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This Is The End…
Whelp, all things—both good and bad—must come to an end. This entry marks the finale of our series. Let’s wrap this thing up and put a bow on it. Well, at least until the next post. This is not the literal end of my blog, or anything Texas Native related, but rather just the end of the series in which I discuss my departure from Nikon and subsequent transition over to the Leica ecosystem. There’s absolutely no way that I would scrap this blog/project at this point, as I have already put more energy into it in the last 6 weeks than I have in a long, long time. I am fully committed, and truthfully speaking, I am just getting started. So, buckle up buttercup, put on your blue-light glasses, and get ready for a lot more content to come.
Anyway, moving on, this post will mirror the last in being brief, somewhat random, and largely devoid of any detailed camera related discussions. I will still share some thoughts regarding my first two months with the Q2, but do not expect anything groundbreaking or profound. I will save the more substantive posts for the future. (Such as the one that I will post later this month.)
That said, in the brief period between selling my D500 and awaiting the Q2's arrival, I felt incredibly naked. I had ordered the Q2 on a Tuesday night, after B&H had closed, and sold my Nikon gear roughly 12 hours later. The Leica did not ship until Thursday, and I did not receive it until Friday evening. The wait, though short, felt like an eternity. Tracking the package's arrival became an obsession, and yes, I may have sped home from the office—perhaps even leaving a bit early—overwhelmed by the excitement. Once I got home, I grabbed the box, and did nothing with it. I was, honestly, too nervous to open it. Dumb, I know, but opening the box would make everything real. It took me about an hour to finally open up the box, and holy cow, even that was an experience, as Leica’s packaging is a work of art. Think Apple packaging but taken to a much higher level. I really and truly love it when a company takes the time and effort to make all aspects of their product, to include the packaging, and immersive experience.
Once the battery was charged up—after I actually remembered to put it in the charger—and inserted into the camera, I walked through the setup process, customized some functions and buttons, leaving the rest to history. I grabbed the camera and went outside to shoot. Since my first shot, and up until the time of this writing, the Q2 goes with me just about everywhere. It has been an absolute dream to use. The images it produces are absolutely beautiful, though that is not what truly sold me. Rather it was the eagerness of my kids to get in front of the camera that truly solidified the Q2's place in my life. Previously, they found my D500 too intimidating, a sentiment shared by many that were unfamiliar with being photographed. For both of my kids, even to this day, to ask me to take their pictures, makes everything about the Leica worth it. Now, anytime that I have the camera out, they’re asking me to document just about everything that either one of them is doing. It is great, and my wife and I have been able to expand our photo albums at a pretty quick pace.
At this point, I believe that I have rambled on enough. It is time to get to the images.
Enjoy!
-Tyler
A sunrise, a bird, highlights and shadows, a sunset with a storm, clouds, and beer.
Cacti, stars and flying things in the sky, more clouds, random sunrises.
More cacti, sunsets, and clouds.
Goodbye Nikon, Hello Leica
There is comfort in the familiar, which is why it took me roughly eight months to finally work up the damn courage to part ways with all my Nikon gear. Despite knowing that deep down the Leica Q2 would be my next and only camera, the thought of change, honestly, freaked me out. I was finding every excuse imaginable to not move forward with my plan, most of which were laughably stupid in hindsight. (Most hinged on largely unrealistic “what if” type scenarios.) The fact is that after more than 20 years of shooting solely with Nikon equipment, I feared the change. I was going to be jumping ship and diving into uncharted waters, and that terrified me. Thankfully, I overcame my fear, and moved forward with my purchase. (I bought the Q2 prior to selling all of my Nikon gear, thus essentially forcing myself to pack it up and move it out.) Again, only after eight long months of a rather comical internal debate between the various voices of logic and reason in my head.
Anyway, this entry, while a continuation of the last two, will not have any review type elements tossed in. Rather this post will serve as the capstone to my Nikon era. It will contain random thoughts, as always, as well as a lot of images that I captured before bidding a rather bittersweet farewell (read as nausea inducing) to my beloved Nikon gear, and simplifying my kit with the Leica Q2. Looking back, I probably used my D500 more in that eight-month timeframe than I had the previous two years combined. It was, truthfully, the best way to say goodbye.
So, let’s move on to the randomness and the images. Well, hold on for just a second. These images are not just limited to the “bangers”, but rather just images that I liked. Honestly, the mentality of posting only the best images needs to die. Some of the below images will be, at best, mediocre, but this is my blog, so it is what it is.
-Tyler
Good Morning & Good Night:
Below will be a handful of images taken during or around sunrise and sunset on the property. Most of the images were taken with the 17-50mm f2/8, a few with a 50mm f1.4, and a 200-500mm f5.6.
Items In The Sky:
Below will be some images of various things in the sky (clouds, birds, aircraft). The image of the solo cloud was taken with the 50mm f1.4 and the rest with the 200-500mm f5.6. The image of the cloud, as well as the turkey vulture where taken at the house. The images of the F-35 and the P-51 were taken at JBSA Randolph.
Around The House Randomness:
Just as the above blurb states, these images will be random, and ones that I took while walking around outside of the house. The bulk were taken using the 17-50mm f2.8 while a few were taken using the 50mm f1.4.
Let’s Roll!
After parting ways with the Fuji X100V, I continued to explore various options, including other Fuji models and Sony cameras, but none felt quite right. So, I spent the rest of January looking for something else that might fit my newfound needs. Eventually, my search led me to Samuel Elkins' YouTube channel and his video comparison of the X100V and the Leica Q2, which almost immediately elevated my interest in Leica's digital range of cameras. After watching the video, I opted to rent a Q2 at the beginning of February.
