Category: Stories
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My Mind Was Changed About This Film Sim | From X-Pro2 to X100VI
The film sim is ACROS, and I have a confession: when Fujifilm first introduced it back in the X-Pro2 days, I could not connect with it. That bugged me, because I am a film shooter from the Neopan era. I loved real Neopan. It was cheaper than Kodak, which is probably why I loved it,…
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CCD Camera Sensor Unboxing: Nikon 10 Megapixel D80
“Think you need 50 megapixels to shoot great photos? Think again.” This is the unboxing of the legendary Nikon D80. Ten point two megapixels. CCD sensor. From 2006. And it has “that rich, film-like CCD sensor magic” that modern cameras keep trying to fake with presets. Consider this a raw unboxing ASMR. Hands, box, camera.…
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Want to Be a Better Photographer? Stop Carrying Extra Batteries
Want to be a better photographer? Stop carrying extra batteries. Film taught us patience. Twenty-four exposures on a roll, and every press of the shutter cost real money. You slowed down. You watched. You thought about the composition before the camera ever came up. Digital taught us the opposite. “Spray and pray.” Fire off four…
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Street Photography in Knoxville: The Walking Tour
I have shot Knoxville for 25 years. I am almost 61. I started YouTube in my late fifties. Here is the walking tour, every spot that matters. Market Square. The 1870s and 80s square. Good backdrops, good reflections, weekend crowds. One rule: never photograph children without the parents’ permission. Strong Alley. Half a block away,…
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Stop Using Adobe! (Do THIS Instead)
“Is it time to CANCEL your Adobe subscription?” Thousands of creators are walking away from Lightroom and Photoshop, and honestly, most photographers do not need them anymore. Here is why. First, the trust issue. The Adobe terms-of-service controversy freaked everybody out: privacy, data scanning, the fear that your private unpublished work ends up training somebody’s…
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Is Pre-Capture Really Tech We NEED As Photographers?
“Pre-capture. That’s right, I said it.” The feature buffers images continuously so it can save frames from before you fully pressed the shutter. Missed the moment? No you didn’t. The camera caught it for you. For action and wildlife, it is a lifesaver. I will give it that. But here is what bothers me. Pre-capture…
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Is It Time to Say Goodbye to the DSLR?
Sorry about the clickbait thumbnail. Throw away your DSLR was meant as DON’T. This video is about rediscovering the DSLR and the look that was all its own. I am calling it DSLRic, right alongside filmic. Everybody is obsessed with making digital look like film. Grain, film sims, vintage lenses, trying to make photos look…
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Street Photography in Knoxville, Tennessee
Are you coming to Knoxville, Tennessee with your camera? Football season brings the crowds: Mississippi State, Texas A&M, the whole SEC circus rolls through town. And if you are one of them, I made something for you. I already did the walking tour. The hottest spots, the secret spots, the best places to shoot street…
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Happy Independence Day 2026
“Happy 250th Birthday, America!” Two hundred and fifty years of freedom, resilience, and unity. The dreamers, the brave heroes, the everyday citizens who built this thing and keep it running. I am proud to stand here today. Grateful for where we have been, excited for where we are going. Have a spectacular, safe, and historic…
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Deadpan Photography: Are We Just Celebrating Boring Photos Now?
So there is this thing called deadpan photography. Supposedly a real thing. My take: no message, no meaning. Flat light, desaturated, low contrast, no dramatic angles. “I have been taking deadpan photos for years. I just called them rejects.” Someone slapped a buzzword on lazy photography and we are supposed to treat it like a…
