A group of men meet at the first car show of the season.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Trunkside Meeting on May 29, 2026.

A wide and close view of a first order Fresnel lens recovered from the Sambro Island Lighthouse and displayed at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Ever seen a 120-year-old giant lens up close? I have, at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

This is a close-up of the Fresnel lens that once guided ships from Sambro Island Lighthouse — the oldest lighthouse in North America. The lens was made in Paris in 1906, nearly scrapped in 1966, and is now on display at the museum.

Technical Notes

This is an iPhone shot, taken with the camera in Lightroom Mobile, and processed in Lightroom classic. That is my typical mobile workflow.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as I Can See for Miles and Miles on May 28, 2026.

A coffee bean held in the jaws of a micrometer

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as A Precise Roast on May 27, 2026.

A hockey goalie figurine is the dominant component of a retail window display.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as The Net Minder on May 27, 2026.

There’s no shortage of places to eat in Old Montreal - there’s even restaurants in the alleys between restaurants. I spotted this one after breakfast one morning.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as A Restaurant Between Them on May 27, 2026.

The first light of sunrise appears and splashes onto the side of the Lighthouse at Peggy's Cove.

I woke up at stupid o'clock to capture this image of the first light of sunrise hitting the eastern facade of the Peggy's Cove Lighthouse. I wanted to capture the early light of blue hour, which was set to begin just after five o'clock. This meant leaving our hotel in Halifax just after four in the morning. I second guessed the plan when the alarm sounded at 3:30, but I shook it off, rolled out of bed, and started to get ready. By four o'clock, I was ready to go and excited about the plan.

I made the twisty drive from Halifax to Peggy's Cove in forty minutes or so, and was scaling the rocks at the base of the lighthouse right on schedule. I had everything in place for just a few minutes as I noticed the first hint of sunrise creeping over some of the rocks to the east. The light splashed against the lighthouse, pulling it from the darkness of night. I captured this and a few other photographs, then stood and watched what was, unquestionably, one of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen.

Stupid o'clock is (almost) always worth it.

Technical Notes

I forgot I had a circular polarizer on my 15-35mm lens until I was nearly done with the entire shoot. I think the slight banding in the light at the upper right of the image is a result of this; a rotation of the filter likely would have eliminated this.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as First Light at Peggy's Cove on May 26, 2026.

A tunnel in abandoned Fort Segarra on Water Island leads to an apparent exit.

This is a view of a creepy tunnel in abandoned Fort Segarra on Water Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The uncompleted World War II era fort was transferred to the Army's Chemical Warfare Division in the 1950s for testing poison gas and chemical agents on pigeons and goats. The army eventually transferred it to the Department of the Interior and then, decades later, I walked through it with my camera.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Way Out on May 25, 2026.

Two passengers look at their mobile phone screens while a beautiful sunset is on display outside their windows on an airplane.

Are kids addicted to their screens? Maybe, but they're not the only ones. This older couple stayed fixed on their screens on a recent flight while an incredible sunset was on full display on their side of the plane (and not mine!). I think they missed the entire thing, which is crazy to me. I have to look out the window when flying, particularly during takeoffs and landings. And definitely when nature is putting on a show.

My side of the plane on this flight had no view of the sunset, but I still stared out the window as we descended over Nova Scotia and approached Halifax. I occasionally glanced over to get a glimpse of the sunset through their window and noticed their intense focus on their screens throughout the entire process. After going back and forth a few times between my window and theirs, I realized the story of this scene and captured the photo.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as The Power of Screenlove on May 25, 2026.

The tip of the Lighthouse at Peggy's Cove is visible over the edge of a rock, which is illuminated by early morning sunlight.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as On the Rocks with Peggy on May 24, 2026.

Peggy's Cove Lighthouse reflected in a pool of water among the rocks on the south side of the lighthouse near sunset.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Reflecting on Peggy on May 24, 2026.

A manequin in front of a retail shop provides a subtle notice to passers by about the wind that blows down a downtown street in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Secure Your Hat on May 24, 2026.

A priest carries bags past a window in a Starbucks coffee shop in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Coffee Run on May 22, 2026.

