Charles Henry 8/31/25 Charles Henry 8/31/25

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.

Charles Henry 8/22/25 Charles Henry 8/22/25

Complaining (a how to guide)

Live a great life. From wherever to whatever, I love taking pictures with my camera. It’s an obsession — a small footprint: prints, posts, and film resting inside a trusty binder.

Charles Henry 8/9/25 Charles Henry 8/9/25

Film Emulation

It’s fine to digitally emulate analog. A box of monochrome 8x10 sells for $250 — a $150 rise from a decade ago, and some 35mm rolls fetch $15. Analog was once the primary photographic method.

Charles Henry 8/5/25 Charles Henry 8/5/25

Wooden Shutter Button

How nice would it be to have a camera shutter button made from mesquite?

Charles Henry 7/18/25 Charles Henry 7/18/25

Wooden Tripod

I serviced the wooden tripod today. I repaired a loose hinge, polished the head plate, and applied mineral oil.

Charles Henry 7/9/25 Charles Henry 7/9/25

One-Eyed Dog

Photography is a gentle way to see oneself alive.

Charles Henry 6/18/25 Charles Henry 6/18/25

Experiment

Many people know that we have more to learn, and from the moment we realize that we’re not the center of everything, it gets better.

Charles Henry 6/8/25 Charles Henry 6/8/25

Tough. Friendly. Hardworking.

Odessa is a pretty good place.

Charles Henry 6/5/25 Charles Henry 6/5/25

One Big Small Town

If you take pictures from town to town and put everything together, it’s like seeing one big small town.

Charles Henry 5/31/25 Charles Henry 5/31/25

Abandoned Buildings

Abandoned buildings dot rural Texas, but if restored, they’d make great workspaces, and I’d gladly rent one.

Charles Henry 5/30/25 Charles Henry 5/30/25

Colorado City

Colorado City has potential and possesses a great central business district. It’s on busy Interstate Twenty, far out but not too far away, and surrounded by rolling plains.

Charles Henry 5/30/25 Charles Henry 5/30/25

f/8 and be there

F/8 is typically the most optimal aperture for everyday lenses.

Charles Henry 5/29/25 Charles Henry 5/29/25

The end of photo archives

Image archives will become unrealistic because we’ll have too many new photographs.

Charles Henry 5/26/25 Charles Henry 5/26/25

Watching the sky

Cumulus clouds rise above the horizon, resembling snowcapped mountains where Abilene needs rain — a grudge is a burden none can afford.

Charles Henry 5/22/25 Charles Henry 5/22/25

Endure

One must be blind or drunk or in love to live somewhere worse looking than Odessa.

Charles Henry 5/15/25 Charles Henry 5/15/25

A Home in the Monochrome

In every color image I take, I see a black-and-white photographer trying to escape. It’s black-and-white or bust. Mine are pictures of rust, dents, and dust.

Charles Henry 5/12/25 Charles Henry 5/12/25

Far from perfect

There are things we can control and things we cannot. There are things we can get out in front of and things we cannot. Therefore, we must do is our best and grow. It’s life.

Charles Henry 5/10/25 Charles Henry 5/10/25

More Modern

Art made more sense in horse and buggy days because the technology of 1855 more closely resembled that of 1555 than 1955. The first tintypes appeared around 1855, making photography more modern.

Charles Henry 5/6/25 Charles Henry 5/6/25

Twangy

It’s pedal steel, bright guitar, fiddles, snare, upright bass, and lyrics about heartache.

Charles Henry 4/29/25 Charles Henry 4/29/25

Harsh Daylight

I’ve tried to photograph harsh light for years. Unlike film, digital has less latitude in bright light, which is why you must find techniques to elevate consistency.