canada Day 🇨🇦

The Indigenous flag was designed by artist Curtis Wilson (d 2019). The renowned artist was born and raised in the Ligwilda’xw territories, and he was a member of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation in Campbell River.

I probably shouldn’t write anything today.

I’m tired, didn’t get nearly enough sleep, and to top it off, I wasn’t happy with any of today’s photos. None of them.

My only bright spot was getting to futz around in my office all day, and my Ilford vintage tone film came in the mail. I’m excited to see what it produces. I promptly loaded it into the F3 and shot a few frames around the house. Maybe tomorrow, if it’s cool enough, I’ll take it out for a little outing after seeing the doc. I have to see a surgeon about whether he thinks it’s time to remove a thyroid nodule. Good times…

May you have good light!

Click for Stray Pixels

I wasn’t happy with any pictures today. I’m posting just because it’s what I shot today.

Curve-billed Thrasher

Gila Woodpeckers, a male and his offspring from this year - I'm just amazed at the odd angle that they can hold on. How they push off and fly from such an awkward position is amazing to watch.

Then, how they hang on to a vertical wall.

Hood Clouds (181/365)

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 20:33:15 -0700

Up at 1 A.M., worked for 8 hours, then deadheaded home. Long day, always good to be back home.

May you have good light and interesting subjects!

Hope (180/365)

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 18:24:02 -0500

Some days, I feel like I have a cathedral’s worth of hope; other days, I feel as though all hope is lost.

Hotel Glass (179/365)

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 15:04:17 -0700

Woke up early, opened the blinds, and thought the reflection was kind of cool.

Was stuck in a box all day and thought a nice walk outside would be nice. I only made it 2.5 miles/4 km in 96°F/35°C temps, with 57% humidity.

May your troubles be less, and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door!

Deli - Beer - Ice (178/365)

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 19:04:50 -0700

I don’t do borders much, but I thought this pic looked good with one. You know, experimenting a little.

Hope it was a good day for everyone, and you took a few pictures.

Cheers.

Wild Palms (177/365)

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 22:48:20 -0500

Nikon Z8 • 500mm • ƒ/13 • 1/500s

Ran out of time today due to errands and honey-dos. Made it out to the backyard before sunset and tried to get some good motion-blur shots of some palm trees, but I wasn’t happy with the results. I got what I got.

Off to work on a four-day trip tomorrow. It’s always hard to leave home…

Figuring out Darktable is in the queue. Reading this site gives me some hope. All I ever hear about Darktable is that it’s deep and complex, with a learning curve like a hockey stick. All that means is you need good instruction. The Darktable.info project looks like it breaks it down into bite-sized chunks. Hopefully, when I get back into town, I can spend some time with it.

You know what I’m missing these days? Photography road trips. I used to take five-to eight-day road trips and do nothing but shoot pictures and weave a story out of them. I used to post those stories on Exposure, but I got tired of their pricing and the lack of an easy way to download my stories intact. So I canceled everything. My goal was to remake those stories on my website, but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. It’s just so time-consuming. I’m itching for a long road trip just to explore and shoot pictures.

Well, if you couldn’t tell, I’m trying to write more under my pictures. Keeping it mostly in a photography vein. I really like it when I read other photo blogs that have a story/thoughts along with the photos.

Film Journey: I’ve been thinking a lot about photography class back in high school and our darkroom work. Made me research today what folks are doing for film developing at home these days. That was a rabbit hole! Found some good stuff, and boy, it hasn’t changed much. There are some nice kits out there, and for B&W film in particular, it’s pretty straightforward stuff. I’m blowing off the kits and may just get a super simple piecemeal setup and try a roll or two at home, what the heck. You can get everything you need for about $120 if you shop around. If you get good results, it wouldn’t take long to recoup your investment with the cost of developing. If you’re going to jump back into film, why not jump in with both feet? More on this foray later.

Bread Day (176/365)

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 19:33:59 -0500

Bread-making day today. We have a small local bakery close to us that we really want to keep in business, so we purchase most of our bread and croissants from them, but we still make some bread at home. It’s fun and something that my wife and I can do together. I say together, but she does most of the work. My main job is Sourdough Maintainer. I’ve made and maintained a sourdough starter since I was in my early 20s. Not sure why, I just always thought it was cool. I keep a small batch healthy and happy to use in bread and pancakes. If you want a resource for sourdough, here is a good one.

Worked most of the day in the office on learning more about photo scanning, posting about having a Life Manifesto on Cliff538.com, and I wanted to make a dedicated page for my foray back into film before I got too deep into the weeds and started to forget things. Just a page to list out my posts and the resources I have found worthy in this journey for anyone interested in exploring film or film scanning. Plus, it’s for me to look back and reference things. You can see it here.

I also really enjoyed Jasper’s: Kent 1, Kent 2, and Kent 3? series. Great photos from a part of the world I haven’t spent that much time in. And this great YouTube video about the very last Polaroid factory in the Netherlands. I had no idea how complex it is. Great behind-the-scenes look. It will help you understand why film is so expensive. Haven’t looked at Polaroid recently? Check out their cameras, film and printers. The factory now employs about 150 people; in its heyday, it was 1200+. The film is still supported in cameras that are 50 years old, kudos to Polaroid for always supporting their legacy cameras. Blue pasta goop, pudding, roller pressure, aging, spread factors, it’s incredibly complex to maintain legacy cameras with the new film. You get to see the old 8x10 peel-apart machinery, which they only run from time to time, hence the perpetual shortage. They love 8x10 and say they have no plans to stop producing it. The machines are old and finicky and in desperate need of an overhaul.

For a cool Polaroid website, check out Dan’s Polaroids.

Long Live Film 🎞️

Pastel Evening (175/365)

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 19:00:25 -0500

Nikon Z8 • 24mm • ƒ/4.0 • 1/400s • ISO 800

It’s raining here. It’s 104°F/40°C and raining. Real nice.

Yesterday it was 113°F / 45°C, and it was miserable. From the news, it sounds like we’re not alone. The heat has settled in everywhere, and summer has arrived like a blowtorch.

This is a shot from yesterday that I just got around to editing in Lightroom.

Thanks for stopping by.

Click for Stray Pixels and a Film Journey Update

Film Journey: Another update to home digital camera film scanning. I read the user manual for Negative Lab Pro and its scanning recommendations, and I tried a second batch of scans. I think they turned out much better. I’ll show a couple of shots from yesterday’s post, plus a few more, that show the difference between the lab scans and my scans. It surprised me and made me realize that the lab isn’t always the best.

I will say that color scans are the hardest. B&W is pretty darn easy; there is no white balance to deal with, and you’re basically just adjusting brightness, contrast, black clip, and white clip, unless you use toning.

I’m most surprised at the sunset pictures. The lab scans came out really dark, and I thought I had just screwed up my metering, which metering for that shot is tough with the bright sky and dark street, but I wasn’t even going to process those shots, and I’m glad I did. When I scanned them and used Negative Lab Pro with just standard settings, they were not that dark at all. It just shows me that whoever scans your pictures, they, or the software, is making a judgment call on your negative. I think I’d rather be making those decisions.

