I bet you thought I had stopped doing Photo Phridays. You were right, I had. But now it's back.  

I'm taking fewer photos than I did a year ago. It's not intentional, its simply a matter of time and opportunity. One such time and opportunity was last fall's Enterprise High School football season.  I brought along my little T5 Rebel and the kit 300mm lens just for fun to a few games (and to take pics of my daughter in band!) 

I've got to say upfront, I'm not a sports photographer. Not even close. I don't have the right gear, the right experience or the right access. However, I thought my little Rebel did pretty good capturing what action I could see from the cheap seats. What lessons did I learn from the experience? Its a good idea to  have a good low-light camera. Mine isn't. If you are jacking up the ISO and have a digital zoom, you're going to have grainy images. This matters, too, for shutter speed. I struggled to keep it above 1/200s, but with a cropped sensor, that was difficult. Anything below that and I ran the risk of blurring.  400mm zoom or better is a must with a pole mount if you're serious (I'm not).  Sideline access is better, but there was something to be said about the perspective from the stands. If you are going to be high up, sit somewhere so people ahead of you don't block your view. 

Lessons aside, taking these was fun. If you're one of my local friends, then you are familiar with the excellent sports and music program at Enterprise High School. Its one of the best in the state! Here's some shots of the 2022-23 Enterprise Alabama Wildcats Football and Big Blue Marching Band season. Enjoy! 

Goodbye 2022. 

It's been a blessed year for me, both in the photography and writing fronts.  I did a decent amount of both writing and photography, but not enough to satisfy me.  My day job and family obligations took precedent, as they should. I also started a new journey into taking care of my body (down 15 pounds so far). In fact, I really ought to be at the gym right now but find myself drinking coffee in my pajamas in front of the computer.  

I'll talk about my writing in a future blog post, but on this New Year's Eve, I'll recap 2022 from the photography perspective.  If I could sum up 2022, I'd say it was the year I started to find my brand. It's the first year I began selling prints, it's the first year I won any serious awards for my work, and it's the first year I began to think of myself as a fine art photographer.  Giving myself an artistic label doesn't mean limiting myself to only one creative area, it just means that I have a lens to focus my efforts.  Having a focus is good, as it allows me to concentrate effort, build depth and increase my skills.  

These are my favorite images from 2022, presented in generic categories.  I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I did taking them. 

I took these photos in 2022 just for fun! I took these on vacation, at motorcycle events and at the beach. I simply liked them, maybe you will too! 

For those who have visited this blog and supported my art and literature in 2022, THANK YOU!  I'm hoping 2023 leads to exciting new possibilities in both my writing and photography. I'm still having fun, and I hope you are, too. If you're new to my blog and work, you can find out my books here and here. 

Thank you and Happy New Year!

It's 10 am on Christmas Eve. I'm drinking coffee in my pajamas.  Christmas shopping done. Gifts wrapped. It's below freezing down here in the deepest of the deep south and I keep worrying a pipe will freeze and burst. All the outdoor plants are in the garage, huddled for warmth. 

I'm surrounded by my family, and feeling blessed. May all the blessings of the season be upon you and yours this season, and I'll see you in the New Year. 

​Merry Christmas! 

Several of my fiction eBook titles are reduced or free starting today for a limited time. Click here to find out more.

Thank you to everyone who dropped by my exhibit at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Art two weeks ago. They had over 600 visitors, and I met a lot of great people.  It was a lot of fun, and best of all my son joined me for the event.

I'm sorry I haven't blogged lately. I haven't written or taken a single photo, either. Things got nuts. A huge yard project (which involved a contractor) kicked things off, and demanding a great deal of my time. Then, over the Thanksgiving weekend I got the stupid impulse to overhaul the garage. "If I'm already cleaning it, why don't I just repaint it while I'm here," I said to myself. That turned into replacing the lighting fixtures, which is now morphing into possibly sealing the floor and building cabinets.

Now, somehow, December got here, the holiday season is in full swing, and time is slipping away. I think many of you understand exactly what I'm talking about. The calendar is filling in with events with friends and family.  It's a good thing, but leaving little time for photography and writing. Or blogging. 

Its time to go to work, but I'll try to get my next in-depth blog post finished and posted next week. Keep checking back for upcoming events and signings. 

See ya next time. 

The holidays are now upon us, and I'm swamped and feeling a bit under the weather. I've got three in-depth blog post halfway written that I can't seem to finish. I've taken only a few photos lately, and I've made NO progress on my latest novel or photography book. However, I have been busy traveling, showing my photography, and planning upcoming events. 

What little photography I'm currently doing is "target of opportunity" shots. I always carry a camera, and I've found a few good subjects. However, none of these are suitable for my next photography book. The shots below, and the one above, are from a condemned business in my home town. 

I had a wonderful time at the Rudd Art Center Veterans Show debut event two weeks ago. The show is ongoing through 18 November. I was really excited to sell a piece and talk to other vet-artists like me, from the Vietnam-era to today.  Please go to downtown Ozark and support local veteran artists. Find out more here. 

Please stay tuned, as next week I will be talking about my upcoming showing at the Artist Market in Montgomery. More to follow. See ya next week. 

I would like to wish everyone a fun and spooky Halloween!

Most years I throw a big party or make a haunted house in the back yard. This year its a low-key affair with just family. The kids are all moved away or teenagers, and I've been swamped doing other things. Instead of decorating, I cleaned out the attic this year. It was the first time in almost 15 years. I've been hearing strange noises up there lately, like a 250 pound squirrel is trying to dig through the roof. I think something might be amiss, and I really wanted to clean out the attic and find out. 

There is a lot of stuff up there, and to be honest, I'm a little creeped out by the noises. So I hired Pete, a local handy man, to do the job. He went up into the attic yesterday, and I haven't heard from them since. I cracked opened the attic door and found his phone. His pickup truck is still parked out front. I wonder where he went and why he would leave his phone and truck? Funny, I can still hear something moving up there, like a heavy box being dragged around. 

Anyone want to go up in the attic and look for Pete for me? I want this taken care of before the trick or treaters show up tonight. 

Happy Halloween! 

#halloween #fun #horror

Emassee Robert Grierson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution  graciously invited me to speak at the October meeting at the Dothan Country Club.

I first met the ladies of the DAR at Farm Days at Dothan's Legacy Park both last week and last spring. I was  honored when they invited me to speak at their October meeting. This is an incredible organization of women dedicated to preserving and celebrating American history, as well as public service. 

I enjoyed talking to Cathy, Jessica, Denise and all the DAR ladies about their heritage and the great work DAR is doing in the community. For example, during the meeting, Cheri Bowman from Operation Christmas Child also spoke. Operation Christmas Child is a Christian-based organization which brings much needed Christmas gifts to children in need around the world. The ladies also spoke to me about their participation in Alabama's "Vote in Honor of a Veteran" program.  I'm thankful there are organizations like the DAR working to make our communities better places to live.  

Most of all, I enjoyed sharing these women's passion for history.  I could have spent all day asking each and every one of them about their family connection to the American Revolution.  I greatly appreciated their warm response for local history and Abandoned Wiregrass.

Thanks, ladies!  

If you are a member of a historical, genealogical or public service organization in the Wiregrass Area, and you're looking for a speaker, please contact me here. I'd love to share my experiences writing Abandoned Wiregrass with your organization. 
#abandonedwiregrass #wiregrass #dothan #daughtersoftheamericanrevolution #dar