My timing was, truthfully, and unexpectedly, perfect. The Q2 arrived just hours before a gnarly winter storm hit the Texas Hill-Country covering everything in ice. This meant I couldn't travel to work, thus giving me an ideal chance to compare the Leica to that of my Nikon D500. Much to my surprise, and delight, though not to the delight of my checkbook, the Q2 performed great. So much so, that towards the end of 2022, I actually bought a Leica Q2 Reporter.
Anyway, in this post, I'll delve into my likes and dislikes about the Q2, offer some overall feedback, and share both images and notes from my week-long experience with the D500 and the Q2.
Let’s roll!
-Tyler
What I liked:
The build quality on the Leica is absolutely phenomenal, as is the fit and finish. I rented the standard version of the Q2, and my God, it’s built like a dang tank.
The weight. It is not as light as the X100V, but its weight feels right and again, lends it to feel very sturdy. “Heavy is good, heavy is reliable. If it doesn't work you can always hit them with it.” - Boris the Blade
The 28mm Summilux lens is, arguably, one of the best and sharpest lenses that I have ever used. Even when shooting wide-open, it is tack sharp. Plus the bokeh is beautiful.
The IBIS is great and certainly helps when needing to shoot at a slower shutter speed.
The design is simple and the controls are extremely straightforward. I love the dedicated dials and the tactile feedback they provide.
The raw DNG files are a thing of beauty, and I truly love the Leica color science. I also like that when shooting in one of the faux zoom modes that the crop is automatically applied in Lightroom.
The Leica FOTOS app is great, and works so much better than Nikon’s Snap Bridge.
The Macro ability surprised me, and I found myself using it a lot.
The 46.7mp sensor.
What I didn’t like:
Having to return it, feeling an almost immediate void, and subsequently having to contemplate my life choices for the better part of the year.
Randomness:
During my initial time spent with the Leica Q2, it proved itself to be a solid workhorse and a camera that far exceeded any of the expectations that I set for it. I used it in conjunction with my standard Nikon setup, a D500 with a 17-50mm 2.8 lens, as a means to make the test drive a fair one. Even though the Q2 has a fixed 28mm lens, it was able to cover, thanks to its 46.7mp sensor, the entire range that I was able to get with the D500. (Granted, via cropping in post, but even the cropped images were still larger than the original and comparable Nikon shots.) The Q2, for me, just flat-out worked for everything I needed it to do, and in a much smaller package. While the X100V managed to spark up my creative mindset again, the Q2 threw gasoline on it, and caused the spark to turn into a fully fledge creative inferno.
Despite how much I loved the Q2, and knew it was what I wanted, it still took me roughly 8 months to work up the courage to pull the trigger on an actual purchase. And honestly, it wasn’t even due to the price-point. It was more or less due to the fact that I had been shooting Nikon for roughly two decades and was just so used to the Nikon ecosystem. I even contemplated switching to Nikon’s Z system, just because it was familiar, but at the last minute stopped myself because it would not have been the solution to my original problem – pairing down and getting back to the basics. So, I eventually sold off all of my Nikon gear, and pulled the trigger on a Leica Q2 Reporter. I haven’t looked back since, and I damn sure don’t regret it. The Q2 is now my only camera, and I cannot see myself ever, at least willingly, parting with it. With that being said, it was the Nikon gear that I utilized for 20 years that helped me put food on the table and capture some of the best moments of my life.
The First Outing / All Leica Q2 Images
The Second Outing / Mix Of Leica Q2 & Nikon D500 Images
The Third Outing / Mix Of Leica Q2 & Nikon D500 Images
Randomness With The Q2
Taking A New Path
In January 2022, I hit a rough patch both professionally and creatively, leading to a severe bout of creative burnout. Even photography, which has arguably been my biggest ally in times of chaos, began to feel more like a burden, and I was actively avoiding my camera. Once I truly realized how little I was utilizing my gear, I knew it was time for me to usher in a wave of change.
I've always leaned towards minimalism, a trait my wife understands but isn't as keen on as I am. It serves a means of finding peace through simplicity. This mindset, which has helped me declutter my life and focus on what's essential, became even more relevant as I reassessed my photography gear. My Nikon D500, though not overly bulky, started to feel as though it drew too much attention, which was the opposite of what I was looking for.
At some point while I was trying to sort things out, I discovered the Fuji X100V through a Benj Haisch YouTube video. (Yay for YouTube rabbit holes!) The compactness of the camera struck me as being super neat, and at first seemed as though it would possibly align with my desire to pare down and simplify my approach to photography. So, I opted to rent one for a week and give it a proper test-drive.
Ultimately, I did not end up buying one, for a handful of reasons. However, my time with the Fuji did help me clear my mind, realize that parting ways with my Nikon gear was a smart move, and helped me develop a plan of action to start a journey down a new path.
Anyway, below will be my feedback. I’ll briefly discuss what I liked, what I did not care for, as well as just some randomness. I will also share as some images that I took over the course of the week that I had the camera.
Enjoy!
-Tyler
What I liked:
I really liked the compact design and the small footprint of the Fuji, as it made it so easy to pack and carry with me. I took it with me all over the place.
The “film” simulations/custom recipes were a lot of fun to play around with, and while some might argue the customization is a gimmick, it provided a different area in which I could be creative. I honestly loved the .jpg images more than the raw files.
The “retro” rangefinder look. Again, some might not like it, but the Fuji is a beautifully designed camera.