A view of the waterfront in Lunenberg, through a narrow space between buildings.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as A Peak Into Lunenberg on May 21, 2026.

Trees with fall colors are reflected on the Maumee River between Perrysburg and Maumee, Ohio.

I have to remind myself from time to time that this view is literally just around the corner from my house. The Maumee River slices through my hometown of Toledo and its surrounding suburbs, creating several spots with breathtakingly beautiful scenery. Many are quite literally in the middle of the city, which allows you to quickly forget that you're actually in an urban area. This particular spot, a favorite of mine, is in the suburbs, but still "in the city" so to speak, and provides one of those escapes. I get views like this, essentially to myself, all year long other than during the spring walleye run.

Toledo, I'm willing to bet, does not appear at the top of any list of nature and landscape photography destinations, or even on a list at all. It certainly has plenty of natural beauty, though, as I think most places do. You just have to take the time to find the right spots. Sometimes they're right around the corner.

Technical Notes

f/8 f/11 and be there.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Reflection Runs Deep on May 18, 2026.

A reflection on a window of a moving subway car provides a selfie of sorts.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Subway Selfie on May 17, 2026.

Viewing the sunset through beachgrass on Upham Beach in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

I didn't intend to shoot the sunset on the evening I captured this photograph. We went to the beach to check out a small wedding that was taking place (from afar, not as crashers!). This put me in a new spot and forced me to look at a subject I have photographed probably hundreds of times before from an entirely new vantage point. And behind beachgrass of all things! The sunlight sort of ebbed and flowed as it wrapped around blades of grass during its descent, which was cool to see. Some captures worked, others didn't. I liked this one the best.

Technical Notes

I'm not sure why, but the EXIF data for this photo does not include the lens information. Weirdly, none of my photos from that beach outing include lens information. This is from my Sony days, so I know that much. I had a handful of lenses back then, covering wide to tele. Looking at the photo and remembering my habits, my best guess is that I used the FE 24-70 F2.8 GM for this shot, probably at the wide end. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Sunset Through Beachgrass on May 15, 2026.

Patent marking on the end of a well-used, size 20 antique ZEROLL brand ice cream scoop.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Zeroll 20 Orange on May 13, 2026.

The Lincoln Memorial reflected in the water of the pool of the World War II Memorial.

This photo is one of my personal reminders of the now-old adage “The best camera is the one that's with you”, originally espoused by Chase Jarvis. I don’t always have a full body setup with me, and I don’t worry about it when I don’t because I’ve always got my mobile with me (currently an iPhone 15 Pro Max, but an iPhone 7 Plus when I made this photograph back in 2016).

Would I have have loved to have made this photo with a tripod and a slower shutter speed to get a little more ‘flow’ in the water? Yep. Did I let the lack of those things prevent me from capturing my idea for a shot? Nope.

The wall to the right provided a decent tripod-substitute and the photo turned out pretty well despite the “frozen” water droplets (they come close to resembling icicles, imo).

I’m publishing this photograph nearly ten years after making it. Recent news of current renovations of the Reflecting Pool prompted me to review all of my photos from the National Mall. I remembered this one before looking back on the collection and was happy when I found it. It doesn’t show the Reflecting Pool, but rather the water in the pool of the World War II Memorial. Still, for me, it conveys a memory of the understated nature of the containers for the water in both the Memorial and the Pool. Neither were swimming pool blue, or vibrant in any sense of the word. Both were…functional. They allowed the reflection to exist and refused to interfere with it.

I adjusted the edit to a black and white treatment, which seemed an appropriate way to use the pool of the World War II Memorial to remember the Reflecting Pool from its pre-bluification days.

Take the damn photo, even when you’ve only got your phone with you. You don’t know everything you’ll want to remember about the present until it becomes the past. Having a photograph in that moment of desire for memory is a wonderful feeling.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Reflecting Over the Edge on May 3, 2026.

A vendor holds a bunch of Disney-themed baloons on a sidewalk at Walt Disney World.