I’m rather enjoying the process and creative outlet. Looking forward to getting some good pictures to work with now.

Of note, I’ve been using Negative Lab Pro for negative conversions, but I just found another way from CineStill Film. They have LR, PS, and ACR presets that do the conversion. I downloaded them, but haven’t had a chance to play with them yet. You can watch a YouTube video on how to use them here.

The first seven shots are professional lab scans from my local lab. The next seven are my scans. Ignore the quality of the shots, I just wanted to shoot a couple of rolls of film to test the Rolleiflex and my metering. You can compare them yourself. I’m working on getting that cool image reveal slider on my blog, but it’s a bit more complex than I thought. It would be nice to have the slider and see the lab scan vs my scan in the same shot. Hopefully soon.

The learning continues!

Pro Lab Scan - Portra 400

Pro Lab Scan - Ilford HP5 400

My second try with new knowledge and tweaks to the software and camera settings.

My Digital Camera Scans - Negative Lab Pro Software - Portra 400

My Digital Camera Scans - Negative Lab Pro Software - Ilford HP5 400

Texture (174/365)

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 21:04:17 -0500

Sad day for taking photos, but a good day on the film scanning front!

More down in Stray Pixels about the film journey.

Click for Stray Pixels

Film Journey:

Today was mostly an office day to see if I could do my own scans of my negatives and get them close to the professional lab results.

I’m going to post the professional lab scans, then my camera scans. My goal is to be able to scan my own negatives and at least come close to lab-quality. I know labs vary widely, and I only have one lab to compare to right now, but I don’t think mine are that bad, especially for my first attempt. There is a pretty steep learning curve, and I’m sure I’ll get better as I learn more and practice. Please ignore the photo content; these were test shots to make sure my grandfather’s Rollei was still working, and my light metering technique was working. I was just shooting random stuff around the house. Oh, and ignore the dust! My word, the dust on my black-and-white negatives was horrible. I’m going to have to be way more careful in the future.

I’m also going to have to decide where I’m going to document my film journey. Here in Stray Pixels, or I should probably just make a proper page over on Cliff538.com. I will give this some thought.

The last photo is a Vlads Test Target. It’s a simple concept that works really well for testing sharpness, especially in the photo corners. Setting up your camera and film scanner so that everything is straight and parallel is really important. Then figure out which aperture setting on your lens gives you the best focus, especially in the corners. I was using f/8 on my lens, and there is some softness in the corners. This warrants some testing with other apertures.

I used my Nikon Z8 with an MC 105/2.8 lens and a Valoi 360 system. Processed with LightRoom Classic and Negative Lab Pro.

All shots taken with a Rolleiflex. The color film was Kodak Portra 400, and the B&W was Ilford HP5 400.

Professional Lab Scan

My First Attempt at Scanning

Vlad's Test Target

Coffee + Peace = Good Start To The Day (173/365)

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 18:32:27 -0700

Four A.M. sharp is van time. I was out by the curb early with a cup of coffee, sitting in the dawn’s first light, all alone, listening as the birds slowly woke and began announcing the day. A peaceful little pocket of quiet before the hectic day ahead: airports, crowds, and full aluminum tubes streaking through the air at 500 miles per hour.

Click for Stray Pixels

Danger (172/365)

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 15:41:08 -0700

Four legs today. Only an hour late by the end of the day. Not too bad for Summer flying.

Pro Tip: If you are traveling by air, take the first few flights out in the morning. Morning flights always leave on time. These planes fly all day long, and by early afternoon, they are running hours late due to mechanicals, weather, and a hundred other reasons. Do yourself a favor, and fly out early. I know it’s hard to get up early, but it’s better than getting to the airport only to be 3+ hours delayed or canceled.

Architectural Curves (171/365)

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 19:05:28 -0700

What a day. Full airplanes, lots of thunderstorms, delays, holding, waiting, plane changes, and more! Glad to be done. 10 hours' rest, and let’s go do it again. Let’s get people where they want to go!

Weak photo today, but it’s the only one from today.

Hope it was a great day, thank you for stopping by.

Equilibrium (170/365)

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 15:28:51 -0700

Not much time for photographs today. My mountain shot was, let’s just say, uninspiring. So, time to get creative and deepen the blacks and brighten the whites to create a mountain yin-yang opposing-forces idea.

Off to work tomorrow, let’s see what creativity that brings.

Cheers.

Sunset Road (169/365)

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 20:32:24 -0700

I should have gotten lower; it would have made for a better shot. The pavement was so bloody hot, I didn’t want to lie down on it.

Hope it was a good day, thanks for stopping by.

What A Cute Couple (168/365)

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 17:33:23 -0700

My morning bird shots will be coming to a close for the Summer. It’s bloody hot in the mornings now, and I’m not happy about it. One of life’s true little pleasures for me is sitting outside in the morning watching the birds with my coffee and camera.

This nice couple gave me a few shots this morning. As you can see, the female is in focus, but the male, not so much. My shallow depth of field bit me. My plane of focus was so narrow that their being offset just a touch was enough to throw the male out of focus. But it’s my shot of the day nonetheless.

Film Journey: Got my first roll of Portra 400 back from the lab today. These would be the first pictures taken with my Grandfathers Rolleiflex in over 40 years, I believe. I didn’t take the time to take good photos because I just wanted to make sure the camera was working, didn’t have light leaks, and that my light metering technique was at least in the ballpark. (Grandpa Leamer, your beautiful Rollei still takes great pictures…)

Still waiting on the Ilford B&W negatives/scans.

Down in Stray Pixels, I’ll put the one shot that is even slightly worth showing. I’m very happy with my exposure and with the sharpness. Love that tight grain. But, boy, did I have to straighten the photos. There is a learning curve dealing with a waist-level viewfinder!

If you’re a film person, you’ll laugh at my observations, but I haven’t shot film since high school and college. It’s funny to me that I’ve been shooting digitally and using film emulation on some shots. Then I get these scans back and stare at them, thinking, “This is the real deal, real Kodak Portra, no simulation needed.”

Photography is a funny thing these days. Digital, film, emulations, filters, recipes, A.I., apps. Even shooting film and scanning negatives to make them digital so you can post them is funny to me. You take negatives, scan them, and then you can still tweak to some degree, colors, brightness, sharpness, etc. Are they film shots still? (That’s rhetorical). You have purists who think most of this is sacrilegious.

I’m not in any camp. I love photography. I don’t care how you do it. In fact, tell me how you do it. Tell me your process. I’m curious about your art and how you make it. It’s yours. Don’t let anybody tell you your art is less than because you don’t follow their rules. We all have our preferences and beliefs. I respect yours, and maybe I’ll even adopt some of yours if they make sense to me. I always try to follow the mantra of “Strong Opinions, Loosely Held.” Be open to change, to new data, to new ideas. It will make you a better person and photographer.

