It seems that nowadays many of us are trying to simplify our lives. Downsizing, going green, eating organic – in general trying to get back to our roots, live naturally and have less of a negative impact on this beautiful planet we call home. I applaud all of this awareness and back to nature stuff. What I don’t get is the irony of how photography seems to have gone in the opposite direction. With digital cameras and computer programs, the ability to manipulate and alter photos has gone a little crazy. From landscapes that have an eerie ethereal glow to overly processed images pushed to the point of breakage and beyond, people seem to have gotten a little carried away. Bigger, brighter and bolder obviously must be better.
With all of this post processing craziness, I started to wonder how my photography stacked up. Was I out of control as well? I try my best not to over process my images, but us humans seem to be attracted to bright shiny things.
This whole thought process brought about an idea for a new project. I thought it might be fun to get some film and see just how different the results would be when compared to my normal routine of post-processing digital images. Just how far have I strayed from the basics? So I headed to the upstairs closet to dig out and dust off my old 35mm camera and then to the camera store for batteries and film.
Once I heard the snap of the shutter and whirl of the film advancing, it brought back so many good memories I couldn’t help but smile to myself. But it also brought back memories of just how limiting it is to shoot with film. I can store hundreds of images on my SD card, but there are only 24 exposures per roll of film. We really had to think about what we were shooting back in the day. Luckily I had my digital camera along for the ride to pick up the slack.
In the end, I shot two rolls of film at two separate state parks, for a whopping total of 48 shots. After finding out that local drug stores no longer return your negatives, I made my way back to the camera store for development. Here’s the kicker, I paid $12 for 4 rolls of color film, and it cost $18/roll to get prints, negatives and a cd. Now I feel much more justified having bought a pricey digital camera. It basically pays for itself since you no longer have the ongoing expense of film and developing. 
After a couple days, I returned to the camera store to pick up my prize. Mixed emotions ran through my mind as I contemplated the feeling of holding the unknown in my hand, anxious to open up those envelopes of never before seen prints. The excitement, the apprehension – was it worth all the time, effort and money? I hurried to the car and began shuffling through the photos. There they were in all their glory … and really not half bad. I went home, pulled up my previously edited digital images and compared them to the prints. I was pleased to see that they were actually pretty similar. Nothing crazy or weird, no overly sharpened “HDR’ishness” or exceedingly saturated bluer than blue skies. I believe I can rest assured that I haven’t fallen victim to the curse of the Photoshop generation. My images still resembled photographs!
As much as there will always be a special place in my heart for the joy of shooting film, I realized I had learned another important lesson. Going back to basics does not always go hand in hand with going green, or saving green for that matter. Aside from the obvious toll on your wallet, old school photography also involves harsh chemicals and by products that need to be safely disposed of. Digital photography has none of these adverse side effects. Now I know I can remain true to my photography roots without poisoning the earth in the process. Despite all the hi-tech bells and whistles, digital photography and online editing are definitely the greener alternative.
In all my attempts to live a more natural and simple life, I have to remind myself from time to time that less is more. Just because I can do something, doesn’t mean I should; the most important part of any endeavor is knowing when it’s time to stop. Even a painter knows when he has added the last brush stroke. After all, nature is the ultimate artist; she should be celebrated and revered for all her perfect imperfections.
Note: All landscape photos were taken with Fuji 400 speed color film and retouching was limited to the adjustments available in a darkroom setting only.
I never paid much attention to these little guys before, unless I was scratching at their bites, being annoyed by their buzzes or trying to outrun their stingers. Then I got a macro lens. The idea was to do super close up shots of pretty things, like flowers. As I started playing around with it, I was trying to focus on the cutest tiniest little flower ever, when suddenly an even tinier bug crawled up and sat down right on top of the flower. It was amazing to see something so tiny, so close up.
For the past couple weeks, I have been learning to look more closely at their delicate little world. At first glance they seemed so much different from us, but are they really? Just like us they eat, sleep, multiply and eventually die. They are such an important part of the circle of life. They pollinate our gardens, fertilize the soil and provide food for the animals that we eat. We simply cannot survive without them.
So the next time you walk out your door, take a few minutes to look more closely at the world that surrounds you. Stop and smell the flowers, breathe in the fresh air and remember to be thankful for the little things in life.
African savanna or the Arctic tundra in the center of a Midwestern city. But try they must. 
The animals are there and there’s nowhere else for most of them to go. Like it or not, these animals have been born and bred in captivity for generations and would not stand a chance among their unfettered counterparts in the wild. 
et some of these animals do serve a purpose. In this world there are species on the verge of extinction through no fault of their own. Many animals are still hunted and killed for nothing more than a body part coveted as a souvenir or trophy, or simply because they are considered to be a nuisance. While people are becoming more aware and more humane, the poachers and the black markets still exist for a few of the more unenlightened, cruel and disgraceful members of our species. For those of us who do care, these animals can be studied and bred in captivity in the hope that someday, in a more perfect world, they will be free to live their lives as nature intended and not be subject to the risk of being penned up or shot down. 
attraction and a typical family haunt during summer vacations. A couple weeks ago, we made a trip to the St. Louis zoo to observe and photograph some of the animals in residence there. This is one of the zoos that is constantly trying to improve the habitats and make the animals feel at least a little more at home. In general, I like to spend some time observing each animal and trying to capture their activities 
and emotions. Since it was spring and many of the birds were actively breeding, my main focus this time was going to be the free flight bird house. However, the bird house is in the back of the zoo and I had to walk past many exhibits to get there and I got a little side tracked along the way, mostly by gorillas, flamingos and prairie dogs. 
amiss; something is not quite right. Call it melancholy, homesickness or the internal realization of a grave injustice. This world that they were born into is not the one where they belong. They sense the limitations of their confines, the inability to choose their own mates, hunt their own food and keep a safe distance from predators – namely humans. Some seem angry, some look sad or confused and others seem to be pleading with their eyes for a reprieve. Their freedom has been sacrificed for our Saturday afternoon enjoyment. 