I liked the control design and layout. The camera was easy to use, and once familiar with the layout, I found it easy to quickly change settings.
It is inconspicuous, and doesn’t draw a lot of attention, especially compared to a full-size DSLR. I found that my kids, or anyone that I pointed the camera at, was more inclined to smile and seemed to genuinely feel comfortable being in front of the camera. There is something, at least to some, that is off-putting about being in front of a larger camera. My kids actually wanted me to keep taking pictures, which was awesome!
The 23MM F/2 lens was incredibly nice, and actually surprised me.
What I did not like:
The battery life. I might be in the minority, but I felt as though I was constantly having to charge the battery. Granted, the camera was a rental, so the battery might have had some issues, but man, it was super inconvenient at times to have to stop and charge. If I had bought one, I would have bought an extra battery as well.
I found the auto-focus to be somewhat of a disappointment. It seemed to hunt, a lot, especially in overcast and lower light situations.
No IBIS/stabilization. This might not be a deal breaker for some, but for me, it was.
Availability, or rather a lack thereof. This camera is extremely popular, and it is damn near impossible to find a new one. There are plenty of used ones, but they are commanding prices higher than what the new ones sell for.
Randomness:
Overall, the Fuji X100V is a great camera, it just did not win me over enough to want to give up any of my Nikon gear. Do not get me wrong, I owe a lot to the little camera, as it helped to put me on a new path with my photography, as well as reignited my passion to get out and create. Its limitations, especially the fixed 23MM lens, were actually liberating and forced me to get out of my comfort zone and return to the basics. Despite how much fun it was to shoot with, I just did not find myself truly attached, or in love with the Fuji ecosystem. It did a lot of what I needed it to do, but in a clunky or just “okay” type of way. There was just no way that the X100V would be capable of taking over for my D500. It would have been a great camera if I had planned on keeping my Nikon gear, but I was looking to downsize, not take on more. So, ultimately, the X100V went back to the camera shop, and I continued to explore and research other offerings.
The Images:
All The Way To Atlanta - Days Two & Three
Before diving into the days two and three of my trip, I want to offer up a disclaimer of sorts. The overall style of this post, at least compared to the other two posts about my first day in Atlanta, will deviate significantly. This post, while still providing insight into the realm of the Ford Model E training will combine the last two days of the trip, and will have a lot of random photos. It will also contain smaller paragraphs that will be slightly more random in nature as well. I am opting to change the direction of this post largely due to the fact that the remaining portion of the Ford Model E training was spent in a “classroom” type setting, and thus not something that would translate well, in my opinion, into an interesting post. I will touch on a few portions of the training, for the sake of continuity, but much of this piece will be related to other aspects of the trip.
Monday / Day Two
As I stated in the above intro/disclaimer, Monday morning marked another day of training with the Ford Model E staff, and kicked off our first of two days in a classroom setting. The initial day's training, much to my surprise, was rather enjoyable, and covered everything from charging solutions, mobile service, the guest experience, and so forth. Much of our focus was on problem-solving, simulating a start-up business environment to engage with Ford’s Model E program. Honestly, this approach—though fun—revealed a lot about Ford’s strategy in the EV market: it felt chaotic, unorganized, and frankly ill-thought-out. My impression has been largely reinforced since the July training session, as evidenced by a sizeable portion of the dealership network initially enrolled in the Model E program later backing out, Ford reducing their EV production volume and targets, as well as scaling back various initiatives and dealership infrastructure requirements related to the Model E program. Nevertheless, the training was still informative and very mentally stimulating for me, as I was able to utilize skillsets that I not been able to utilize in a long time.
After the training wrapped up, I headed back to the hotel with the rest of the team to wait for dinner. The dinner itself turned out to be a great networking opportunity, but, unfortunately, also culinary disappointment. So much so that reflecting back on that night’s menu is ushering in waves of nausea and discomfort. Let’s just say that let's just say I decided to seek out alternative food options later that night. After dinner, since I was feeling a bit bored, I decided to explore the surrounding area for a few hours and test out the low-light abilities of the iPhone. Overall the iPhone performed well, especially when compared to previous iterations, but in no way competes with my actual camera. Anyway, after walking around for an hour or so my nighttime trek led me to a Waffle House, which definitely lived up to its reputation for lively, unconventional entertainment rather than its cuisine. (Support the thin yellow line.) Amid an unexpected altercation between a line-cook and a customer, complete with flying objects and colorful language, I quickly settled my bill, left a generous tip and concluded that it was time to return to the hotel and get some sleep.
Tuesday / Day Three
Tuesday's training day was relatively low-key, mainly recapping the first two days and allowing each dealer team to present their strategies for implementing the Ford Model E requirements at their respective dealerships. While it was enjoyable, it was largely uneventful, which suited me just fine. We were released from training a little after noon, if I recall correctly, and took a shuttle back to the hotel. With a decent amount of time before our flight home, we initially considered visiting I-Fly, the indoor skydiving facility, but ended up at the Coca-Cola Museum due to availability at I-Fly. Surprisingly, the museum exceeded our expectations, though we did not really set any prior to going. The museum experience was excellent, and I am not even a Coke or soda drinker for that matter. It was fascinating to learn about Coca-Cola's global impact, and sampling various international Coke products was an interesting experience, despite my general dislike of soda.
After the museum trip, we hailed an Uber, and set off to the airport to start the journey home. Overall, the trip was fun, and I appreciate the opportunity and the experiences that came with it. Despite my initial reluctance, I'm glad that I chose to attend.