I’m really enjoying my photography journey these days. Digital shooting, Rolleiflex, (BeerPan coming someday (35mm Pano)), printing, film, negatives, scanning, it’s just all really interesting and fun exploring as much as I can. Heck, I’m watching a very in-depth Large Format Photography course right now, and there may be even more variety in the future. I’m just say’n: the 4x5 and 6x17 stuff looks awfully fun.

Anyway, I’m babbling now. Go take some pictures.

Click for Stray Pixels

Rolleiflex. Portra 400.

Same Photo. Processed Black & White in LR

Flight (167/365)

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 14:10:27 -0600

Back home and rested. I sat outside this morning with coffee, camera, and my new book. I’ll have a write-up about this amazing book in my June The Good Stuff. Bottom line: I think every outdoor photographer should have this book. It’s the best photography book I’ve found in a really long time. I’m highlighting and making margin notes like crazy.

I was working on bird shots between cups of coffee, and grabbed a fun shot with the Nikon as this guy came overhead.

Queue (166/365)

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:07:05 -0700

Grabbed these shots while riding in the back. It’s amazing what you can get through a little plastic window. Timing is everything.

Dorothy said it best, “There’s no place like home.”

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Look Up (165/365)

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 18:42:30 -0700

Last overnight in CUN, thank goodness. It’s so hot and humid here; I just can’t do it. I’m done until next winter.

A couple of decent shots and a number of unpublishable ones today. Some shots you think will be good just don’t turn out.

Nice weather, full airplanes, and on time, no drama, and no mechanical issues—all make for a good day.

Stray Pixels

Tail View (164/365)

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 19:54:14 -0500

Nice day at work. Good weather and easy flying. Overnighting in SJC, and it’s crazy busy here. I guess there is a World Cup game(s) going on right now.

Hope everyone had a good day.

Click for Stray Pixels

photo

Power to the People (163/365)

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 22:12:11 -0500

I’m into the power lines this week…

Back to work tomorrow. Back to iPhone shots.

Peace (162/365)

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 20:41:52 -0700

Short drive tonight on some errands, and when I drove past this, I knew I had to capture it. I turned around, parked, and hiked to a good spot to take in this peaceful scene. A good reason to always have your camera with you.

Nikon Z8 • 125mm • 1/125s • f/2.8 • ISO 5000

Film Journey: I shot a roll of Portra 400 tonight on some sunset shots with the Rollei. I don’t have a cable release for it, so I ordered one on eBay tonight. I had it on a tripod, but who knows how shaky I am when pressing and releasing the shutter with my finger in Bulb Mode. No instant results—just have to wait and find out. Another roll of exposed film in the refrigerator. When I get back from my next work trip, I’m going to try a local lab for developing and scanning. I think I’m set up to scan my own negatives now, but I want some lab scans to compare mine to.

This Rollei that I’m using has a lot of meaning for me. It was my grandfather’s; he was an avid photographer and very active in his local photography club up in the Pacific Northwest. I loved spending time with him in his office, looking at slides on the light table. I want to keep his camera shooting film for many years. It’s been a long, slow journey back into film for me, but progress is happening.

The next roll to experiment with is Kodak Ektar 100. It’s supposed to have very fine grain and vibrant colors. Excited to see it.

Click for Stray Pixels

4x6 Test Print of yesterday's photo on ILFORD Gold Fiber Rag. I like it.

Lines of Power (161/365)

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 23:36:04 -0500

Out for another sunset tonight — I could get into this habit. The oranges and blues have been beautiful. I did a quick 4x6 test print of this shot on Ilford Gold Fibre Rag, and it looks really good.

I finally shot a roll of Ilford HP5+ through the Rolleiflex tonight. I loaded a roll of Kodak Portra 400 for tomorrow. We shall see…

Hopefully, a worthy Rollei frame or two to share in Stray Pixels in the coming weeks.

Standing Among Ghosts (160/365)

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:18:19 -0700

Finally back home, it’s amazing what a good night’s sleep can do for you.

I was able to get out today and shoot. Pretty happy with this shot, not technically, but more about the metaphor or meaning. I’m still torn with the title. Originally, I had “The Slow March of Death”, then “Waiting Their Turn”, but “Standing Among Ghosts” gave me goosebumps, so I went with that.

If you have a good title, please let me know!

Resort Lines (159/365)

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 09:35:03 -0700

Ah, road life. Not always fun or pleasant. Another rough night’s sleep. The resort limits how cold you can make the room, and it’s just too hot for me. I like to sleep cold. But mediocre coffee and a good breakfast shake off the lack of sleep this morning.

Out walking this morning, I was wondering why some bushes are filled with purple flowers while another right next to them is bare. You can see down in Stray Pixels, why.

Well, the plane is already over an hour late; it might be a long day, life on the road.

Cheers.

Stray Pixels

Tail Lines (158/365)

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 20:16:28 -0500

Back in Cancun. Hot and humid, and the resort is dead. Nobody is here. It’s so nice and quiet. Walking back to my room, I came across this male Baltimore Oriole. Blurry shots, but he was moving fast, and all I had was my iPhone. Such vivid colors.

Hope it was a good day!

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Work.Work.Work. (157/365)

Sat, 06 Jun 2026 19:56:46 -0500

Pretty sad day on the photo front. Had a terrible night’s sleep, got up at 2:30 in the morning, and had a long day. My only shots were early this morning, thank goodness I took those. Time for sleep.

Shot and processed on the iPhone.

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Morning Light (156/365)

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:01:48 -0500

Get-R-Done! Knocking the daily photo out early this morning.

Around 6 pm, I was going to post my photo of the Kodak printer review and thought, “You can do better than this. Come on, work for it a little bit.” So off I went in the car, looking for a nice sunset shot. I took about 90 photos and came away with just a few keepers. I posted that shot around 9 pm, which is very late for me. But all that put me in the “carry my camera everywhere” mode, and this morning, when I got up at 5 am, I grabbed my coffee and a camera and sat outside, just watching the sun come up and the birds moving through the soft colors of first light.

OM-1 Mark II • 400mm • 1/3200s • f/4.5 • ISO 2000

Sidenote: I need to somehow make a foam insert that fits in the passenger seat, fills the footwell, and gives me a nice, level, soft surface to put cameras and lenses on. I often drive around looking for shots, and putting a camera bag on the passenger seat just is not stable or ideal. Last night, a harder-than-expected stop made a camera roll off the seat and hit the floor. I was not happy…

Has anyone made anything like this? Have you ever seen anything like this? I’m thinking of a big, soft foam insert that fills the space, with slots you could cut to hold your gear securely while still having quick access to it. Last night I missed good shots because it took too long to futz with gear.

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Just a crazy tight crop, then denoised and sharpened. Not bad for a Micro Four Thirds sensor.

Quiet (155/365)

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 22:51:11 -0500

Color & Shadow (154/365)

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:08:42 -0700

Another crazy busy day. Up at 4 am, to drop my better half off at the airport to go see the grandkids. So that leaves me with dog-walking duty. Out into the heat for a 4 miler. The dogs looked at me funny because “Mom” always does 7+ with them. Hey, I got things to do.

