Good morning. 🦆🪿🦢
5 February 2026
I’m on a roll this morning—though that usually lasts only until it’s time to actually start typing. Getting the images ready is the easy part. I pick a photo I want to use, run it through a bit of post‑processing, then carve out the portion that feels worth presenting. I rarely use the whole frame; I crop until the composition says what I want it to say. After that, I shrink the file down to something social‑media‑friendly. I imagine photographers everywhere follow some version of the same ritual.
If you’re curious about the apps I use, it’s mostly Adobe Lightroom and Topaz Photo. Nothing exotic—just the usual tools in the digital‑photography toolbox.
The hard part of my morning begins when it’s time to put down words. I never plan a subject. I just sit here staring at the screen, wondering what nonsense I’ll ramble about today. Sometimes I look around my office for inspiration, but with my feet propped on the desk, my field of view is limited. I can only crane my neck about ninety degrees in either direction, so the odds of inspiration are slim—though I once managed to write two thousand characters about an old shirt draped over my side chair.
The subject often drifts to my dog, Charlie. Who doesn’t have something to say about their best friend? Besties are funny, which means there’s always material. Charlie, for example, can be fast asleep on the far side of the house, but the moment a chip bag crinkles, he’s suddenly right there. That one’s on me—I share.
“I write to find out what I’m thinking.” — Joan Didion
“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” — Scott Adams
“Joy is not in things; it is in us.” — Richard Wagner
#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #wildlife #nature #bird #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdphotography #ducks #morning #dogs #writing