Why should the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness be limited to human beings alone? Shouldn’t these rights be extended to all of the earth’s creatures? It seems to me that in our own pursuits there are many ways in which we have taken it upon ourselves to surrender these rights on their behalf. For those of us who recognize the injustice, there are still many others who prefer to put their efforts into justifying and rationalizing their own selfish behavior. Nevertheless, there will come a time in the future when the earth as a whole will have to pay the cost of captivity. 
views. Despite all of that, this place is still incredibly awesome. The best part and an absolute must-do, is the Maid of the Mist boat tour. Wearing a one-size-does-not-fit-all blue plastic poncho, you descend down 
to the river via elevator and get aboard a sturdy sea-faring vessel that takes you right up to the most monstrous waterfalls I’ve ever seen. Yes, you get wet but you also see beautiful rainbows, soaring seagulls and hear the crashing of the water as it spills over 100 feet into the Niagara River below. Pictures alone cannot represent how cool this really is. Well worth the $18 ticket!
stone stairways, tunnels, paths and bridges which follow alongside the stream and blend in beautifully with the gorge’s landscape. There’s even a part of the falls that go over the pathway so you can stand underneath and get a really unique view. 
Once again there were waterfalls and beautiful old stone walkways, bridges, stairs and walls. Craftsmanship and old world ambiance seem to abound in New York State Parks. This was the most expansive of the State Parks I went to and featured many more hiking trails and a very nice restaurant – which I ate at despite my muddiness from hiking said trails after a rain shower. 
climb. You can get very close and feel the spray as the water tumbles into the gorge below. A short way downstream there is a stone bridge where you can view the falls and the river head on. The last waterfall I encountered was the Wolf Creek Cascade, this one wasn’t quite as visible from the trail and hard to get a clear shot of, but was beautiful none the less.
A walk along the lake shore was equally as hazardous. The shore was covered in stones worn smooth and slick over time by the tide. Large pieces of debris were scattered about. This provided for lots of unsure footing and the need to climb over tangles of driftwood. As you clamber along this rocky shoreline there are some places where there isn’t much room between the incoming tide and the bluff wall, making you hope not to get caught off guard during high tide. With the waves crashing in over the large boulders, the spires towering overhead and the storm clouds rolling in over the lake it was quite a powerful scene. 
So I decided to take this opportunity to use the travel tripod I have been carting around with me and try some long exposure shots before the rain came in. As usual, I got caught up in the moment and my time management skills fell short. But thanks to a helpful grad student, I managed to make it back to my car just as the first drops began to fall and I avoided having to hike back along the treacherous Bluff Trail in a torrential downpour. 
Although photographing animals can be difficult, it also can be very rewarding. We have all seen those portraits of animals that make you stop dead in your tracks and say “Wow!” Something is so compelling that you just can’t take your eyes away. And often, it’s the eyes that draw us in. If we are given the opportunity to look into their eyes, we can begin to see the very essence of their soul. There’s no underlying agenda, no lies or deceit; they live the most basic of lives.
er than we would in the wild, how do we know what they are thinking and feeling? Whenever we have our cameras out, we spend more time studying our subject waiting for the right moment. We are still, we are quiet, we let our guard down and maybe, just for an instant, our eyes meet and there’s a mutual sense of kinship and respect. All it takes is the release of the shutter at just the right moment, a fraction of a second, and with luck we will capture their unique inner beauty.
their seeds carried by the inhabitants of the land. They move about and yet their roots remain steadfastly anchored to the earth. 
Despite all of its accolades and awards, Pullman could not keep his dream intact. Behind the scenes he was hardly the benefactor he appeared to be. The town was in reality just another business investment. It turned a profit just as the factory did. What he didn’t seem to realize was that you can’t manufacture a community the way you can construct a train car. Communities are not made of brick and mortar alone, they are made of people and people cannot be forced into place like rivets, bolts and gears.
To keep appearances up, he enforced his own ideas of the perfect utopian society. From books in the library to plays in the theater; speeches, newspapers and public events, everything had to meet with his approval. Houses were randomly inspected for cleanliness and evictions could occur with little notice. There was only one church to attend. A single hotel housed one bar, but libations were offered to visitors only.
we explored the remaining community and learned its history, we also had the opportunity to chat with some residents. We found what was most prevalent, despite the diversity that had transformed the area, was an overwhelming sense of community and pride.
s. As is usual, instead of taking notes I took pictures. These fishermen don’t need a trolling motor, spinners, lures or flies. They rely solely on their long legs, keen eye and quick reflexes. Without the aid of a tackle box or a trip to Bass Pro Shop, they pluck fish out of the water as 
easily as I pluck Doritos out of a bag. 
pond, flying back to their nests to contemplate and strategize their next maneuvers in the courtship dance. We decided it was time for us to fly, too. But, like the Herons and the sportsmen, we’ll soon be back to try our luck at the fishing hole. Although I plan on getting my catch of the day with the snap of a shutter rather than the cast of a pole. Forever in pursuit of the one that got away.
My beautiful Magnolia tree had been in full bloom and now its fragile flowers were drooping under a layer of sloppy wet snow. The Bradford pears, daffodils, forsythias and pussy willows – blooming much too early than seemed nec
essary – here they were, now trying to hold up under the weight of a fresh coating of heavy spring snow. With plans of doing yard work this afternoon, I too was feeling a little under the weather. 
Entrance to the Missouri State Penitentiary
The Last One Home 