While exploring a small central Texas town I came across this beautiful wall that just grabbed my attention. It’s a wall, just a simple wall with a bricked-up doorway. But it has weathered in such a way that it beautifully reveals its colorful and textured past. Standing in front of it, you can imagine the…
Photographer and photojournalist, Dorothea Lange is a famous for documenting the lives of people during the Great Depression as part of a Farm Security Administration program. She traveled across the country recording the effect of the Depression on the lives of so many. In the photo on the right, you can see the camera she…
I recently posted about looking at a scene and visualizing it in black and white. So now that we’ve taken the photo, we need to do the post-processing needed to achieve what we visualized. Specifically, we’ll talk about the importance of managing color in our B&W photos. Whoa! Did I really just say managing color…
Sam Houston Park sits at the edge of, you guessed it, downtown Houston. It contains 10 buildings representing the buildings and culture of Houston’s past. One of these is St. John Church. Built in 1891 in northwest Harris County it was relocated to Sam Houston Park in 1968 and has become a Houston landmark. I…
When talking about mirrorless cameras, facts and hype often get intertwined and confused. It reminds me of the early days of the iPhone. A cult of “fan boys” developed that gushed exuberantly about the iPhone. The cult exclaimed how it changed their life and whenever a new model came out, they dutifully lined up, money…
My dad, James E. Schaffner, Sr., passed away at age 100 last August. I came across a photo of dad at 93 the other day that is one of my favorites. So, I thought sharing this photo and a little about him would be a good way to honor his memory. Dad died of old…
As one who really enjoys black and white photography, I admit I get frustrated when someone suggests that you “try black and white, maybe that can rescue the color photo”. This treats black and white as an add-on or afterthought to color photography. For me, black and white should be made with deliberate intent to…
Smith Street is home to iconic Houston architecture. These two glass and steel towers have become landmarks with their reflections of the Houston skyline. Although similar in design they each have their unique characteristics. These buildings are now the home for Chevron Corporation’s Houston operations. But it was the former tenant that brought these building…
“Interesting” may be the most over-used word in photography. How often have you heard something along the lines of “I saw this and it looked interesting so I decided to photograph it.”? And then you look at the photo and wonder, “What am I supposed to be looking at?” It’s like we’re being forced to…