-Tyler
All The Way To Atlanta – Day One Part Two
Sunday / Day One / Part Two
During the hour or so of relaxation time before the “work” portion of the trip actually kicked off, I opted to catch up with my wife and my kiddos, via FaceTime. This trip to Atlanta was not only my first work related trip since the dark times known as Covid, but also the first work trip that would require me to be away from home for an extended period. Speaking honestly, it was rather weird. Not weird in a bad way, per say, but weird because I am a homebody and love how much time I typically get to spend with my family. I also felt a tad bit guilty on this trip, due to the fact that my wife, God bless her, had to watch over the kids while I was away. Now, don’t get me wrong, my wife is extremely capable of taking care of our kids during my absence, but holy cow, there are times, due to their age, that they seem almost feral. Still, we both love the heck out of them.
The view from my balcony looking into the CNN portion of the complex. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
So, moving on. After catching up with my wife and two little hellions angels, it was time to head down to the lobby to meet up with my coworkers to officially kick off the first of three training sessions with the Ford Model e group. Now, for those that are not Ford employees or Ford fanatics, and thus out-of-the-loop, the Ford Model E program/division is an initiative by Ford Motor Company focusing specifically on electric and autonomous vehicles. The Model e program, on a dealership level, has two tiers: Model e Certified and Model e Certified Elite. The lower tier program places a cap on how many EVs a dealer can sell, while the top tier program allows the dealer to sell EVs without any type of cap. Both programs required a rather sizable investment from dealers for things such as infrastructure upgrades relating to charging, as well as service-related areas. The organization that I work for signed on to be part of the top tier of the Model e program, thus one of the reasons behind this trip/training intensive.
Anyway, first up on the agenda, and one of the best parts of the training, in my humble opinion, was a roughly two-hour long ride and drive session in both an F-150 Lightning, as well as a Mach-E. I had driven both vehicles a few times prior to this trip, but the drives were either short in distance, or in areas that did not allow for me to utilize all of the available features. Needless to say, over the course of the two-hour long session, I was able to really put each vehicle through its paces and utilize every feature and piece of technology was that available. I even had the opportunity to tow with the Lightning and was pleasantly surprised at just how easily it yanked the trailer around. (The instant torque really makes a difference.) With that being said, the F-150 Lightning is not a truck I would use for any type of long-haul, as towing drastically reduces your usable range, but I would not hesitate to tow with it and/or drive it under the right circumstances and conditions. However, that pretty much goes for any electric vehicle though, at least for me. They can get the job done and can replace an ICE vehicle for the right individual. At this time, EVs just will not work for me and my family.
Conducting our pre-drive safety briefing and route planning with Angie, one of our Ford trainers, inside an F-150 Lightning Platinum. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
On another note, and shifting the focus back to the technology portion of the drive, I will say that while Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving mode is neat, I found it rather unnerving. Honestly, I kept my hands hovered over the steering wheel the entire time it was engaged, which our Ford trainer found rather entertaining. I just do not trust the technology yet, nor do I trust the people around me enough to relinquish control to computers. I might be in the minority with my opinion, but so be it. Driving a vehicle is an experience that I enjoy, and sitting in the driver’s seat but not actually driving hurts my soul. If you, the reader, have made it this far, let me know your opinion on autonomous/auto-pilot systems.
Images from the ride and drive portion. Images shot on iPhone 14 Pro.
Once the ride and drive portion of the event was over, we made our way back to the hotel to go through a debrief, take a test, and offer up our feedback. After that was completed, my co-workers elected to go to their rooms and unwind before dinner later that evening. I, however, opted to take the opportunity to walk around downtown Atlanta to both explore and to put my iPhone camera to the test. Although at the time of this writing the iPhone 15 is the latest and greatest that Apple has to offer, at the time of my Atlanta trip, I had just received the iPhone 14 Pro and wanted to see what it was capable of. (I had upgraded after running my iPhone 10 into the ground.) I made the rather difficult decision to leave my Q2 at home, largely due to not knowing what to expect out of the trip, and partly due to really wanting to see if the iPhone will work for me, photography wise, in a pinch. For the most part, it worked okay, and certainly has its limitations, but I was overall satisfied with the results it produced.
Riding the elevator up to my floor. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
The Westin Peachtree Plaza in the distance. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
Anyway, moving on. My first stop while on my walking trek of the area was to Stats Brewpub, which is situated roughly a quarter of a mile from the hotel. We had walked by the establishment earlier that day while on the way to Apache XLR for breakfast, and of course, being the beer nerd that I am, made a mental note to check it out so long as the opportunity presented itself. Obviously, it did, so I stopped in. I really enjoy supporting small breweries, as well as trying different interpretations of the various brew styles available, so I was a tad bit eager to give Stats a shot. I walked in right before the dinner rush and grabbed a seat at the bar. The place was cool, and the staff was nice, but the service was painfully slow and borderline non-existent. When I originally sat down, I had roughly an hour to kill before I needed to be back at the hotel. That should have allowed for at least two pints, possibly three. However, I only managed to have one pint, a Belgian Wit called Shooter McGavin, and then closed out. The beer was good, at least good enough for me to want to try another of their house beers, but the service was again, so painfully slow and non-existent that I sat at the bar with an empty pint glass for so long that by the time a staff member came back, it was time for me to close-out my tab and walk back to the hotel. It was a bummer, as again, it seemed like a nice place.