Then chores and office work. I love the term “Office Work” because for me, that usually means hobby stuff! Today I completed my current printing class and did some more hard proofing. I love holding prints in my hand. If you haven’t printed any of your photography in a while, please do so. It feels good. It looks good. There is NO comparison to looking at a print on screen vs holding a print on good paper. I have a zine from Florian - I love looking at this thing. It’s beautiful to hold photography in your hand. Trust me.

So, that meant no photography time today, so you get one of the dogs and me by this very pretty flowering bushy thing…

I’m off on a trip soon, but I’m very excited to get home. I’ve carved out 2 or 3 days of just shooting pictures time. I don’t know where I’m going yet or what I’m doing, but I’ll be out there for sunrise and sunset for sure. Even in these nasty 42 °C / 107 °F temperatures. Tickle me excited.

If you’re reading this, you actually stopped by my blog. Thank you. I appreciate you. I hope it was an amazing day.

Never Stop Learning!

P.S. Three photo blogs that I look at every week, or whenever they post: (and I think you should also) Florian.photo & Jasper.Tandy.is & Daniel Pietzsch’s Photo Journal Dan also has a very cool Polaroid page.

Hanging Textiles (153/365)

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 20:16:33 -0700

Richard Gross 1947 - 2026 (152/365)

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:58:15 -0700

Emotional day.

We went over to Richard’s house to meet with his wife and son. We had a good talk, told some stories, and shared good memories. They were very gracious to let us pick out a few of Richard’s photos to keep in his memory. I will proudly have these on my office wall. I miss our Flickr chats, seeing Richard out on his morning walk, and talking about woodworking…

Miss you, friend.

Down in Stray Pixels, a few shots from yesterday turned out pretty well for iPhone shots. Craig, Richard’s son, wanted a picture of mine printed that he and his dad had commented on before he passed, as a memory. I’m working on some color correction and testing some new photo papers to get a worthy print for him.

It was nice to fiddle around with photography and printing today while I thought about Richard.

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Richmond (150/365)

Sat, 30 May 2026 17:52:14 -0700

First time in Richmond. Not enough time to explore the city, hopefully next time. Good day out in the skies, only 40 minutes late by the end of the day. Lots of thunderstorms and turbulence today, glad to be done. Ended up in Cancun, time for a good rest.

Gear (149/365)

Fri, 29 May 2026 16:27:07 -0700

Parental Oversight (148/365)

Thu, 28 May 2026 17:44:37 -0700

These two California Quail were outstanding parents, carefully corralling and watching over their brood. So much fun to watch.

Hope it was a good day out there for everyone. Thanks for stopping by.

Anna's Hummingbird (147/365)

Wed, 27 May 2026 14:06:09 -0700

Back from mountain biking and nursing my old, sore, out-of-shape body, I’m now sitting in the backyard with a cup of coffee, watching this little guy guard his two feeders. A little male Anna’s hummingbird has proudly claimed my backyard tree as his home, and I’m honored. He’s letting me get really close with my camera. I think it’s a fair trade: I provide two always-full feeders and a big shade tree, and I get to take pictures.

I’ve also put up two grass hummingbird nests, just in case he wants a ready-made home to move into. From what I’ve read, Anna’s hummingbirds now live in the Phoenix Valley year-round.

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Big Sky (146/365)

Tue, 26 May 2026 19:50:50 -0700

Another great day of biking through some spectacular nature.

Shot and processed on iPhone.

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What A Day (145/365)

Mon, 25 May 2026 19:36:25 -0700

Great day out exploring and mountain biking. Not very many pictures today, I’m really out of shape, it took all my energy just to stay on the bike. Add in an elevation of 7300', and I was toast.

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Power To The People (144/365)

Sun, 24 May 2026 18:34:12 -0700

A little road trip up to Flagstaff, AZ, for some hiking and biking to escape the already oppressive heat in Phoenix. Shot and processed on iPhone. Summer is filling me with dread. I need to move North. Way North.

It’s always been a fascinating topic for me: where you live and why. I’m envious of the people who can say, “I live here, I love it here, and I’ll get the best job I can here, because I love it.” On the other side of the coin are the people who say, “I’ll live anywhere for the job that I love. My job comes first; I’ll make do wherever I am.” Guess which camp I’m in…

I’m seeing a positive trend with younger people I fly with: they’re putting quality of life first. Where they live comes first, and how much they work comes second. They’re putting family and time off first—something we never did, and we’re paying the price for that attitude later in life.

Anyway, I digress. A topic for another day.

I hope it was a good day. Thank you for stopping by.

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Thoughtful (143/365)

Sat, 23 May 2026 16:07:07 -0700

Home from a good three day trip. Caught River outside looking thoughtful.

A Little Walk Around Seattle (142/365)

Fri, 22 May 2026 17:25:36 -0700

Beautiful day in SEA, a short walk and halibut fish & chips make for a nice day.

iPhone shot and processed—more pics down in Stray Pixels.

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Final shot in IND this morning at 4 A.M.

A Little Walk Around Indianapolis (141/365)

Thu, 21 May 2026 16:00:09 -0700

On the road, I had a few hours to wander around downtown Indianapolis before bed—another early morning ahead.

Shot and processed on iPhone. More photos down in Stray Pixels.

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A shot from PHX this morning at 4 AM.

Daisy (140/365)

Wed, 20 May 2026 11:29:32 -0700

Trying to get a good shot of the dogs is harder than it should be. They really dislike having something pointed at them. I have to be really fast before they turn away.

Here is Daisy, looking a little perturbed that she’s being subjected to all these photographs.

Aperture (139/365)

Tue, 19 May 2026 15:46:52 -0700

What a day with this shot. I originally took it with the iPhone, tweaked it, and just never liked the results. I almost posted it, then thought, come on, you can do better.

So I got the OM-1 out and used the 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens. I shot it handheld on a table outside, where there was plenty of light. I had to clean up some dust in the image, convert it to black and white, and make a few more tweaks. I’m much happier with these results.

There’s something about a close-up of a lens, where you can see the aperture rings, that I really like. I’d love to spend more time finding a better angle for this shot, using a tripod, and getting all the dust off the lens!

I hope it was a good day for you and you were able to take some pictures too.

Thanks for stopping by.

Asahi Pentax Analog Spotmeter V (138/365)

Mon, 18 May 2026 17:58:40 -0700

The very slow but steady march toward my film experiment continues with this absolutely beautiful Pentax Analog Spotmeter. I think it’s simply beautiful, and I love bringing it up to my eye, pulling the trigger, and getting my EV.

I grew up shooting and developing film. Trying to think back on how I metered and what techniques I used has left me with very little information—memories lost to time and buried under too many digital cameras. I can’t even remember the basic steps of developing film in the darkroom.

