Blog Archives
fireworks, stars, and trash
This was fun – we found a place out on the very edge of town where people congregated to shoot fireworks and we spent at least an hour out there watching all the fun. I took 805 photos, deleted all but 52 of them because they were (a) just dark empty sky; (b) blurry only not in a good way; or (c) stupid. And of those 52, I edited TWO of them.
So congratulations to this photo for beating some pretty tough odds. This one made the cut because it had a lot going on that told the story – lots of fireworks all at once, tail lights streaking by, headlights cutting through the smoke, fireworks trash in the parking lot, and a light sprinkling of stars.
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 7.4.2025
sparklers
Is it considered stalking if you take 17 photos in a row of a trio of people posing for each other with sparklers?
There is, of course, no particular reason I am asking….
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 7.4.2025
drive-by
The highway heading south out of Lubbock (it has a number* but we call it the Tahoka Highway, but only because that’s the next town) has a lot of seasonal fireworks stands. At this particular one, I guess someone couldn’t wait ONE MORE SECOND to light up some sparklers.
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 7.4.2025
*My brain refuses to complicate things by learning highway numbers; it would very much prefer to know the names of the towns a particular highway goes through. That led to many circular conversations with my father-in-law that went this way:
FIL: What road did you take? 86? 239?
Me: I don’t know. Tell me some towns I would have gone through…
FIL: So, then 44, maybe?
Me:
We each thought the other one was ridiculous, and in a rare agreement, we were both right.
the last night of fireworks season
I can’t tell you how I know this, but if you have a very specific shot in mind – say a relatively empty parking lot at a fireworks stand so you can get photos of blurry people moving back and forth to buy bottle rockets or whatever – a much better idea is to go and get this shot on a night that is NOT the last night that the fireworks stands are open.
This is not the shot I wanted, but it’s the shot I got. Sometimes that’s the way it works. The important thing is that I tried. Right?
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 7.4.2025
the night shoes
Eight years ago (already!) my friend Al and I met in LA to take a weekend photography class with the incredible Sam Abell. It was a lot of work, a lot of learning, and some photographic successes.
The class took a late afternoon field trip to Union Station where we composed-and-waited to our heart’s content. Then some of us explored nearby Olvera Street, where we arrived just as the shops were shutting down for the day.
Olvera Street
Los Angeles, California
photographed 2.18.2017
One Day | One Image 