The Story

THE STORY, THE TRIPS – SELDOM AS THEY ARE

I used to take a lot of trips, and created a lot of great content from all those great journeys.  You don’t, however, need to travel far to find great content.  Great natural areas, urbanized areas, and creative art and culture are all around us.

I do love being in places when they feel off the beaten path, whether they are physically off well-travel routes or just happen to be victims of an off season, I love the feel of places that seem a bit out of their prime, whether the crowds are coming back or not.  There is a sense of calm, of beauty not so overrun by people, of starkness and geometry and silence.  But still, we all want the crowds to return and see our favorite urban areas and natural areas being enjoyed by our fellow human beings, and to see our cities at their human and cultural best.  I strive to capture all of this.

 

THE TECHNOLOGY

I use a Canon D20 SLR for my photography – not a large megapixel camera like it seemed to be when it was released.

The largest telephoto lens I use has a maximum 200mm focal length.  It is a medium-level professional camera, and I love the quality, sound, and technology of it.  There are so many elements to add in software, storage, lenses, and filters, that keep an older camera new and interesting.

Someday I will upgrade, but over the years I have learned that megapixels and size of the lens is not everything.  The combination of correct camera settings, right location, right lighting, and right intuition mean so much more than technology.  A clean lens and sensor helps too!

I CALL MYSELF PLANNER/PHOTOGRAPHER

I am an urban planner by education, working in the transportation field for just about two decades now.  My high school goal for a career (perhaps misdirected, perhaps not) was to be an architect.  I found the field of urban planning, which combined my love for physical design with the experience of the urban environment and the unavoidable and all-important issues of socioeconomics.  Urban planning is all about, at least to me, creating the great urban spaces and combinations of land uses that make urban living so beneficial to the economy, our culture, our fulfillment, and our collective and individual identities.

At its best, urban planning takes democracy to the people and allows for decisions to be made that benefit the most – I have seen it work in project planning and up through public hearings where commissions/councils seem to make the best decision based on public desires, or to make the best technical or economic decision for the good of the local jurisdiction.  These collective decisions – good and bad – manifest themselves in the areas that have been urbanized, the developments we see all around us, the transportation networks that take us there, and the open areas that have been preserved.  I try to capture this in my photography, or at least always have the understanding of the gives and the takes in mind and at heart.

 

 

THANKS FOR THE VISIT

So, with that said, glad that you have visited.  Please come back after viewing what I have offered here, both in terms of visual art and purchasable products, and feel free to provide feedback.

I hope to find the next great place to visit and share more, each time.