So, here I am with my grandfather’s Rolleiflex, two Pentax Spotmeters, film in the refrigerator, and the BeerPan 35mm pano camera on the way. Now it’s time to refresh those dark arts of film photography…

You can read how Ansel Adams did it and come away a little frustrated. There are plenty of videos online that will instruct you, but I was looking for something special—something that spoke to me: an instructor whose photography I deeply admired and who was willing to share their technique. I found Nick Carver. I don’t know Nick; I only recently found him on YouTube and have watched several of his videos. I liked his style, loved his photography, and he just so happens to have a course on manual metering for film. I don’t want the quick-and-dirty approach; I want to truly understand the hows and whys of it all, like I used to. Nick has put me on a good path toward understanding how to meter a photograph so it comes out right almost every time. With the cost of film and film developing, I don’t want to waste film learning the hard way.

Along with Nick, and with some very good courses from John Greengo, the lost knowledge is coming back. You know—the 18% gray card, the light meter that shows 0, meaning Middle Gray. The technique of shooting white and black cards at one-stop intervals until you lose detail, searching for your film’s dynamic range. Wonderful examples proving that light meters at zero are based on Middle Gray. The rule that says there is no “proper” or “right” exposure—only the exposure you want for that photograph. There is more to it than I remembered, but probably, back in high school, I wasn’t as interested in the deeper whys and hows. I am now.

The experiment continues with more learning. I haven’t even started figuring out how to get my negatives into the computer—scanning them, taking pictures of them—I have no idea. Then it’s out to the field for my first film shots in 30 years. I’m in no hurry; this is a journey that I’m enjoying every step of.

It’s fun. I love the process. I love learning. I love photography.

Let me leave you with the Filmomat (I got the link from Hiro’s newsletter). I watched the video, marveled at the technology, but started to think, “How much does this thing cost?” Well, check it out. I won’t be buying one 😂.

Mockup (137/365)

Sun, 17 May 2026 19:33:31 -0400

What a day. The alarm went off at 3 A.M. Dallas time, which is 1 A.M. local time for me. Talk about painful. I was main-lining coffee until I was vibrating. Good day in the training center, then a completely full flight home. I’m still amazed that everyone is still flying. Planes are packed. Which, on the bright side, is good for my job. (but, I’m still going to complain, it would be nice to have center seats open…)

Another tough day for pictures. I got what I got.

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4 A.M. Tree

WTF 🤬

Architectural Lines (136/365)

Sat, 16 May 2026 13:57:22 -0700

Busy day today, just a few shots to pick from.

iPhone shot and processed.

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Glass Clouds (135/365)

Fri, 15 May 2026 15:45:24 -0700

Flare! (134/365)

Thu, 14 May 2026 15:57:16 -0700

Tough day on the photo front. Lots of airport time and deadheading. Finished another book, though, and got a good start on another. All is not lost.

Another three days at the training center ahead of me.

iPhone shot and processed. 100mm f2.8 48MP RAW

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Red-Edged Agave (133/365)

Wed, 13 May 2026 16:25:34 -0700

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Flame Skimmer (132/365)

Tue, 12 May 2026 18:18:33 -0500

Flame Skimmer Dragonfly (Libellula saturata)

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Blue Dasher Dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis).

Ok, the 10-year-old boy in me had to ask the internet if the Blue Dasher had a long penis, hence its scientific name. Well, it turns out my Latin is just really rusty. Longi is Latin for long, and Pennis is winged/feathered. Talk about a let down 😆

Tribute To My Friend Richard (131/365)

Mon, 11 May 2026 12:14:46 -0500

My friend Richard died this morning in his sleep.

Today’s pictures are dedicated to him. I took them yesterday—Richard’s last day, at least here on Earth. These pictures are for him. Richard may have commented on one or two of them on Flickr. I will miss that.

I will never forget Richard. I did not know him for very long, but he was such an amazing human being—so kind, so talented. Richard was a husband, father, grandfather, teacher, artist, woodworker, photographer, and so much more—a wonderful photographer with a unique style. He had many art shows featuring his work, and I was lucky enough to see a few of them.

We lived close to each other and consulted on projects from time to time. We texted and communicated on Flickr. Richard loved Flickr and had so many Flickr friends.

You will be greatly missed, my friend. You made me a better human. You gave me so many creative ideas and inspired me.

Wherever you are, my friend, take some pictures and send them to me…

The last comment from Richard on Flickr to me.

Richards last photo on Flickr.

😔

Wing Reflections (130/365)

Sun, 10 May 2026 17:09:43 -0500

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Concrete & Sky (129/365)

Sat, 09 May 2026 17:09:00 -0500

Hot Box (128/365)

Fri, 08 May 2026 11:06:40 -0700

Work. Work. Work. Lots of training.

Airport Lines (127/365)

Thu, 07 May 2026 13:23:29 -0700

Pretty skinny day on the photo front. Got up this morning at 1 am my time. Overnighting East of home is hard on the body. Hard to be creative when you’re this rummy tired.

Hope everyone had a good day!

Talking Heads (126/365)

Wed, 06 May 2026 15:56:00 -0700

Fun fact:

Tina Weymouth learned bass because the band needed one. She wasn’t originally a bassist.

Chris Frantz basically said:

“You’re smart, you can learn bass.”

She did, and became one of the most distinctive bass players in New Wave history.

Desert Aster (125/365)

Tue, 05 May 2026 12:09:16 -0700

Desert Aster (Xylorhiza tortifolia), sometimes also called Mojave Aster.

I just call it beautiful.

Spring is in full swing, and it will be sad when the heat ramps up and all these beautiful flowers and fruits start to fade.

Green LIfe (123/365)

Sun, 03 May 2026 15:47:21 -0700

KSBA (122/365)

Sat, 02 May 2026 19:47:57 -0700

KSBA - Santa Barbara, CA.

Well, the mini-vacation and all the extra time for shooting pictures have come to a close. Long day back at work, short overnight to do it all again tomorrow. Couldn’t ask for a nicer place to spend 10 hours, though.

Hope you had a great day, thanks for stopping by.

iPhone shot and processed.

Flight II (121/365)

Fri, 01 May 2026 17:57:12 -0700

Pictures are from yesterday, hopefully you can forgive me!

You know, I persevered yesterday with the “Bone Leveler” and “Tissue Puncturer” after all!

I experimented with some new denoising software and was pretty happy with the results. Most of the time, it was a toss-up between DxO and Topaz Photo, but maybe more often than not, Topaz came out on top. I almost think Topaz comes out on top with their sharpening more than the denoise.

I can’t help but think how much better things would be if I could shoot these with the Nikon. At the very least, they wouldn’t be anywhere this noisy, and I’d have some more shadow recovery. You can see a couple of Nikon Full Frame Hummingbird shots down in Stray Pixels to compare. I didn’t even have to denoise on those shots, and I think they look much better than the OM shots.

You know what this means, don’t you? I need the Nikon Z8. Just Say’n.

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Nikon Full Frame Shot. No denoise.