The Shooter McGavin Belgian Wit from Stats Brewpub. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
The smoke from the wildfires in Canada showed up shortly after leaving the brewpub. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
Once back at the hotel I met up with the crew and waited for our Uber driver to pick us up and take us to dinner. To say that I was excited for dinner would be a massive understatement. Not because I was hungry, which I certainly was, but rather due to the fact that I was finally going to be able to try Fox Bros Bar-B-Q. I have had a few friends visit, whose opinions I trust, and it came strongly recommended. So, since I was able to pick out our dinner spot, it had to be Fox Bros. I am so glad that I have friends that have great palates, as honestly, the food exceeded my expectations and was hands down some of the best barbecue that I have ever had. I ate a lot, as did everyone in the group, and as I type this, my mouth is actually watering at the memories. Everything was, no joke, epic. (The brisket, the chicken, the pork, the ribs, the sides, etc.) If you are in Atlanta, you must go.
Fox Bros B-B-Q and what the beginning of the meat sweats looks like. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel, only briefly, before walking around and taking a ride on the SkyView Ferris wheel which stands at a whopping twenty stories tall. It was a really cool experience, as it allowed for a nice evening view of Atlanta and provided for some neat pictures. After the ride was over, we walked back to the hotel and to our rooms. I read a little, called back home, and then called it a night. I wanted to make sure that I was able to get a decent amount of sleep before our next day of training.
Randomness from the SkyView Ferris wheel. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
All The Way To Atlanta – Day One Part One
This post will be a little different, format wise, compared to most of my previous entries. Rather than write out one incredibly longwinded story with a few galleries thrown in, I am opting to break up my trip recap into multiple posts and various segments that will either include a photo and a caption, or multiple photos with possibly a paragraph or two thrown in. The reason being is that even though my trip to Atlanta spanned roughly three days, I managed to come back with far more content than I anticipated.
Sunday / Day One
I was awake, out the door, and on the road to the airport by 03:45AM. I managed to go to bed early the night before, and somehow managed to sleep well, so I honestly was not phased by the earlier than normal wakeup time. The flight to Atlanta was scheduled to depart before 06:00AM and given that I live roughly an hour from the San Antonio airport, I wanted to give myself plenty of cushion in the event that traffic was bad, parking was a pain, or the check-in and screening lines happened to be backed up. Thankfully, outside of it taking longer than I wanted to navigate the parking garage at the airport, everything went rather smooth. Clearing TSA was a breeze, as there were maybe 6 people in front of me, and I made it to the gate with plenty of time to spare. The flight itself was uneventful, for the most part. I did come to discover that I am not a fan of flying while every window, and I mean every window, in the jet is closed. There was not an empty seat on the flight, and apparently everyone occupying a window seat decided it was in the best interest of everyone else to deprive us of having any semblance of time and space. I am not joking when I say that the windows stayed closed the whole flight, and did not open up until we touched down in Atlanta.
Waiting to board the tram at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Once on the tram, I may or may not have forgotten to grab on to something, and subsequently plowed into another passenger. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
Parking lots, grocery stores, and plane flights seem to break most individuals of their common sense and critical thinking skills. I swear that most people forget how to function once a plane lands and forget that they are not the only ones on board. It took far too long to get off the aircraft thanks to so many individuals standing up, attempting to get their luggage, and then just blocking the aisle for others. Once I was actually able to get my things, and off of the jet, I linked up with my co-workers and we began our quest to find the airport exit and a spot where we could wait for our Uber.
A flight departs while waiting on an Uber outside of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
It did not take too long for the Uber to arrive, and for our work trip to more or less officially kick off. I cannot remember my last visit to Atlanta, as it was a long time ago, and honestly did not know what to expect. There was a small part of me that expected to see elements that resembled those shown on The Walking Dead. However, that was certainly not the case, as during the ride to the hotel it was evident that Atlanta seemed to be thriving. Oddly enough, one of the things that stood out to me the most, especially upon leaving the airport, was just how abundant and green the plant life was. It was completely opposite of what I left in Texas, where most of the vegetation was brown or dead. Hooray for droughts, not!
Following the signs to get checked in. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
By the time we reached our hotel to check-in and drop our bags, the clock had just struck 10:30AM. So, we decided to hit the pavement in hopes of finding a good spot for breakfast. After walking a little bit, we set our sights on the Atlanta Breakfast Club, as the number of positive reviews caught our attention, and it sounded great. However, it also sounded great to everyone else in the area, as upon walking up it was announced that the wait was well over two hours. After hearing that, and being too hungry to wait, we scuttled that idea and stumbled upon a nearby place called Apache XLR. Truth be told, I am glad that our first pick did not pan out, as the entire experience at Apache XLR was great. The atmosphere was super chill and laidback. The walls featured various artwork of local artists, there was live jazz music which really helped to elevate the experience, and the food was so incredibly well done. I decided on the chicken and waffles, which was exceptional. The waffles were not overly sweet, were surprisingly light rather than super dense, and paired perfectly with the chicken. The drizzle of maple syrup and powdered sugar really set the dish off. I left full, but not feeling overly stuffed.
The view into the back room through a window frame near our table. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
Apache XLR’s take on the classic chicken and waffles. Shon on an iPhone 14 Pro.
After the meal, we made our way back to the hotel to relax a little before the work portion of our work trip kicked off.
A view of Centennial Park from the hotel. Shot on on iPhone 14 Pro.
The wallpaper throughout the hotel was made from newspaper clippings. Shot on an iPhone 14 Pro.
I’ll continue with the story and the imagery in another post.
-Tyler
Trails and Texas Heat: A Brief Escape in the Hill Country
Early one June morning, just after my birthday, Sarah and I embarked on a hike through a slice of the Hill Country. We chose a familiar trail system near our house, nestled alongside the Guadalupe River. To my surprise, the river had risen to its highest level in years, thanks to the abundant rainfall we had received weeks prior. However, despite the rain, June had also brought scorching temperatures ranging from an oppressive 100 to 110 degrees.
