Darryl slid three quarters into the vending machine and weighed his options.

He could go for the low-calorie chocolate bar at 15F, but that would not taste good, he told himself. As far as he was concerned, nothing with low-calorie written on it ever tasted good. One would be lucky if it tasted remotely acceptable.

The soda at 4D looked promising, but that was more expensive, and he didn’t have more quarters on him. And besides, he told Martha he would quit fizzy drinks. “If the fizz stays in the drink, the fizz stays in you,” he imagined her saying…

I have recently received an e-mail regarding a photo contest.

Entries now open, it said, and ended with the request of sharing the information with whoever might be interested. That is why I’m writing this.

Some say sharing is caring.

The idea for World Landscape Photographer

Have you heard about Nigel Danson?

Nigel is a professional landscape photographer and has a YouTube channel where he talks about his craft. In his videos, he also analyzes his photos and shares his thought process behind the shots.

Nigel started World Landscape Photographer in 2020. He wanted to do something to help others, so this idea emerged.

“I wanted…

We are told from an early age not to play with our food. Some of us listen, and some do not.

I am from the latter category.

I took the above picture after the first time I made mochi. You can see in the photo that I have not tucked the ends securely underneath the mochi pieces. Also, the upper mochi piece has an uneven texture, which is not necessarily appetizing. They look raw, made by an amateur. Which is what they were. But what they lacked in aspect, they made up for in taste.

In my defense, it was…

Have you ever been to a photography show? Companies set up stalls with new gear. Promoters for this or that software or piece of equipment milling around waiting for their turn. Talks upon talks, so diverse that you wish you could split yourself in two to attend. At least, that’s what I imagine.

I’ve never been to a physical photography show, never saw the fear in a salesperson’s eyes when picking up a £2000 lens and feeling its weight, maybe feigning to drop it. I know, it is mean. But it is my imagination, and sometimes it does go rampant…

A while ago, I overheard a conversation between two people. They were discussing the first UK lockdown and the challenges of homeschooling. One parent stated that YouTube was evil, while the other one burst into laughter.

“What is your child searching on YouTube? How to make an atomic bomb?” He claimed that YouTube is a learning platform, praising its video variety on different subjects.

Was he right?

YouTube is one of the most popular video platforms. Launched in 2005 and bought by Google in 2020, it receives more than 126 million unique monthly views in the US alone.

What started…

The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. The ocean has its ebb and flow. Humans live and die, live and die, and so the wheels of time keep turning. We take photos, and then we delete some, or if you are like me, you delete a lot.

“Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.”

— Ansel Adams

But what about the misfits, the ones that did not end on the list? Do we delete them, pretend that it never happened? How will we be able to see our progress? …