When I started taking photographs back in the day, it was all silver halide film and paper — now called analog photography. I started making images in my adolescence, sometime around 1968. I was a photographer in the Navy and later at Stanford University. I stopped making images in 1979. I have often described my motivation for stopping as the disenchantment accompanying making images as a profession; I know it was more complicated than that. I was frustrated that the images I was making failed to achieve what I was trying to achieve, and I had other pressing needs for what I had invested in cameras, lenses, darkroom equipment, etc. So, I sold it all, even my photo book library, moved on and made no images for almost thirty years. I wish I had kept the books! 😕

Tired of the cold weather keeping you from getting out to make images? I know I am. I struggle with [Raynaud syndrome][1] which results in my hands becoming painful and useless after just a short exposure to cold temperatures. As a result I do not get out to shoot much these days.

As winter drags on and the days feel endlessly cold and gray, it’s easy to feel restless and bored. So, rather than wasting time longing for the warmth of spring and the chance to explore the world through your lens again, use this time to slow down, reflect, and find inspiration in the stories of those who see the world a little differently.

The swan is gone. The garbage truck just came by and grabbed our garbage can, swung it up and overturned it, dumping its contents, including the swan, into its bay. 

This tale of woe is how the swan came to be in our garbage can.

Grain takes a deep dive into the growing analog photography renaissance with a focus on the timeless allure of film in an age dominated by digital precision, what I call “hyper-realism.” It helped me understand why so many photographers, especially GenZ and Millennials, are seeking out film photography’s unique textures, colors, grains, and unpredictability.

For those who visit this site, you might notice some changes—or maybe not. I’ve been working to make the site cleaner and simpler. These are small adjustments, and they’re not yet complete. One notable change: the navigation now refers to this page as “Journal” rather than “Blog.” I’m planning to add a Blogroll and wanted a clear distinction between my personal journal and that feature.

Over the first weekend of last June, I attended a two-day street photography workshop with the renowned photographer Phil Penman in New York City. In retrospect, I regret that I did not record my thoughts right after the workshop, but I flew on the day after the workshop to Italy — another long overdue blog post. I will catch up someday, maybe.

When I closed my social media accounts, I hoped to post more regularly to this blog. That has not happened. I hope to change that, but time will tell. Over the months since my last post, there have been several things I have told myself would make a good topic for a blog post.

Each time a milestone birthday comes, you marvel at your longevity and wonder how and when that time went by. Each one seems more consequential than the previous one. Still, this one seemed like one that I needed to mark well with a celebration worth remembering.

Is spring ever going to get here? It is another cold and rainy day along the Narragansett Bay shoreline.
I am struggling with where to start. My monkey mind is in control. There are a seemingly endless number of topics I would like to write about, but I am committed to keeping these blog posts short and to the point.

It always seems like there is never enough time, that everything takes longer than it should and that there are always too many things that need to be done. I procrastinate when I feel like that instead of bearing down, establishing some priorities and starting on a project or task. My procrastination is more avoidance than sloth or lethargy. I get things done, not the challenging tasks or tasks I should be working on. Writing this blog post was one of those tasks I have been avoiding.

This blog's title is a borrowing and slight paraphrasing of a line from Shakespeare's Richard III. It makes for a better introduction than my complaining about the winter weather in New England.

Of the many email newsletters I recently unsubscribed to, one was from a photographer based in New York, James Maher, http://www.jamesmaherphotography.com.

Welcome to my blog. It is probably apparent that this is the first post, but there were previous posts. I have deleted them. I have also made significant changes to this site. Many of those changes are only partially complete, so please excuse the mess and broken links. There are more changes to come. Hopefully, you will find enough interesting content on the site and/or within this post to return to see the changes.