Despite our early start, the sun bore down on us, accompanied by high humidity. Mindful of the rising heat and our desire to avoid melting, we decided to keep the hike short. As we ventured along, the trails led us away from the river's edge, winding through dry creek beds and ascending into the surrounding hillside.
For a little over an hour, we immersed ourselves in the quietness of nature. Though our hike was brief, it was good to be outside exploring our surroundings, something I need to do more often. I opted to bring my Q2 and I captured some shots along the way, a few of which I've shared in this post.
The Texas Hill Country, even in the summer, never fails to disappoint.
Anyway, that’s all for now.
-Tyler
A Trip To Shiner, Texas
Location: Shiner, Texas
Reason For Trip: Work + Fun
Destination 1: Bedrock Truck Beds
Destination 2: Spoetzl Brewery
Gear Used: Leica Q2
Bedrock Truck Beds Gallery
Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner Beer) Gallery
This Ain’t My First Rodeo, But It Will Be My Last
I do not recall the exact date that my previous website suffered a catastrophic database failure, nor do I honestly care at this point. Sometime around October or November seems correct, but again, it does not matter. I wasted countless hours attempting to recover anything useable, hoping that I would have the opportunity to restore the website and its content to its once former level of mediocracy. As my misfortune would have it, nothing was salvageable. I briefly attempted to standup a new website, using many of the same tools that I had in the past, but continued to face hurdle after hurdle. The webhost that I utilized for well over two decades changed their service offerings, and certainly not in such a manner that provided any benefit to me. The platform that I had managed for the actual front-facing portion of my website also changed. Going from what was once a one-pay and standalone product, to one that is now ridiculously overpriced, requires an annual fee, and is unable to be self-hosted.
After facing was seemed like an infinite number of roadblocks, I opted to give a standard WordPress install a go, with the hopes of modifying it enough fit my needs. However, that too failed. The resulting published product can only be described as a dumpster fire. In fact, it was so repulsive, that I sincerely contemplated parking the domains that I own. I figured that I would share the content I create exclusively on Vero and Instagram. Thankfully, after taking a step back to regain some form of clarity, I decided that solely relying on social media was not the best plan of action. So, I started to investigate alternative platforms. It took a while, as I like to be thorough with my decision making, or sometimes I tend to procrastinate, and eventually I settled on migrating my way over to Squarespace.
So far, the experience has been pleasing, at least as of this moment. The platform was relatively easy to learn, which is good, considering that I do not have a lot of free time to spend learning a new coding language. I wanted simplicity, but something that still offers customization, and this setup meets all my needs. I hope that it continues to do so for a very long time, as if it too fails me, then this site will indeed be my last rodeo. It certainly feels weird though, jumping ship from everything that I had grown used to over the years, but change was needed. What once was great, happened to age like milk, and the result was something rancid and certainly not usable.
So anyway, here's to a new year, a new start, and hopefully the first of many random entries to come. I parted ways with the bulk of my gear last year as a means to simplify my kit and start having fun again, so it only seems fitting that my online presence should also be made fun and simple.
-Tyler
A Sunday Morning Hike
A random series of images captured while on a Sunday morning hike last October.
Gear Used: Leica Q2
To Illinois And Back
I do not always travel for work, but when I do, it tends to be fun. Quick trip to Quincy, Illinois courtesy of Knapheide. Cameras were not allowed in the Knapheide facilities; thus all of the images were taken while on the move.
A Leica Q2 and iPhone XS were used to capture the below images.
A Hike through a once flowing creek
Roughly a week or so after the hike that I wrote about in my last post I felt compelled to go back out to see just how bad the drought and extreme heat were impacting the surrounding landscape. So, on a Sunday morning I grabbed my camera, packed my bag, and stocked up on water before heading out to explore. Rather than hit the trails, like I normally tend to do, I opted to drop down into a once flowing creek, now dry creek bed, to see what, if anything, was hanging on. Sadly, not that much remained.
All that lingered water wise was concentrated into the areas that were dammed up, as well as a handful of semi-deep puddles. However, much to my surprise, the pockets of water were full of life. I was expecting to see a frog or two, as well as some insect activity, but certainly did not expect to see any fish, of which there were plenty. One of the areas that sat below the threshold of a dam was packed with snakes. I did not stick around long enough in that spot to figure out what type they were. It was, nonetheless, still neat to see that not all life around and the creek had been lost and was still managing to hang on. It will be interesting, at least to me, to go back and see the impact that the recent showers have had, and if we have had enough rain fall to give the wildlife an expanded habitat.
The hike itself was rather uneventful, which is by no means a bad thing. I spent roughly two hours chasing pockets of morning light, exploring, and taking photographs along the way. I would have stayed longer, but the heat was rising rather fast and I decided to head back to the house.
Enjoy the randomness from the outing in the gallery below.
-Tyler
We Need Rain
Last week, or at least I think it was last week (it has been a long July), I was able to spend some much-needed time outside hitting up some trails and doing a little bit of bushwhacking. The outing was not extremely long, lasting maybe two hours at most, but was none-the-less extremely refreshing. Well, in a recharging my batteries type of way, as even though the trek started in the morning, it was still blisteringly hot and humid. Yay for a record-breaking summertime heatwave in Texas. Staying out any longer would have wrecked the rest of my day, as I would have been way too exhausted and motivated to do anything else. The extreme heat, no matter how much time you spend in it, will always win out. Thankfully, most of the terrain that I covered was shaded, and thus much cooler than being out in the open.