This photo represents one of the “a-ha” moments in the development of the way I think about taking photographs. I was still in my early days of learning gear and seemed to concentrate mainly on settings when I was shooting. We were at Magic Kingdom late one night (late for us, anyway), and I was messing around with getting some low-light shots, experimenting with pushing ISO higher and higher. This is shot at 1600 ISO, btw, which seemed crazy at the time even though it’s decidedly “safe” today.

I took a few shots of this balloon vendor and immediately reviewed them in camera, expecting to see grainy jpeg previews of my raw image. I was pleasantly surprised at what seemed to be a decidedly non-grainy low-light image. So I took a few more. And a few more. Reviewing those additional shots, my mind shifted a bit and I started to think about what was actually in the frame, and how it looked.

In other words, composition.

This isn’t the first time I had intentionally composed a photograph, but I think it is the first time I remember experimenting with it as I read a scene. Looking back on it, I think I needed that assurance that the exposure settings we’re ok to let me get to the point where I could truly explore different compositions.

I like where I landed with it, too. I like the overwhelming presence of the bunch of balloons, as that’s the impression the scene left on me. So many balloons! Cinderella’s Castle in the background, sort of sub-framed by the edge of the balloons, draws my eye next, and then finally I land on the anonymous vendor with his face turned away, which, for me, sort of emphasizes the weight of the balloons.

I cut his right shoe a bit, but I’m ok with that. I think.

The focal plane is another matter, though. It’s completely off when you pixel-peep. The details of the balloons are out of focus, but the lady in the street and the lettering on the mailbox on the far left are both crisp. So I composed the image well but completely missed focus. I’m ok with that, too. I think.

Technical Notes

I took this photograph with one of my first “real” cameras, the Canon 5D Mark II dSLR, which I loved. I always struggled with focusing on that camera, though. I don’t think I ever felt confident or comfortable with its focusing system and this photo, for me, really shows that.

I’d nail focus with my current Canon mirrorless system. I think.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Balloon Man on April 27, 2026.

A blueberry held in the jaws of a micrometer

I’ve got a long-running project that marries photography with a hobby of mine – collecting patent markings. I’m working to photograph some of the markings in my collection, but progress has been slow. Like, measured-in-years slow. I’m ok with it, though, because it always brings me joy when I manage to squirrel away a bit of time to think of creative ways to capture an old patent marking.

I made this photograph in a bit of a hurry after finishing some others for my Permanently Marked project. The idea struck me as I was eating a handful of blueberries while putting the scoops back in their storage container in the garage. I glanced down at this old micrometer and at the blueberry in my hand, and then, of course, had the urge to measure the blueberry. Weird, right? But, once I did, and saw the contrast of the fresh blueberry against the cold metal of the tool, I knew I had a great shot.

So I quickly reassembled my backdrop, set the lights up again, and started shooting.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Measured Ripeness on April 26, 2026.

Sunlight shines on a bank building, casting shadows

It’s not often that I just look at a subject and visualize a photograph right away. I remember it happening that way for this shot, though. I turned away from a vendor’s booth at an art fair in Bowling Green, Ohio, and the sunlight on this old bank building just struck me. The texture, shadows, angles, and the sky, all just seemed perfect. I only had my iPhone with me, so I quickly snapped this photograph and then kept walking, moving onto the next vendor.

Take the damn photo.

Technical Notes

Getting shots like this is why I proudly take photos with my iPhone, even when I’ve got my mirrorless with me.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Shadow Bank on April 26, 2026.

A man fishes from a rocky pier during sunset over the Gulf of America on Upham Beach in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

I watched this angler for an hour or so as I sat in one of my favorite positions in St. Pete Beach for photographing pelicans. There’s a rusted out old sea wall that sits next to a relatively short rocky pier with plenty of nooks and crannies, perfect for taking a bit of cover as pelicans come and go. It’s a great place to watch the sunset, too, as this photo shows.

The angler got a bit more serious as the sun set, grabbing the second pole you see in the photograph. He managed to work both for a bit, but didn’t seem to have much luck with either. I captured a few great shots of pelicans coming and going but, as I look back on the outing, this photograph stands out to me. I identified with this guy, and still do. He worked at his hobby as I worked at mine, both of us patiently cranking away under the beautiful glow of a St. Pete Beach sunset.

