For a little while, I had fun experimenting with the Lensbaby line of special-effect optics, mostly a mock tilt-shift system where you could move the lens around while it was plugged into the camera so that you could play with depth of field. It was hard to expose correctly with these lenses, and I didn’t really miss them when they were lost during a move, but there were a few photos that came out really well, and this photo of tracks in the snow covering a frozen pond was one of my favorites.

January 26, 2013. Nikon D90 (DX sensor), 50mm Lensbaby lens, f/8, 1/350, ISO 400.

This is a shot from one of the boat tours along the industrial Calumet River, but rather than a feature along the banks, it’s the chain and pulley that raise and lower the anchor. It was the first photo I took that trip because it just looked pretty cool and put me in the frame of mind of capturing more metal and more heavy machinery.

July 15, 2012. Nikon D90 (DX sensor), 70–300mm Nikon zoom lens at 70mm (35mm equivalent: 105mm), f/16, 1/250, ISO 500.

I’m not one for pageantry, but a friend and I were walking to a performance of Cirque de Soleil some years ago, and she saw this before I did. We both admired it for a moment and she said, “You should take a picture of it.” I did, and she’s smart, because it’s a great picture.

September 2, 2017. Samsung Galaxy S8+ cell phone, focal length 4.25mm (35mm equivalent: 26mm), f/1.7, 1/1,125, ISO 50.

Aw, Minnie.

April 22, 2025. OnePlus 12 cell phone, 13.3mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 140mm), f/2.6, 1/250, ISO 50.

At a state fair, the joy of winning is balanced by the agony of choosing between two all-but-identical prizes. I hope that scarf is machine-washable, because state fair food is going to make its mark on whichever of those big happy bears comes home with him.

August 26, 2025. Nikon Coolpix P1000 (1/2.3-inch sensor), focal length 54mm (35mm equivalent: 300mm), f/8, 1/500, ISO 800.

Here’s another photo I love taken from an Amtrak train near Red Wing, Minn., at high speed. There’s a lot to love, from the fall colors of the nearby foliage to the receding clouds with the blue sky showing through in the distance. When you’re rolling along at 60 mph, you have the briefest split second to react to what you see and then capture it, and of the photos I took under those conditions, I think this one makes me happiest of all.

October 14, 2024. OnePlus 12 cell phone, 6.06mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 23mm), f/1.6, 1/1,600, ISO 200.

On a visit to Boston, I spent a day at the local aquarium, and had the time of my life. Its biggest and best feature is the ocean tank, three stories tall and full of fish and other sea life that mostly ignores each other. The tank is surrounded by a ramp that spirals to the top and back down, and two critters made a point of swimming over to check me out. Myrtle here has been at the aquarium for more than 55 years; we made eye contact from across the tank and she gracefully glided over for a photo op.

September 23, 2025. OnePlus 12 cell phone, 6.06mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 23mm), f/1.6, 1/50, ISO 640.

The heron I showed off in an early post here splashed around for quite a while. I liked that photo best, but on social media, a number of friends liked this one more, and I thought I’d share it.

April 15, 2023. Nikon D850 (FX sensor), Tamron 100–400mm at 400mm, f/6.3, 1/2,000, ISO 800.

When you’re on a road trip, who doesn’t love a stop for a little snack en route?

November 18, 2012. Nikon D90 (DX sensor), 105mm Nikon macro lens (35mm equivalent: 155mm), f/4.8, 1/350, ISO 500.

In the wee hours after a concert downtown, on a Winter night warm enough to dampen the streets with snowmelt, we could feel like we had the place to ourselves for a few precious moments.

February 3, 2019. Samsung Galaxy S8+, focal length 4.25mm (35mm equivalent: 26mm), f/1.7, 1/20, ISO 200.

Not long after I got my macro lens for my first camera — macro lenses give you the ability to get very close to your subject and to decide exactly how much sharpness you have before it blurs into the distance, which may only be millimeters away — I saw some nice, full, colorful thistles in the park and took a number of photos to play with the light. Here’s one of my favorites.

July 30, 2011. Nikon D90 (DX sensor), 105mm Nikon macro lens (35mm equivalent: 155mm), f/16, 1/60, ISO 800.

We generate an enormous amount of trash every day, every hour of every day really, and this photo taken on the first trip Forgotten Chicago sponsored along the Calumet River made me wonder both how long it took to build up to that level and how much of it had spilled over the edge into the river.

August 29, 2010. Nikon D90 (DX sensor), 70–300mm Nikon zoom lens at 220mm (35mm equivalent: 330mm), f/10, 1/1,000, ISO 640.

Dusk reflected in the pond at the nature preserve through Fall reeds lets through some warm color.

September 26, 2014. Nikon D7100 (DX sensor), 70–300mm Nikon zoom lens at 70mm (35mm equivalent: 105mm), f/11, 1/2,000, ISO 1,250.

Catching the full wingspan of this heron made me very happy, especially as its legs and feet continued the gentle curve.

April 1, 2017. Nikon D7100 (DX sensor), 70–300mm Nikon zoom lens at 300mm (35mm equivalent: 450mm), f/5.6, 1/3,000, ISO 800.

I was surprised to see that I’ve published only two kestrel photos so far, the cute one last May and the couple in November. They show up occasionally at the nature preserve, but since they aren’t that much bigger than robins, they can be hard to find when there’s foliage around.

Kestrels are the smallest of falcons, and their markings — the stripes on their head and the dots on their orange plumage — make them look pretty tough, as petite as they are. I have photographs of them being pretty tough and someday I’ll post one. But even just sitting on a branch scanning for their next meal, they have a presence.

March 10, 2019. Nikon D7100 (DX sensor), Tamron 100–400mm lens at 400mm (35mm equivalent: 600mm), f/6.7, 1/500, ISO 560.