One thing that was a bummer to see on the hike was just how much of an impact the heat and lack of rain has had on the hill country landscape. A section of one of the creeks that feeds into the Guadalupe River was reduced to just a few puddles, and even the Guadalupe itself was extremely low and slow flowing. I honestly cannot recall a time in my life that this particular area has had so many days where the temperature is above the century mark and has gone so long without measurable rain. The ground is literally turning into dust, and we have already experienced a brush fire that was extremely close to the house. I can only hope we receive some rain soon, though I fear that when we do, it’ll come in the form of a severe thunderstorm that’ll leave us with major flooding and damage.
Anyway, enough of me rambling, below are a handful of images from the outing.
Take it easy, and thanks for viewing.
-Tyler
Greetings From Port Aransas
(This is a recovered post from my old website.)
In September of 2021 my family and I made our way down to the Texas Gulf-Coast for a much-needed vacation, and for an all-around escape from our normal routine. Our location of choice for this trip was Port Aransas, or “Port A” as it is affectionately known, which is situated on Mustang Island. The Texas Gulf Coast, on which Port A is obviously located, is, in my humble and not-so-important opinion, an extremely enjoyable place to visit. No, it is not Hawaii, but it certainly holds its own, and we are able to make the drive south to visit in just a couple of hours. So, I would personally call that a win in my book. One of the reasons I truly enjoy Port A and Mustang Island, and why we opted to stay there, is due to the fact that there are miles and miles of explorable coastline. It is also worth noting that the locals are super chill (as are most true Texans), and the overall atmosphere is just extremely comfortable and inviting in its own special way.
Port A and much of the Gulf Coast during the off-season is the ideal place to be, as the weather is a little on the cooler side, and the beaches and the accompanying municipalities are not swamped with partygoers and the often-associated riffraff. Yes, I understand that the prior sentence makes me sound super old, but hey, I am just being honest. While I am still in my thirties and certainly enjoy having a good time, the last thing that I want to witness, let alone introduce my children to, are a bunch of inebriated twenty-somethings acting like a bunch of unhinged clowns that are most likely throwing up all over the place. To quote the ever-wise Kim Kardashian, “It’s just never been my thing, not into it — so, not approved by me.” I am, and this may come as a shock, somewhat of a reserved individual. So, when I travel, I really like to avoid chaos, and just enjoy what is in front of me. This means trying to blend in like a local and do my best to distance myself from anything that would look bad during the discovery phase of an investigation.
I can honestly say that we really did not even have to make a convincing effort to blend in with the locals, as we stayed a few miles outside of Port A proper, and the area was surprisingly devoid of people. Again, kudos to visiting during the off-season. I believe that it also helped that we opted against staying in a hotel for this outing, and instead went for a listing on Airbnb. Prior to this trip, we had surprisingly never used Airbnb, though decided to give it a go, and it definitely paid off. We happened upon an awesome place located between beach markers 42 and 45. The condo was extremely inviting, cozy, and most importantly, it was kid/hellion friendly. It was just a quick walk down to the pier from where we stayed, and maybe a few minutes further of a walk to get to the beach, of which we wound up making countless trips to over the course of our 5 days stay. It is safe to say that we spent so much time outside and at the beach that my Apple Watch almost gave up on a few occasions. Obviously, I am speaking figuratively and not literally, though I truly did manage to get in roughly triple the number of steps during our visit than I typically would manage through a normal week. It is amazing what happens when you are in a great environment, surrounded by loved ones, and can escape the confines of an office setting. I may or may not have also turned my cellphone off, rather than just switch it to silent mode, in a concerted effort to not partake in any work-related activities.
Anyway, we did not really do a whole lot during our stay, other than relax and play around in the sand and water. By no means was that a bad thing, and I am certainly not complaining. The entire premise of our trip was to just take it easy. Well, at least for the most part. While not crazy by any stretch, we did venture out of the condo a few times to try some of the local eateries, and even stopped by a local ice cream parlor. I believe the kiddos enjoyed that the most, as they ate the majority of the ice cream that Sarah and I had picked out for ourselves, and thus we were left with eating whatever scraps they decided to grace us with. All in all, we took it extremely easy, and very much subscribed to the notion of living life on “island time.”
On a more personal note, I managed to get my photographic creative juices flowing again. Rather than find some type of excuse to not go out and shoot with my camera, I was actively developing reasons to shoot. (Film pun…) It really helped that my oldest kiddo was super eager to accompany me on random walks along the pier, and to the beach, no matter the time of day. My youngest, who still very much has an interest in photography, was more interested in eating or watching something on Disney+. After the amount of time we spent at the beach, I cannot blame him for wanting to sit in the air conditioning, veg out, and cozy up on the couch. This trip was a truly great experience for me not only on the creative front, but just one hell of a great experience in general. I believe that my wife and two kiddos felt the same. The trip was much needed, and although we anticipated having a good time, I do not think any of us realized just how truly amazing the trip would be. (Both kids still talk actively talk about it, which is impressive given the fact that they are both still super young.) Hopefully the stars will align, my PTO will runneth over, and we will be able to make another trip within the next year or two. Until our next trip happens, I will at least have a lot of photos and memories to reflect upon, some of which are shared within this post.