Technical Notes

This was one of my first outings with the 100-500mm Canon lens. I took this photograph at the full 500mm focal length, and was still getting used to locating subjects at that length. Even today I feel like that’s still the case.

I feel the boat is a bit of a distraction, but I generally don’t like removing objects from photographs. My goal in making a photograph is to represent a scene I witnessed, bringing creative tools – composition, gear, angle, light – to that representation. The boat was there, and I want to remember that aspect of the scene, distraction and all. I don’t mind others removing objects from their photographs, it’s just something I choose not to do. Dust spots excluded, of course.

Perhaps ironically, the boat left just as I decided to pack it in for the evening. The angler remained, but the last bit of light left with the boat.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Double Duty Sunset on April 23, 2026.

Sunset over the Maumee River from Side Cut Metropark in Maumee, Ohio.

I managed to catch this shot after packing up from a Fall shoot on the Maumee River. I had spent an hour or so before sunset tracking some wildlife from the riverbank but didn’t seem to have much luck. It was just one of those days where everything seemed to be in hiding. I was a bit disappointed with the outing, so I packed my gear away and decided to go on a hike of sorts. The water level in the river was quite low, exposing several rocky patches that essentially provided a path from one bank to the other. Neat opportunity to explore an island in the river that’s usually not readily accessible.

I got lost in the adventure a bit and didn’t think about the sunset until I was on my way back. It hit me just as I was crossing the river, and I suddenly realized I might be able to get a decent shot after all. I set up right in the middle of the river and started shooting. I noticed the reflection on the water as I looked down at my backpack and decided to capture that. I made a few adjustments and then took a couple of quick shots. I checked the images in camera and remember feeling pretty good about the shots I had captured, noticing this one right away. Then I looked back down at the water and realized the reflection was already gone. It had disappeared as I was checking my shots, literally in a matter of seconds.

I love this photograph for several reasons, including its reminders to explore when given the opportunity and to grab the light while you can because it is, indeed, fleeting.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Sunset Double Flare on April 21, 2026.

A blue heron stands in the water of the Maumee River and is silhouetted against a foggy sunrise.

I watched this blue heron fly into this spot just as I claimed mine on the banks of the Maumee River for a sunrise shoot. I didn’t have my gear out yet, so I figured I’d keep an eye on him and capture a shot as he left. Thoughts of a bird in flight shot against a backdrop of a perfect sunrise over the river validated my decision to come out so early. It was going to be a good day.

An hour or so later the sun finally poured over the trees on the opposite river bank and absolutely flooded the air and water with beautiful golden light. He was still there, in the exact same spot, and remained motionless. I quickly captured this silhouette, thinking I’d surely get the fly away shot soon. Nearly an hour after that I was ready to leave…and he remained standing in the same spot. I never saw him fly away but am thankful for the little waiting game we played because it gave me this photograph and its story.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Blue Heron Sunrise Silhouette on April 19, 2026.

The moon rises, as a full supermoon, above the Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Maumee River in downtown Toledo, Ohio.

Technically, only four of the “strings” are crossing the moon, but it takes six to contain it by my count, and I couldn’t resist that title.

This shot was the result of months of planning. I wanted to catch the supermoon on its rise while crossing the cables of the bridge, also while the sun was still setting to provide some natural light to the landscape and to give me enough shutter speed to freeze everything. I initially wanted to wait for a break in traffic on the bridge but quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen during the roughly twelve minutes it took for the moon to cross the cables.

This photograph gave me a lot of satisfaction when I made it, watching a months-long plan come together. And that plan came together after the weather had ruined many earlier attempts to get a supermoon shot in Florida. The weather will work out down there one of these years, but, for now, I’ve got this one from Toledo. It’s one of my all time favorites.

Technical Notes

I literally planned this shot for months. I considered various locations around downtown Toledo, but ultimately decided to set up right outside my office. Turned out to be perfect. I don’t shoot the moon very often, but there’s something exciting about watching it break the horizon and rise along the path you expected (thanks PhotoPills), right on schedule.

Photograph originally published on jmattphotos as Six String Supermoon on April 16, 2026.