Flight (120/365)

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:11:13 -0700

Tough day at the dentist, you can see the “Bone Levelers” in Stray Pixels below. Glad I didn’t look until after it was done. Never fun.

Being numb and lethargic gave me a good chance to shoot/edit pictures, nothing spectacular; the lighting was all wrong for really good shots. Don’t pixel-peep, because there is heavy shadow/highlight recovery and denoising going on!

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Bone Levelers!

Aftermath

Take Time To Sit By Little Streams (119/365)

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:56:28 -0700

Take time to sit by little streams and simply watch. It’s good for the soul.

I sat here for over an hour, just observing—the sun on my face, the birds and insects moving about, the water flowing, one little trout holding steady in the current. It was glorious.

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Maybe this is what Walt Whitman meant by Leaves of Grass.

Flowers of the Sun (118/365)

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:45:02 -0700

We had so much fun with our guests. Lots of good late-night talks, food, hiking, and photography. I’m behind in processing pictures, but hopefully I will get caught up soon. I’ll do a random photo dump in the Stray Pixel section within a day or two.

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FLW - Taliesin West (117/365)

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:20:17 -0700

Frank Lloyd Wright - Taliesin West 1937 - 1959

(Wikipedia) Named after Wright’s Taliesin studio in Spring Green, Wisconsin, Taliesin West was Wright’s winter home and studio from 1937 until his death in 1959. The complex is the headquarters of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, a nonprofit organization that hosts tours and events there. Taliesin West is designated as a National Historic Landmark and a World Heritage Site.

Wright and his Taliesin Fellowship (later the School of Architecture) began making wintertime pilgrimages from Wisconsin to Arizona in 1935, and he bought a site in the McDowell Mountains two years later. His apprentices set up a temporary camp there, erecting the initial structures between 1938 and 1941. During Wright’s lifetime, he oversaw several expansions, and some of the original construction materials were replaced. After Wright’s death, the fellowship continued to modify the structures, and Taliesin West gradually gained popularity as a tourist attraction. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation began planning major renovations and a visitor center in the late 20th century. Parts of Taliesin West were gradually renovated and upgraded during the early 21st century.

Worth a visit if you are in the Phoenix area.

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Minimal (116/365)

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 18:32:15 -0700

I love having the time to just walk around and shoot. It’s my happy place.

Sometimes you see the shot, sometimes the shot finds you. All you have to do is take the time to look.

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Invasion (115/365)

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 19:15:08 -0700

We have friends in town and have been out and about visiting museums, gardens, and cultural centers. It’s been wonderful, with lots of much needed photography time. The struggle has been going through pictures and developing after a long day. I’ll be behind in processing for weeks at this pace!

Hope everyone is well. Thank you for stopping by for a look.

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Soft Nature (114/365)

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 19:06:43 -0700

Beep - Beep (113/365)

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 19:29:03 -0700

Geococcyx californianus (Common name: Greater Roadrunner)

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Stark (112/365)

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:50:09 -0700

I was in a bit of a rut today. With lots of work around the house and no good new areas to shoot, it was time to get creative with a tree I’ve photographed many times before. I added a little logo this time, just for fun. I thought it paired well with today’s black-and-white theme.

Sentinel (110/365)

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 14:00:48 -0700

A lone saguaro cactus stands guard.

Spring has Sprung (109/365)

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 11:45:09 -0700

Hot Dogs! (108/365)

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:37:52 -0700

Ah, cold tile saves the day. 7-mile hike today, these doggies need a nap.

Lake Powell (107/365)

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:30:34 -0700

Lake Powell from above.

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Dreamy Desert (106/365)

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:49:33 -0700

More hiking on these precious days off. It’s been cooler than normal, and we are taking advantage of it.

Sun Dog (105/365)

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:35:31 -0700

Walking in Burbank (104/365)

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:05:54 -0700

Tree Cloud (102/365)

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 17:31:02 -0700

Or is it a Cloud Tree?

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Skybow (101/365)

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 17:00:04 -0700

This one was fun. Looked out the window and was sitting next to this beautiful rainbow in the sky.

Tail Inspection (100/365)

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:57:30 -0700

Perspective (98/365)

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:39:33 -0700

Embarkation (97/365)

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:12:40 -0700

A New Day Begins (96/365)

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:13:36 -0700

Starting the day early. Cool air, no traffic, and it seems like the coffee tastes better the earlier it is. I hope it was a good day for everyone.

To The Max (95/365)

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 17:50:31 -0700

Morning Haze (94/365)

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 18:11:08 -0700

Beacons (93/365)

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:58:01 -0700

Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded (92/365)

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:42:18 -0700

“Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.” ~ Buddha

Dappled in Light (90/365)

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:17:44 -0700

Pretty in Pink (89/365)

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:20:31 -0700

Out and about today, came across this full size fake tree with plastic pink flowers. Made for a fun shot.

Daisy Girl (88/365)

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 13:40:47 -0700

Long four-day trip. Always good to be back home. Daisy is doing her best not to look completely annoyed by having a phone stuck near her face.

Empty (86/365)

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 17:37:24 -0700

Empty, seems to be the theme the past few days. A nice walk around SLC this afternoon, after a long day at work. Tired, and a little emtpy.

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Empty (85/365)

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 18:19:50 -0700

Angles (84/365)

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:58:29 -0700

B&W Botanical (83/365)

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:09:11 -0700

Daisy Girl (82/365)

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:52:41 -0700

Love that dog.

Shadow & Color (81/365)

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 10:36:13 -0700

On the mend, finally. A longer walk and some strength coming back!

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Folded Paws (80/365)

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 12:31:50 -0700

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photo

I might be over the hump and on a healing trend. Body temp peaked 2.5 degrees above normal two nights ago and was just up 0.5 degrees last night. Feel slightly better with less coughing. Sheesh, I’m ready to move on from this thing. Another short walk today, not much energy. Pictures took a back seat today.

This dog, 🧡 I love how she folds her paws together.

Shadows (79/365)

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 17:21:02 -0700

Another day of being down and out. Very short walk today just to get some steps in. Daisy got a 7 mile walk in earlier this morning with the OH. This was just a short one to keep me company.

Wild Blue Yonder (78/365)

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:55:00 -0700

Another day of being totally out of commission. I haven’t had a cold/flu this bad in a long time. Very short walk today, captured a plane flying through the open blue sky. Energy-wise, that’s all I got!

Hope it’s a safe, beautiful day. Make someone smile today. ☺️

Oh, and don’t forget, take more pictures!

P.S. Just a thought I’ve been mulling over, even if you don’t journal, taking pictures is a life-journal of sorts. If you scroll back through your phone’s camera roll, that’s your life. Now, I still think you should journal and attach those daily photos to your journal, but if not. Take more pictures, because that photo roll can be your journal.

Even if it’s mundane things, capture that moment. We aren’t taking pictures so much as capturing snapshots of time in your life. Look at all the joy and things you have remembered by scrolling back through your pictures. It’s powerful. Photography is powerful. Capture your life. Snap away.

