I'm back! First, some personal news: On June 2, at approximately 5:30 p.m., I married the love of my life in Lyons, Colorado. It was a perfect wedding and I can't thank everyone who made it that way enough. We don't have photos yet, but I'll post a few here when we get them. Leading … Continue reading Facing My Fear of Faces
I left work around noon today to enjoy the overdue spring weather in St. Paul. I biked home, read a book in the park, and finally grabbed my camera to stroll around Lowertown without a subject in mind. Before long I got a decent silhouette, so I decided to focus on capturing more profiles and … Continue reading Profiles + Silhouettes
Coincidentally, today Minnesota's twin daily newspapers ran stories on life after prison. One had a happy (or at least hopeful) ending; the other, not so much. In the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Andy Mannix covers the "Second Chances 5K"—a race for current and former inmates aimed at emphasizing that many people "still have something to offer society" … Continue reading Two Stories of Life After Prison in Minnesota
One of the first beginner photography blog posts I read when I got my camera had this very simple tip: Keep your camera with you all the time. It's a mantra that shows up consistently. I haven't been the best at living up to this maxim—I still find it awkward at times to have my … Continue reading One Shot
It’s 1997. I’m six. And two nights after Michael Jordan’s improbable “Flu Game,” I watch as Steve Kerr sinks the game-winning shot to give the Chicago Bulls their second-straight NBA title, the team’s fifth in seven years. The Bulls’ league dominance started before I was even born, but I feel a part of it nonetheless. … Continue reading Reviving My Love for the NBA
This morning, Politico published leaked audio from a speech then President-elect Donald Trump gave at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, briefly after the election. The content of the tape—even the portions onto which everyone is latching—isn’t very shocking. Politico’s headline, “Leaked Trump tape: ‘You are the special people’,” at first glance seems … Continue reading Audio from Bedminster
I drove an hour south of St. Paul yesterday to explore a Minnesota state park and take some photos. The sun had raised the temperature to just below freezing: the perfect weather for a hike. Still, I went prepared. Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park is a relatively small natural area (only 1,646 acres). The forest was once … Continue reading Nerstrand Big Woods State Park + Valley Grove Church
Since the election, I've seen a massive uptick in campaigns to get people to call their representatives. That's good, because contacting your representatives is one of the most direct ways you can play a role in shaping our democracy. Pressuring members of Congress will be critical in our efforts to oppose President Trump. I've been preaching … Continue reading How to Contact Your Representatives
I attended the #LoveHopeRise March in St. Paul on Saturday. The event was the first action of the new Love Hope Rise Coalition. Featuring a pre-march social justice fair with various progressive Twin Cities organizations, the march was specifically designed for people with children as well as for people new to demonstration activism. While I … Continue reading Weekend Photography: #LoveHopeRise + St. Paul Skyways
Today, amid the chaos of a presidential transition that would be laughable were it not so frightening, the Senate voted 81-17 to approve a bill that would "provide for an exception to a limitation against appointment of persons as Secretary of Defense within seven years of relief from active duty as a regular commissioned officer of … Continue reading The Cowardice of Democrats, and Why I Support Absolute Obstructionism in the Era of Trump
