Closing Reception
December 1st, 2022
The closing reception for the group photo show by the Greater Dayton Photography Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1734008886818239 was last night at the Lofino Gallery in Beavercreek. It was a fine show and it was fun to meet and chat with some of the other photographers in the group. And Ellen Dennis, the model for one of the photos I had in the show, was able to stop by too. It was a very pleasant evening. If you are a photographer in the Dayton area I highly recommend this group. It’s worth your time and attention.
More from the Zanesville Masonic Temple
November 21st, 2022
Here are a few more photos from my shoot at the Zanesville Masonic Temple with Carrie Turner and Jenny Anne Rose. As I noted in my earlier post, Memories of a Tremendous Loss, the temple was destroyed in a fire shortly after we did this shoot. It was a beautiful place and its loss is a tragedy.
These photos can only hint at how wonderful this place was.
I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to work there with these two wonderful models.
Thank you, Carrie and Jenny for making these photos possible. I’ll end this post with a photo of Carrie’s sensational figure from this shoot.
Show at Lofino Gallery
November 2nd, 2022
I have work in a very nice show that opened today at The Gallery at Lofino Plaza, 3868 Dayton-Xenia Road, Beavercreek, Ohio. It is a juried show of work by the members of the Facebook Group, Greater Dayton Photography Group. It’s a good group of fine photographers. Worth joining if you are in the Dayton area.
The show runs through November and there will be a closing reception on November 30. I hope to be in attendance at the closing reception.
Here are the two photos that are in the show. Thanks to my fantastic models, Ayn and Ellen.
I actually entered three photos in the show and all three were selected for the show by the juror. But the gallery said they didn’t want any nudes shown in their space, so this shot of another wonderful model, Brandy, was not hung in the show…but I can share it with you here.
It’s Almost Halloweeen…
October 27th, 2022
As always, many thanks to my wonderful models who make my photos possible: Sarah, Brit, Theda, Athena, and Brandy.
Houses of Perryton
August 26th, 2022
These two photos, above and below, are views of the first home built in Perryton. I think the original builders were Sewards. It’s a beautiful old house that hasn’t had a regular resident since I was a kid and a very old man lived there. But it has always been very well maintained and, I understand, is still owned by descendants of the original owners.
The house above is next door to the house where I grew up. It appears someone is working on fixing it up.
The lovely home above belongs to Bill and Judy Morgan. It was a beautiful home when I was a kid and it still is, and it sits in a beautifully maintained yard.
A couple more homes in Perryton above and below. The one below has had major changes since the time I was growing up in Perryton.
And finally, another view of the Perryton United Methodist Church with the congregation on the steps.
People of Perryton
August 22nd, 2022
Yesterday I went to Perryton to continue working on my project to document the town where I grew up. I had arranged to photograph the congregation of the Perryton Methodist Church after their service. They are a fine group of people and we had a good time and a good chat. This church is right across the street from the house where I grew up. Until yesterday I had never noticed just how asymmetrical the building is. I think it’s really quite interesting.
After the church photo I visited again with Bill and Judy Morgan and made a couple portraits of them.
I also had the good fortune to catch a couple families outdoors which resulted in a couple more portraits. I’d love to be able to photograph everyone in the town like this.
I also encountered a few other Perryton residents. Pets are people too, right?
And the day’s last stop was at The Old Fool pizza parlor and brewery, just outside of town. I’m still a bit shocked that such an establishment could exist way out there in the country, but it’s a very nice place and it’s great to be able to drop in for some refreshments after a day of photographing.
Ancient Instants
August 10th, 2022
I have a bunch of old, out-dated instant film. I’d intended to shoot it long ago, but COVID.
Finally, yesterday, I took a couple of the best models around, Carrie Turner and Eden, out to a fun photo location, Proparazzi, and tried to shoot a bunch of the old film up.
The color film seemed to do okay, but as you can see, there were problems with the black and white film. I think the rollers were in good shape, and it didn’t happen to the color film, so I’m inclined to blame the expired film. More investigation is in order. But some folks seem to like these flawed prints. I guess it’s a hipster thing these days. Flaws that you can’t get with digital. But it grates on me after spending a lifetime learning how to keep things like that from happening.
I didn’t really make much of a dent in the stash of old instant film. It is just such a slow process. Just waiting for each individual shot to develop takes about 15 minutes for one pack of film. I only shot three packs in four hours.
So, I’ll do another serious cleaning on the rollers and I think I’ll just start carrying the instant kit around to any and all shoots I do and try to shoot up a pack or two along with whatever else I’m doing.
You may have noticed that I haven’t been posting much. I’ve had some health issues that have seriously slowed me down. Had to have some surgery and there’s another operation coming in a few weeks. This was my first shoot after the first operation. I plan to get some more shooting in before I have to have the second. I’m not back to full health yet, but seem to be improving every day.
The Perryton Project
July 17th, 2022
My last big project, The Class of ’69, was cut short by the plague. For a long time I’ve wanted to start another project, but the plague made that impossible for a few years. But I’ve now begun to photograph my home town, Perryton, Ohio. It’s a tiny town. Fewer than 100 residents. It’s not on the way to anywhere. Just a little place out in the country that was pretty much a perfect place to grow up in the 1950s and 60s. And it is little changed today.
The photo above is from the town cemetery. As a kid (and still, I guess) I was always fascinated by that big monument and statue.
That’s the house I grew up in. It has changed quite a bit. It’s been abandoned for years and is in very sad condition. My dad would have hated to see it today. It’s changed hands quite a few times since my parents sold it and moved to a new house they built on a hill above the town. It appears it is for sale after a foreclosure now. My dad built the addition on the left when I was in the 8th grade. It added running water and an indoor bathroom for the first time.
The Methodist Church across the street from the home where I grew up.
The Church of Christ a few houses down the street from my childhood home.
When I was a kid one of our neighbors fixed this place up and opened an antique shop. She hired me to sweep up. My first job. It’s a very attractive private home now.
A couple miles from Perryton was the Perry Elementary School. This is where I went to school until high school. The year I started first grade (there was no kindergarten) the addition to the right of this photo had just been completed adding a gym and, for the first time, indoor restrooms. The outhouses remained throughout my time there and were often used during recess.
Perry Elementary has been closed for many years and is now used by a couple businesses, from what I could tell. I couldn’t resist taking this photo of what I saw in one of the old classroom windows.
More Wildflowers
July 12th, 2022
Just sharing a few more snaps of the wildflowers I’ve got growing on a section of our property. Trying to cut down on mowing and encourage wildlife.
Judging by the way a lot of the long grass is tamped down, I think the local deer population has decided they like this area.
If you take a close look at some of these photos you will likely notice the incredible detail and sharpness of my new Nikon Z7II and 24-120 lens. All of these photos are cropped from full frame…a couple of them pretty extremely cropped, but still the detail on the flowers is quite sharp.
July 4 Holiday Weekend Snaps
July 5th, 2022
Just a few snap shots from our weekend in Vermont for the Fourth of July.
