Blog Archives
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
ice flower
The same year local farmers grew sunflowers there was an early-season ice storm. The ice made this lone flower look almost like a windmill.
Here’s a couple of things about sunflowers as a farm crop that AI thought I needed to know; I cannot vouch for the veracity, so my apologies if I’m just spreading rumors.
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Soil Health:
Sunflowers have a deep taproot that helps with soil conservation by improving soil structure, reducing compaction, and bringing nutrients from deeper soil layers closer to the surface.
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Pollination:Sunflowers are attractive to pollinators, beneficial insects, and birds, making them a good choice for biodiversity.
Lubbock County, Texas
photographed 10.27.2020
One Day | One Image 