In closing, I want to thank those that visited this post for taking the time to read through it. I know that it is rather long, but I am trying to get back into the habit of writing. I took an extended break from writing, which was arguably one of the worst things that an individual can do. Obviously, that is a subjective statement, but damn-it, during the creation of this post I was certainly feeling the pain of writers’ block and brain-farts. The last time I wrote anything of substance, of true meaning and purpose, was years ago while I was still pursuing a Masters. Now-a-days, when I do have the opportunity to write, it is in the form of an at most two-paragraph email. While said email messages are always professional in nature, they must still be digestible to the lowest common denominator and are often devoid of any creativity or passion. I do not mean to sound big-headed, as by no means am I pretending nor claiming to be some sort of top-tier writer. Heck, I am positive that this post, as well as those to come, will be peppered with grammatical errors and incoherent ramblings. (I am, by and large, a functioning idiot.) The point I am attempting to make, is that by having stifled my creative writing streak, due to personal choice/neglect, I have managed to wreak absolute havoc on my ability to put pen-to-paper and jot down something that is not in need of almost immediate revision. It is a position that I absolutely hate being in. I recognize that this mess is a product of my own doing, of which I take full ownership of, and is something that I am damn-sure going to work on to correct. Now, moving on from that bout of extreme self-loathing, I hope that you enjoyed the post about my semi-recent, but not-so-recent trip to Port Aransas, TX.
-Tyler
Snowpocalypse Now
Before reading the post below I am going to offer up a disclaimer of sorts. Although nothing bad and/or not-safe-for-work will be displayed or discussed, I want to take a moment to state that while the overall tone of this piece is rather casual in nature, I am by no means attempting to downplay the seriousness of Winter Storm Uri and its impact on Texas and Texans as a whole. During the storm roughly sixty-nine percent of Texans lost power at some point, close to fifty percent experienced disruptions to their water service, and the overall economic damage is estimated to be between $80 billion to $130 billion. It was a mess, it was an extremely serious event, and I really hope that we do not experience the sequel anytime soon.
Snow within my neck-of-the-woods, while not unheard of, is not exactly commonplace either. Although I am not statistician by any stretch of the imagination, I estimate that the hill country receives a measurable amount of snow roughly once every three to four years. This information is unofficially and solely based off the fact that prior to this post I dug through my photo archives and found that generally every three to four years, for the last two decades, I managed to take photos of snow in the Texas hill country. (Boom, informal stats for-the-win!) Last year, the hill country experienced two bouts of measurable snow. The first time, and of which has probably been forgotten by most, occurred in early January between the 10th and the 11th. The amount of snowfall during that winter storm was nothing extraordinary. The accumulation was just enough to obscure the landscape that it fell on, though I will say that it was the perfect amount for the kiddos to enjoy. If I recall correctly, the snow stuck around for roughly a day and a half before melting away and true Texas weather returned.
January Winter Storm
The second round of nontraditional Texas weather, or utter mayhem as most would call it, was brought to us roughly a month later thanks to Winter Storm Uri. Between the dates of February 10th and 18th Uri, as stated within the above-mentioned disclaimer, wreaked serious havoc on the State of Texas. The area where I reside received between 8 to 10 inches of total snow fall during the course of the storm. That may not sound like a lot for the readers that live in a climate where snow grows, but for us Texans, that amount was record setting. It was also an amount that, when coupled with a lot of ice, shut down most of our critical infrastructure. A good portion of local government agencies broadcast notices through various channels letting the public know that they would be unable to respond, or if they could, would have an extremely delayed response to calls for help. It was unlike anything I had really experienced before.
The Start Of Uri
Despite the chaos, the uncertainty, and coping with the loss of electricity and running water for roughly three days, we made the best of it. Actually, we managed to have a lot of fun. We treated the entire ordeal as one big camp out, which the kids loved, and admittedly so did I. My wife may not agree though. The time together, despite the circumstances, was great. The living room fireplace became the hub in which we all hung out around, for obvious reasons, and it felt good to be placed into a more basic and primitive operating environment that really allowed for us to be creative when taking on tasks that we would normally need power to do. (Making coffee, cooking, etc.) Being so disconnected was refreshing, at least in my opinion. It was even better when I ventured outside and went exploring, as the world around me was almost eerily silent, sans the occasional songbird chirping, and the four-stroke thumping from the Mule. I honestly felt, due to the lack of overall ambient noise, that I was in some type of post-apocalyptic land. Again, it was weird, but comfortable at the same time. I just felt oddly at peace.
Uri Sticks Around
One thing that I really need to stress though, so again as to not make it sound like Uri was no factor, is that we were equipped and ready before the storm was even a blip on the radar. (Well, I semi-retract that statement. I did stop and pick up some beer the day before all hell was unleashed.) However, I am a big proponent of the “Ps”. That is proper planning prevents piss-poor performance. In other words, and it should go without saying, it pays to be prepared. Due to the other types of weather events that we are exposed to in Texas, it just makes sense to have a plan of action and contingencies, as well as the tools and supplies needed to execute said plan/plans.
Uri Rages On
A lot of individuals were not ready, and I do truly feel bad for them. It is really saddening to see other humans struggle, especially when a lot of said struggle could have been mitigated. I can only hope the people that had issues treated the storm as a learning event and have made changes. Heck, we even learned a lot, and have since made adjustments for our household. You can never be too prepared, and more people need to realize that they are their own first line of defense. FEMA, TEEX, as well as a host of NGOs, offer a ton of online training, and a lot of it for free, that individuals can take to better prepare themselves to handle a host of different natural and manmade disasters. (I will provide links at the bottom.) The tools are there, and they are readily available. Please, look at them. If individuals fail to take advantage of them, well, that is on them.
On that note, I will go ahead and wrap up this post.
Storm Information:
NOAA Weather Event Summary
Texas Comptroller Economic Impact Report