So far apart
Odessa makes the most sense in a car on Grant Avenue at night listening to Only the Lonely.
Out on a Stretch
Sometimes I don’t know if I’m out on a stretch or out on a stretch of highway. The thing I’ve learned in taking pictures is that when you’re out with the camera, you have thoughts. I like to sit and write those thoughts down. Some of what I’ve posted is exactly that.
Living Snapshot
A change of scenery is a change of mind. If I could write one thing that’s lasting and useful, that would do. We usually sound repetitive inside, but outside, we become something new.
The Universe Observing Itself
We are the universe standing in our shoes.
From Memory
One way to truly see what’s all around is to go somewhere else.
The Look
The trick is to a make picture that’s neither too saturated nor flat — neither too contrasty nor flat — just plain honest. It’s tougher to accomplish than one might think.
In Parts
West Texas is just far — far from perfect — far from over — far from anywhere.
Off-kiltered
We’re each a little so-so and better at different things. The fear of not measuring up stings.
You have to be
I’m as interested in how a picture is made as in what it shows because you have to be. I’m talking about tools, texture, and tone. I’m thinking about lighting, color, and composition, and how well-assembled pictures can show nothing at all — and that’s okay.
Beyond Awful
Whenever I see a perfect picture, I’ll think, surely this isn’t real.
Bumbling
I embody something infuriating — an average person doing something. The combination of being run-of-the-mill and doing something creative is a frontier.
Going to Town
A black-and-white picture of small-town Texas is sort of what western swing music looks like — if that makes sense.
Traveling Kindly
Go without want.
Poetry
If music is older than language, then that’s probably a large part of it.
In the Moment
It transitions from play to art as we age, and in learning, it continues.
Lightweight
The less we make photography about something, the more it accommodates.
Taking or Making
In photographing landscapes, places, and found environments, perhaps the difference between making and taking lives in the focal length, where a 35mm takes, and a 50mm makes.
Enjoying the Day
Interesting places exist wherever we look long enough. Odessa is a real place, nothing touristy about it, so thoroughly palpable that it’s utterly clueless about itself in a good way, and that’s why I stay.
Keep Going
If you think it’s bad now, it used to be worse. That’s why I’m not too worried. You are a part of the change you would like to see.
I don’t know what to tell ya
Bad advice permeates. Everyone offers it freely. The rarest thing is something helpful. So don’t worry. Go ahead and make a wrong decision and regret it later. It’s perfectly normal.