Decisions (77/365)

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:50:05 -0700

Quiet day on the photography front. Home, sick as a dog with a bad chest cold. I went out for a short walk, but the coughing soon forced me back home. I can’t complain, this past year I’ve beaten back almost every cold/flu. This one got me good.

It was this picture or one of a tissue box. 😊 Stay safe, everyone.

Flight (76/365)

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:04:32 -0700

Tried pushing the iPhone (and my skills) to the limit on this one.

Birds in flight are tough enough, but with an iPhone, you’re mostly just hoping for the best. I fired off a lot of frames in RAW, knowing the sensor would meter for the bright sky and leave the bird in shadow. Shooting RAW at least gives you a chance to recover shadows and highlights.

Zooming in tight was basically impossible, so I shot wide and planned to crop later. This isn’t a bad result, all things considered. It’s heavily cropped, and I used maximum shadow recovery to pull out detail in the pelican, which gives it a slightly “crispy” look—pretty much the classic sign of heavy shadow recovery.

Still, for a bird‑in‑flight shot on an iPhone, I’m pleasantly surprised.

Big Ass Wires (75/365)

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:20:04 -0700

Architecture (74/365)

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:15:43 -0700

This church/school has shown up before, but I can’t resist its lines and how it looks in flat black-and-white. It ended up being the only photo I took today, grabbed during a 4-mile walk with the dogs. Trying to shoot while juggling two dogs is just about impossible—especially with my two unruly ones. The rest of the day has been all office work and no shooting, sadly.

Shades of Grey (73/365)

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 14:53:11 -0700

Wrapped by the Sun (72/365)

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 19:52:59 -0700

Long damn day. Long three-day trip. I’m tired. Exhausted. Ready to be home.

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Harbor Assist (71/365)

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:14:18 -0700

SFO (70/365)

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:45:31 -0700

Morning Tail (69/365)

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:10:26 -0700

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photo

Widow Jane (68/365)

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:36:48 -0700

Recently received a new lightbox and wanted to take some test photos. I used my iPhone and struggled to keep the neck and cap, along with the label, in focus. Did not get the results I wanted, but the experimentation will continue!

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Golden (67/365)

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 19:57:26 -0700

American Tail II (66/365)

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:52:00 -0700

Palm Springs Pride (65/365)

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 18:20:52 -0700

Lucky to get a Palm Springs layover, beautiful evening, great walking, and outstanding food.

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American Tail (64/365)

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:17:04 -0700

Abstract Kind of Day (63/365)

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:39:46 -0700

Tough day on the photo front, really busy at work, and not much time to shoot. Had to get creative and go for some abstract shots.

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Minimalism (62/365)

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:26:45 -0700

Blues (61/365)

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 12:59:10 -0700

After the hot, dusty hike yesterday, the gym pool was the way to go today.

Walking The Red Line (60/365)

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 17:04:46 -0700

Friends don’t let friends shoot in the harsh noon sun. Lots of pictures today and nothing really to work with. Hard to recover overblown highlights and true colors. That harsh, high-in-the-sky sun just washes everything out. Yet, we try! When that’s what you got, you use it to the best of your ability.

Nice hike in the red dirt.

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A New Project Begins (59/365)

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 11:06:45 -0700

A Zenza Bronica Zenzanon MC 75mm f/2.8 Lens in mint condition arrived from Japan. The first piece in a new project begins.

Sub-Surface (58/365)

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 13:30:56 -0700

Not super happy with this shot. The concept in my head was much better than the picture I got. I took about 12 shots trying to get the right angle and exposure.

I needed my main camera to shoot two exposures, one for above ground and one for below, and combine them. As you can see, the upper portion is over-exposed. There are limits with an iPhone and walking a dog!

Hope it’s a great day!

Go take some pictures!!

Your Speed (57/365)

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 14:31:03 -0700

Sun Kissed (56/365)

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:43:16 -0700

Echinocactus grusonii - Golden Barrel Cactus, sun-kissed by the morning’s first light.

Dog Days (55/365)

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:07:04 -0700

Click for Stray Pixels

On Guard (54/365)

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:34:48 -0700

On a walk today, I found this little guy guarding his turf. iPhone shot and processed.

Beginnings (53/365)

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 13:38:35 -0700

Ocean Glow (52/365)

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 13:10:00 -0700

I’ve decided to stick with my current format and just post all the days' extra shots under the Name “Stray Pixels”, since they’re strays or extras from the daily shot. I will also add the category stray-pixels to the post so they are easier to find.

I’ve struggled with how to handle the days' other photos, making a whole new blog, or making stray pixels a separate post, but this seems to be the cleanest, easiest answer. All the photos are automatically sent to Flickr as well.

Click for Stray Pixels

Wild Palm (51/365)

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:04:00 -0700

Two legs to CUN. Not a bad place to spend 24 hours.

Rings of Light (50/365)

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 18:40:17 -0700

Long day getting to LAS, it’s cold and rainy here. Got my shot in the hotel lobby. ☺️

Click for Black & White Version

Solitary Morning Glow (49/365)

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:21:40 -0700

Texture Tuesday (48/365)

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:42:29 -0700

This was the coolest building exterior I’ve ever seen. From a few days ago, on an LAX overnight, but I saw the #texturetuesday hashtag, and this photo came to mind right away. Here’s to Texture Tuesday!

Desert Agriculture (47/365)

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 14:07:25 -0700

Finally back home.

Camera Obscura (46/365)

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 16:51:28 -0700

More L.A. overnights and good photo walking.

You Need Friends When The Weight Of The World Is Upon You (45/365)

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 13:32:26 -0700

Bags Boarding (44/365)

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 17:31:26 -0700

Palm Walk (43/365)

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 16:54:50 -0700

LAX overnight. Walking among the palms.

Transformer Box Art (42/365)

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:35:42 -0700

Short walk around today. Found some nice transformer box art.

Ground Water (41/365)

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 16:15:31 -0700

Nice late-afternoon walk after dinner; found these nice fountains.

Click for more fountain water

SJC Night (40/365)

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:03:20 -0700

Click for color

Art Deco Pinwheel Tile (39/365)

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 18:14:05 -0700

Damn Good Water (38/365)

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 13:23:05 -0700

It may sound weird, but sparkling water (water with gas) varies greatly in taste, hardness, softness, and level of carbonation, so when you find one that stands out, it’s almost exciting! LOL

First time with this one. It’s outstanding. Plus, it looks even better with Bokeh in the background ; )

Pole Bird (36/365)

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 20:34:04 -0700

Long day of driving home, 6+ hours on the road, took exactly two pictures. This is one.

Ocean Beauty (35/365)

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 19:10:14 -0700

Took the opportunity to drive down Highway 1 in California. It has been closed for the past three years and has just reopened. We had coastal advisories due to high surf and sneaker waves, which created good photo opportunities.

