Known for innovative and experimental architecture Chicago is a great town if you love architecture. Famous architects such as Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Frank Lloyd Wright, just to name a few, have buildings there. It is home to stunning buildings; the Rookery, the Sullivan Center, Union Station, Willis Tower,…
After visiting Vicksburg National Military Park and the Vicksburg National Cemetery (my wife’s great-great-grandfather who died in the Civil War is buried there) we took an indirect route back home. Along the way we stopped at St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge near Natchez. My wife is a bit of a “birder” and I like…
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…
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…
Back in the old days (meaning pre-Covid) my wife and I visited Nashville, Tennessee over a long 4th of July holiday weekend. Nashville is a great city with lots to see and do. The surrounding area is beautiful with forested hills and valleys; so different from the Houston, Texas area where I live. We wanted…
I like to try new things, to experiment. It seems I have a low boredom threshold. I like to think of this as a blessing. Maybe it’s a curse. I do know that it is why I’ve never deliberately developed a photography “style”. Oh, I may have a style, but I’ve never intentionally tried to…
