Or maybe “Here’s what I think of your happiness for me, bub.” Either way, sometimes “It’s the thought that counts” is clearly stretching it.
September 5, 2018. Samsung Galaxy S8+, focal length 4.25mm (35mm equivalent: 26mm), f/1.7, 1/60, ISO 200.
Sometimes nature brings us unending beauty in the Fall and sometimes it quickly reminds us that the season is a transition to a long, cold Winter. Kudos to the three or four trees that hung on to their color as long as they did.
November 18, 2012. Nikon D90 (DX sensor), 70–300mm Nikon zoom lens at 70mm (35mm equivalent: 105mm), f/9.5, 1/250, ISO 500.
Three of Chicago’s El lines — the Red, Yellow, and Purple — converge at Howard Station on the city’s Far North Side. It’s full of siding to store out-of-service trains, loops to move trains from one track to another, tunnels to get trains past each other, and other necessities to keep connections open and trains moving. On the left side just above the center, you can see a six-car Purple Line train approaching the station platforms that are on the lower right, and an eight-car Red Line train has just left the right platform, where it discharged northbound passengers, to loop around so it can go back into southbound service on the other platform.
December 16, 2025. OnePlus 12 cell phone, 13.3mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 140mm), f/2.6, 1/350, ISO 50.
I personally think that some of the methods used to complete the attachment of this light to this pole may not follow common standards, but I acknowledge that I’m not a professional when it comes to this stuff.
September 5, 2009. Nikon D90 (DX sensor), DX 18–105mm lens at 105mm (35mm equivalent: 155mm), f/13, 1/1,250, ISO 1,250.
“Hey,” thought the red-bellied woodpecker. “There are no insects in these shingles, and come to think of it, am I not surrounded by trees here in this nature preserve?”
It looked around for a moment, confirmed that there were trees very close to this shelter that met none of its needs, and flew off.
October 9, 2021. Nikon D850 (FX sensor), Tamron 100–400mm at 400mm, f/6.7, 1/45, ISO 400.
The nature preserve I’ve been photographing at for many years has some shelters here and there, mostly with informational signs. One afternoon, a bored or desperately hungry red-bellied woodpecker really hoped that it might be able to score some tasty insects in those shingles. I was impressed with how it squeezed itself in there. Delicate yet determined.
October 9, 2021. Nikon D850 (FX sensor), Tamron 100–400mm at 400mm, f/6.7, 1/45, ISO 400.
Shortly after splashing about the nature preserve’s pond in the photo shown in “Breach” last May, that great blue heron preened some to make sure it was showing off all its finest Spring fashion.
April 15, 2023. Nikon D850 (FX sensor), Tamron 100–400mm at 400mm, f/8, 1/1,000, ISO 560.
A nearby station shared by Amtrak and Chicago’s regional commuter train is in something of an industrial area; when I was headed out to the suburbs one weekend afternoon last Fall to spend some time with a friend, I brought the Nikon F5 along so I could finish a roll of film. I really wanted a composition that took in the industrial features as a train came in, and was pretty happy with this one. I also like how Tri-X rendered the clouds on a day that was slowly becoming more overcast and still kept some shadow detail.
October 10, 2025. Nikon F5, Kodak Tri-X 200, Tamron 100–400mm at 100mm, ISO 200, other exposure information unavailable.
“Beautiful you are.”
My neighborhood has a lot of features I really like, from prairie yards to dollhouses for kids to play with, and there are a few homes with baskets of chalk outside. Kids draw hopscotch grids and adults write self-help books, and as someone who was an editor for most of his 45-year career, I’m here to say that kids never need an editor.
August 10, 2022. Samsung S24+ cell phone, 5.4mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 26mm), f/1.8, 1/60, ISO 160.
Part of the joy of flight for me is seeing light in so many new and different ways, and this scene — as some gaps in a mostly overcast sky let light through and the slight haze nearby showed off all its different intensities — is a perfect example. The people on the ground, likely very far away, probably had no idea that so very far above them, those weak sunbeams were so beautiful.
January 27, 2023. Samsung S24+ cell phone, 5.9mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 28mm), f/2, 1/330, ISO 25.
A waxing gibbous moon and an amber streetlight have a close encounter one night on a cold late Winter night. One of my favorite bits in this photo is the glow of the ventilation holes in the top of the streetlight.
March 11, 2019. Samsung S10+ cell phone, 6mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 52mm), f/2.4, 1/30, ISO 64.
This photo will come around again to show the entire scene, but in this version, both the turtle and the wood duck seem nonplussed at the idea of sharing their sunning spot. Their questioning reciprocal stares seem very human to me.
June 15, 2024. Cropped from a larger image. Nikon D850 (FX sensor), Tamron 100–400mm at 400mm, f/6.3, 1/350, ISO 100.
While waiting for a band to hit the stage, I noticed how nicely a candle was backlighting my glass of beer to create a nice ambience photo. Between the white candle, the amber beer, the clear glass, and the condensation, there’s a lot going on in a small space to create that warm glow.
September 14, 2016. Google Nexus 6P cell phone, focal length 2 (35mm equivalent: 26mm), f/2, 1/60, ISO 160.
Although I mostly photograph dragonflies, I really like damselflies too. But they don’t seem to have the personalities that dragonflies have. Their eyes are more googly, and they’re smaller and more delicate, but I don’t see them chasing each other or just chilling out as often. But one summer afternoon, one paused for a few minutes in decent light, and I managed to get a decent picture of it.
August 22, 2015. Nikon D7100 (DX sensor), 70–300mm Nikon zoom lens at 300mm (35mm equivalent: 450mm), f/5.6, 1/750, ISO 560.
It may be the least effective barrier ever placed in a specific spot on this Earth ever, but it was placed there, and you should not… park there? Cross it? Protest? Approach construction workers?
August 6, 2016. Google Nexus 6P cell phone, focal length 4.67 (35mm equivalent: 26mm), f/2, 1/1,800, ISO 60.