old water tank

chiriaco summit, california | 3.28.26

I’ve been having a ball doing these color snapshots of the everyday world around me lately. They remind me of the drugstore prints I used to get as a kid, date stamp and all.

When I want to get into the heart and guts of the desert, when I want to do the hard-edged, stick in the eye shots of what it’s like out here in the desert sun I’ll do contrasty grainy black and white. That’s what the desert feels like. That’s the spirit of it. Right now though I’m having a lot of fun with these quieter color snapshots. Right now it feeds my soul.

desert iguana

3.20.26

I have no desire to be a wildlife photographer, but it can be fun to take an occasional snapshot of some of my wild neighbors.

It can be a challenge to do it with a phone – not impossible, but not easy. It depends on the situation and the subject.

This desert iguana proved to be pretty cooperative. He (or she) has taken up residence about ten feet from my door. Welcome to the neighborhood my friend…

fallen ocotillo and lupine

joshua tree np wilderness | 3.4.26

Now that I’ve discovered how to get color that looks real to me I’m having so much fun with it that I haven’t been doing much b/w. It reminds me of years ago, a long time gone, when I’d talk my dad into buying me a roll of 127 Kodacolor for my Brownie Starflex instead of Verichrome Pan b/w, and just go out and shoot it up without any thought about whether it was any good or not. It was just fun. Snapshooting at it’s best.