Butterflies, hummingbirds, and honey bees were as important as the colors and bloom time when I started selecting flowers for the garden. I have never met a person who was not thrilled to see a hummingbird—they are simply special, with no further explanation required. The same is true of butterflies,Continue Reading
Generally speaking, I don’t like shooting cameras without built-in light meters—the process is too cumbersome. At times, however, it is unavoidable. For example, I have a Yashica Mat 124 with a busted meter, and the pandemic hit just as I was about to have it repaired. A light meter isContinue Reading
I like rainy days in spring and early summer, but not November. My fondness for rain has nothing to do with flowers or gardens. It’s a deeply held affection from childhood. As a child in rural Virginia, our house sat at the top of a hill. The main street ofContinue Reading
Like the crocosmia, agapanthus (Lily of the Nile) was love at first sight. The plant is native to South Africa, so it is used to a temperate climate. In Atlanta, it usually blooms in June and July, producing beautiful puffs of pastel flowers atop an elegant long dark green stalkContinue Reading
The Vintage Minolta Love Project is in its preliminary stages. Shooting every major Minolta SLR necessitates buying more cameras. Since I’m buying on a budget, every camera is tested when it arrives in case I have to send it back. I wish I could buy the remaining cameras from KEHContinue Reading
First-time gardeners have a steep learning curve—how much water, how much sun, best location, when to prune, what kind of fertilizer. Fortunately, help exists in some book or magazine for all of these. However, the weather is trickier. All guides, articles, and websites assume the usual four seasons when givingContinue Reading
Since last year, when I dove headfirst into photography, I have taken chances buying gear from Goodwill and eBay. Both sites worked well for me because I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on gear, then decide I had no passion or talent for photography. Well, I’ve foundContinue Reading
How often should new plants be watered and how much each time? Both questions plagued me that first summer. The best advice I found said water new plants every day, then as often as you water the rest of your garden. Having never had a garden, I didn’t find thatContinue Reading
I started doing photography to get better pictures of my garden—the iPhone 4s was not cutting it. I never considered becoming a photographer; it simply wasn’t a consideration. Nor did I intend for photography to become a hobby. The cost and bother of getting film developed led me to takeContinue Reading
This is Haki. He was a gift that arrived one Christmas twenty-five years ago. Since then, he has lived everywhere I have. From time to time, I rub him down with ointment (he is covered in thick leather) to keep him shiny and soft. He is sturdy, weighing about 40Continue Reading
