September 2016 — A Photography Retrospective

I have been doing a 365 (technically 366, thanks February!) project for 2016. Here is a long-winded retrospective of the work I did in September. I hope to do one of these at the end of each month for the rest of the year. That decision will be dictated heavily by how difficult this one ends up being.

I’m nothing if not transparent (and maybe a tad overworked).

September 1st, 2016

My birth month started with a long drive to pick up some new clothes. I’d put off shooting any photos until I returned home from the trip and had to spit something out with only about fifteen minutes to spare.

Nothing inspires me quite like last minute panic.

September 2nd, 2016

Another long drive doing Forgotten Iowa. This time, a four hour trip to Webster county. This was the first time all year that I’d almost run out of time to shoot anything two days in a row.

This is the hallway of the Americ-Inn hotel in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

September 3rd, 2016

We got a little lost while exploring Webster County and ended up finding abandoned gold two separate times. One, above, in Lanyon, Iowa and the photo to the right featuring an abandoned baseball diamond in Moorland, Iowa.

September 4th, 2016

I helped my lady friend build her new art table and then she started work on the back cover of my book, Seeking Oblivion (pictured on the left).

September 5th, 2016

The Dakota Access Pipeline is tearing up all my favorite childhood driving spots. Selfishly, it really upsets me.

I photographed some protesters fighting the good fight in Keokuk, IA. This group would later lead to the arrest of over 30 people for trespassing on Pipeline property.

I wanted to interview that original core of protesters, but my timing was bad and they were neck-deep in a meeting when I arrived. Nobody had any time to talk to me, so I had to navigate around that and mostly try to leave them alone.

Snagged some good photos, though.

September 6th, 2016

Work is increasingly more difficult for me to get through knowing that the end is coming up. Luckily, I have my music to look forward to.

September 7th, 2016

Went for my daily walk when it started raining like and I started sweating bullets in a lengthy sprint home. I want to kiss whoever invented weather-sealing right on the lips.

September 8th, 2016

A drone photo of a storm coming in. Fairfield, IA.

September 9th, 2016

It was still raining off and on, really throws a wrench into my photography when that happens.

September 10th, 2016

I hope to drive this car until the wheels fall off of it. I want a crystal ball to see my future self in ten years just to make sure I’m still driving it.

September 12th, 2016

Here is a guy in a suit. I do not know him, but he walked like he had places to be.

September 13th, 2016

My birthday! My girlfriend bought me a macro lens for my birthday today. It’s officially the greatest present I have ever received. And now I will likely only shoot macro for the rest of the month. I’m elated!

September 14th, 2016

One unintended consequence when photographing bugs: They start feeling like your little friends. Can no longer smoosh them. Carry on, little buddy.

September 15th, 2016

I was chased by a brigade of bees for three entire blocks shortly after taking this picture.

September 16th, 2016

Was having a pretty good day shooting bugs on this day before seven policemen showed up at my house accusing my girlfriend and I of having a very loud fight on the street.

We weren’t, by the way. It was actually shaping up to be a very good day. So, thanks! Because after that, it wasn’t.

September 17th, 2016

So much of my life revolves around these little dials.

September 18th, 2016

Broken camera, good advice.

September 19th, 2016

I thought we were going to get one last round of violent storms. Didn’t end up happening, but at least I saw some pretty clouds.

September 20th, 2016

I stopped at my favorite cemetery in the world and walked around for a while. I always get so overwhelmed by the realization that all of these stones are just placeholders for people and stories. And how many of them will never get told.

And worse yet, many are so old that even the names are worn off. It wasn’t a depressing day or experience. Just a momentary depressing thought.

September 21st, 2016

I photographed my white whale! Finally, after two years of only seeing this fella when I didn’t have my camera on me, it happened. And though he definitely thought I was a weirdo for asking him, I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity. He had a freshly rolled cigarette that he wanted to smoke, but refused to let me get a photo of that because, “it looks like a joint and I don’t need that documentation.”

I didn’t have the lens attached that I would have liked to use for this, but beggars can’t be choosers. The best lens to use is the one you have attached anyway.

September 22nd, 2016

I’m not happy with any of my photos from this day. I guess every day can’t be a winner.

September 23rd, 2016

I was having a really rough go of it this week. Nothing was worth writing about and it was even harder to pick up my camera. I hoped the feeling would pass soon.

September 24th, 2016

Experimented with alka-seltzer and finished a video out of nowhere.

September 25th, 2016

The Packers won on this day, but the ants outside didn’t seem to care much. They were frantically looking for shelter from an incoming storm. Made me really thankful that I’m a human and not a bug.

September 26th, 2016

My dad bought an historic building in Keokuk, Iowa. It’s absolutely perfect.

Kat and I did a shoot in it and just had a lot of fun with it.

September 27th, 2016

I was approached by a guy drinking gin out of a glass jar while shooting this. He warned me that the government was training eagles to flip drones and take them out. Told me to be careful. I appreciated his concern.

September 28th, 2016

I shot a lot of random stuff on this day. The above shot was the only one that I actually enjoyed, though.

September 29th, 2016

I had to get a belt replaced on my car and spent the majority of my evening hanging out with my sister and her kids.

There isn’t a normal one in the whole bunch (as is tradition).

September 30th, 2016

And the month ends like it began; me frantically searching for something to take a photo of with less than a half hour to go in the day.

What a long month. At points, it felt like I was never going to get through it. Yet here we are, on October 1st. Three months of this project left to go.

It’s a sprint to the finish line.