Another example of my ongoing quest to design with type and combine the result with photography. This promotional postcard offered a business tip (to hire me for Web and print design) along with a garden tip that plays off the image…
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Travel Photography: Military Flags
These flags are part of a Southwest Airlines/Chicago Midway Airport effort to honor active duty military serving overseas…
Travel Photography: University of Michigan Diag
Although the University of Michigan campus has grown since my student days, the Diag is still the heart of it all. The Diag consists of two diagonal walkways that intersect outside the Graduate Library. It’s long been a hotbed of activity, including this outdoor yoga class… The student’s feet are tantalizingly close to the Block…
Event Photography: Ann Arbor Football Saturday
This past weekend, I went to Homecoming at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. A mandatory part of this experience is football Saturday. Game day preparations start many hours before kickoff. Tailgate partiers arrrive in fully equiped RVs and set up camp near Michigan Stadium. And did I mention that flying the Block M…
Event Photography: Economic Forecast Calls for Stormy Weather
You might think that, since this is a design and photography blog, I was an art major in college. And you would be wrong. My college major was economics. (Bachelor of Arts, University of Michigan, 1979.) It was one of those "on a whim" things. I had an good professor for an intro economics course…
Website Design: Arts Organization
September 2015 update: The website has been redesigned since this post was published. Incorporated in 1981, the Friends of Western Art is dedicated to supporting awareness of and promoting Western Art in Tucson and Southern Arizona. I have been working with FWA on the redesign of their website. The new site is based on Web…
Industrial Photography: Railcars
Tucson is bisected by one of the busiest freight rail corridors in the country. The Union Pacific tracks run just north of Downtown Tucson, which is where I spied two freights heading in opposite directions…
Nature Photography: Pennsylvania Pinecone
It is time for some cool fall weather here in Tucson. Today’s forecast high is 95 degrees. So, to help motivate some positive changes in our local weather, here’s an autumnal closeup from Pennsylvania…
Nature Photography: Birds Do It, Bees Do It…
You probably know that old song by heart. The one that goes, “Birds do it, bees do it, even sentimental fleas do it. Let’s do it, let’s fall in love.” Well, I’m here to tell you that the birds, bees, and fleas aren’t the only ones getting in on the action. The trees are doing…
Event Photography: National Park(ing) Day
Today is National Park(ing) Day in Tucson and other cities. It’s an an opportunity to celebrate parks in cities and promote the need for more parks by creating temporary public parks in public parking spaces. Tucson’s insta-parks were created by a wide variety of public and private entities. City High School set up an outdoor…
Nature Photography: Save Penn Wood
I was a very lucky kid. One of my grade schools was set amidst an ecological paradise. I mean, this place had it all — tall trees, flowers, birds, and all sorts of furry creatures. The perfect place for a daydreaming, artistically-minded kid. I’ll admit to hearing more than a little bit of teacher flak…
Event Photography: The Solar Society
Here in Tucson, we have an ample supply of sunshine. Which means that we can harness that natural energy and put it to good use. I’m part of a small group called The Solar Society. It’s made up of people who want to develop and build devices that use solar power for home use. Examples…
Construction Photography: Reflected Barricades
Was on my way to an early morning meeting just north of Tucson’s Rillito Creek. We had yet another rainstorm last night, which meant that the creek was running. But it wasn’t running as briskly as it had been on Labor Day weekend. So, no creek photos. This time, the eye-catcher was a construction site…
Graphic Design: Butterfly Trio
One of my favorite types of graphic design: Designing with type, then combining the result with photography. Here is an example that came together on a promotional postcard for my studio…
Bike-tography 109: Shadow Rider
Was pedaling around the University of Arizona late yesterday afternoon. Had the camera draped around my neck so I could quickly catch anything interesting. Went by the entrance to the business school, and the late afternoon sun and shadows got my attention…
Nature Photography: Rain, Rain, and More Rain
This just in: The Arizona Daily Star says, “The three-month period from June through August tied for the 16th-warmest and was the 40th-wettest summer on record.” The Star also notes a summer rainfall of 5.28 inches, which is 0.67 of an inch above normal. The Star is reporting the rainfall measured at the Tucson International…
Construction Photography: Third Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
Today is the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Although much attention had been paid to what happened to New Orleans, Katrina’s devastation covered several states. And the reconstruction work still goes on. It will continue for several years. I took this photo in Moss Point, Mississippi, last month… The owners of this house are living…
Nature Photography: Fig Beetle
If you’ve ever been up close and personal with a cactus, you (ouch!) know that (yeow!) it takes a pretty tough critter to crawl all over one. Permit me to introduce you to the fig beetle. Not only does it like to do the cactus crawl, it also munches on them. This one’s chowing down…
Event Photography: Mars Lander Open House
This past Saturday, the Phoenix Mars Mission’s Science Operations Center had an open house. Being a space geek of many years standing, I couldn’t stay away from that one. As of Saturday, the Phoenix Mars Mission was up to Sol 88 — that’s mission-speak for the 88th day on the Martian surface. The plucky little…
Nature Photography: Green Fountain
A fountain that lacks a continuous water flow soon turns into an interesting biology lesson. I don’t know how long this fountain had been idle, but it was growing quite the crop of algae when I happened upon it with my camera… In addition to the algae, the standing water was attracting at least one…
Nature Photography: Misty Mississippi Woods
Southern summer mornings are misty times. The combination of airborne moisture and early morning light makes the piney woods into an eerie place. This is scene is from Caswell Springs, which is located near Wade, Mississippi.