Click for more ocean beauty

Alien LIfe (34/365)

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 21:08:01 -0700

Click for more aliens

Basements & Dinosaurs (33/365)

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 21:55:53 -0700

Click for the dinosaurs

Dark Tower (32/365)

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 20:35:14 -0700

Walked around town six miles today. Came across this building and just knew it would clean up nice. Super happy with this shot.

Camera Info

Camera: OM-1 MarkII
Lens: 12-100 F4
Focal Length: 38mm
Shutter speed: 1/250
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 200
Processed: LightRoom

Hotel California (31/365)

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 20:19:01 -0700

Wanted to get away for a few days, so a proper road trip was in order. My wife is a huge dinosaur fan and has always wanted to see the La Brea Tar Pits Museum. Long day of driving, but made it in time to check in and head out for some great Thai food. Museums tomorrow.

Click for the days other photos

Confetti Cathedral (30/365)

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 17:09:41 -0700

Found this chandelier hanging in an entryway and got a shot from above using the stairway. Turned out kind of colorful and fun.

Rocky Hike (29/365)

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:27:34 -0700

A lot of sitting the past few days, made time for a short hike to get the blood moving.

TJ's (28/365)

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:44:01 -0700

A very slow day for picture taking. The only shot I took today was going to TJ’s for some survival food as I sat at my desk all day. Only taking one picture sure makes the decision-making easier!

I’ll show you the shot I’d like to post below, but it’s a screenshot and doesn’t count in my little 365Pixels world (at least not yet, LOL)

You can read more about it here.

Click for screenshot

Damaged But Standing Strong (27/365)

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:58:33 -0700

This cactus made me think about life today. Damaged, split, torn, yet standing tall. Fighting the good fight. A very good friend of mine had a stroke a few days ago. Damaged but staying strong for the recovery and life changes ahead. Don’t waste those precious days; you never know what will happen tomorrow.

Airport at Rest (26/365)

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:49:47 -0700

Early arrival at the airport this morning, caught the fleet at rest. In a few hours, it will be controlled chaos as hundreds of flights are launched from these gates.

DEN Tower (25/365)

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 17:17:03 -0700

Long day of cancellations and changes. Ended up on two DH’s back home for the night. Back out bright and early in the morning, time to get people where they need to go.

Click For Version 2

Pad Thai Love 🥰 (24/365)

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 16:59:29 -0700

Long day today battling the Winter weather, I’m beat.

Made it through MDW unscathed and ontime which still amazes me. The whole day was worth it because of some Pad Thai. I just gotta say, if you are ever in Berkeley, CA. You have to stop at IMM Thai Street Food. It was hands down the best Pad Thai I’ve ever had in my life. Fresh rolls were outstanding and look at that homemade thick peanut sauce. I’ve fallen in love with food.

Note: this is my first food post on 365Pixels, I’m generally not inclined to post food pics, but imm Thai Street Food deserves the shoutout and a rightful place on this blog.

The hard working, kind people at imm’s made my day. I so appreciate you.

Airport Lines (23/365)

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 18:05:18 -0700

Majestic (21/365)

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:52:17 -0700

Lily (20/365)

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:24:32 -0700

I got to meet Lily today. I don’t know the first thing about horses, but it was a pleasure to meet and spend some time with Lily today. Lily really likes to lick your hands and arms. I was covered in saliva by the end of the meeting. She was getting some saddle training today, no riders, just getting used to the saddle.

Public Market (19/365)

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:31:44 -0700

Beautiful day in Seattle: crisp air, blue water, and the smell of freshly roasted coffee wafting from all the coffee shops.

SAN Skyline at O' Dark Thirty (18/365)

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 14:10:50 -0700

I love it when I get my daily shot early. Got up in San Diego at 03:30, had a cup of coffee on the veranda and saw my shot for the day, just staring at me. I took about 13 shots trying different levels of Night Mode with the iPhone. All shots handheld. I’m always amazed at how well it does. See below for the color shot.

Click To See In Color

Mountain Clouds (17/365)

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 18:44:05 -0700

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 09:15:04 -0700

Crevice Life (16/365)

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 16:36:33 -0700

Teddy Bear Cholla (15/365)

Teddy bear cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) — A densely spined cholla cactus native to the Sonoran Desert, characterized by cylindrical segmented stems and barbed spines adapted for defense and vegetative propagation.

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 08:36:14 -0700

Grey Days (14/365)

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 17:53:15 -0700

Best Part of Coming Home (13/365)

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:44:15 -0700

Earth Ripples (12/365)

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 08:24:45 -0700

Silent Sunday (11/365)

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 14:09:54 -0700

Hālama ‘Āina - Caring for the Land (10/365)

Hālama ‘Āina

Hālama means to take care of, protect, preserve, attend to. Active, ongoing stewardship.
‘Āina means land, but also, life, sustence and identity. Root word ‘ai to eat, meaning that which feeds.

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:12:13 -0700

Natures Canvas (9/365)

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 09:22:09 -0700

Tail Feathers (8/365)

Pixel Info: iPhone 17ProMax - RAW 48MP. Initial edits and B&W conversion on the iPhone. Brought into PS to clean up the background.

Coastal Clouds (7/365)

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 16:21:56 -0700

Clouds are scattered across a vast expanse of water, creating a dynamic aerial view.

I couldn’t decide between the two, so I’m posting both. I’m just a fan of the low-contrast ’70s-style look right now.

Click to see photo

Pixel Info: iPhone 17ProMax - RAW 48MP. Initial edits and B&W conversion on the iPhone.

Fluid Dynamics & Art (6/365)

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 10:06:09 -0700

Stripped of color, wing, and fuselage, the wingtip becomes pure geometry. Every curve exists for a reason, yet, in black and white, to this photographer’s eye, the engineering reads as sculpture first, performance second.

Some technical info just because:

Typical numbers:

Induced drag reduction: ~ 4–6%
Fuel burn reduction: ~ 1.5–2.5% on average missions
Range increase: ~ 100–200 NM
Climb performance: Improved, especially hot-and-high

Key aerodynamic goals:

Slow down the spanwise flow of air toward the tip
Weaken the vortex
Spread pressure recovery over distance instead of dumping it all at the tip

Pixel Info: iPhone 17ProMax shot - RAW 48MP. Initial edits and B&W conversion on the iPhone. Brought into Photoshop to clean up the background.

Morning Glow (5/365)

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 16:10:20 -0700

Stalking the Shot (4/365)

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 19:47:06 -0700

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 18:48:09 -0700

Early Morning Airport (3/365)

Early morning shot with the iPhone using Night Mode on max.

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 16:24:18 -0700

Daisy Girl Taking Point and Leading the Pack (2/365)

Off to work tomorrow so wanted to get as much hiking in as possible.

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 19:41:34 -0700

Welcome to 2026 (1/365)

Started the new year off right with a early morning hike. The sun rays coming through the clouds was most excellent. iPhone shot and processed.

2025 was my first year doing a 365 blog. It took a while to get into the swing; I missed 63 days. It has been a lot of fun, and I’m energized to start 2026 with new photography habits and flows to have a better year and reduce that missed-day count.

Take more pictures!