Photos | A Mild Voice of Reason

Every now and then, I like to dust off the DSLR and go for a photo walk. Most of my early photosets were all shot with my aging Nikon D3100 camera with either my Nikkor 18-55mm lens or my Nikkor 70-300mm lens; I’m now on a D7100, with a Nikkor macro lens I bought from my friend Mel. The Instagram pictures were taken either on my Nokia 935 Windows Phone or my iPhone 6s+/X/12.

My Instagram feed follows the photo galleries, so scroll down for current slice-of-life vignettes.

Almost none of my photos have humans in them. This is not because I’m a loner or because I hate taking pictures of people. Instead, it’s a reflection of the fact that I haven’t sought license agreements from anyone, so publishing photos of them publicly without compensation or authorization is both legally risky and, well, a bit creepy. So you’re getting curated, mostly-human-free versions of my photography.

Photo Galleries

Please click a gallery to open its photoset. Click any photo to render it in full-screen mode, with options for slideshow advance and to reveal image metadata.

Meijer Gardens (June 2024)

Cade and Brittany and I enjoyed a lovely walk at Meijer Gardens. We reacquainted ourselves with our "fancy" cameras and dined by the outdoor fountains.

Meijer Gardens (September 2021)

In late September 2021, my dear friend the Dr. Rev. Col. S. "Roux" Rousseau, Esq., visited Grand Rapids. We had a great time visiting casinos, drinking fine adult beverages, and conversing about the important things. Part of our time was spent at the Frederick Meijer Gardens -- and a selection of my photos from that excursion are represented in this gallery.

East Paris Nature Park (July 2021)

My friend Mel and I enjoyed a walk around the East Paris Nature Park, a small park just off a state nature trail along the southern periphery of the City of Kentwood. It was a nice, short walk filled with a lot of plant diversity -- and Mel let me try her macro lens, too. W00t!

NCT - Manistee River (May 2021)

Some select images (taken with iPhone 12 Pro) from an overnight backpacking hike (May 22-23) with my friend Scott. We started where No. 10 Road crosses the NCT just north of the Harvey Bridge parking lot, and camped at Highbank Rollway.

Fife Lake Loop (September 2020)

My brother and I did the 21.4-mile Fife Lake Loop hike (with a night at a state forest campground) over a chilly September weekend.

Seidman Park (July 2020)

I walked the outer loop (including a section of the NCT), good for about 4 miles and a handful of lovely images.

Millennium Park (June 2020)

I went for a walk along the Yellow Trail of the Millennium Park system in Kent County, Michigan. A scant 5.5 miles later, I had some lovely new pics to add to the pile.

Grand Ravines (June 2020)

My friends Brittany and Mel took at walk at the Grand Ravines park in Ottawa County, Michigan.

Bonaire (February 2020)

I went to lovely Bonaire (Caribbean Netherlands) for a week of scuba diving in the middle of a Michigan winter.

Denton, Texas (July 2019)

In the heat of a Texas summer, I visited some friends at their quaint little city just north of Dallas. These shots were taken around the Square.

Downtown Marshall, MI (May 2018)

A walk in downtown Marshall, Michigan.

Highlands Golf Club (July 2017)

I documented a brief walk around a golf course (I worked there, in the summer of 2000) that, last year, closed and is now allowed to grow wild as part of a new nature preserve in western Grand Rapids.

Kent Trails Nature Walk (July 2017)

The Kent Trails system around Millennium Park offers a great variety of Michigan ecosystems observable from the comfort of a modest paved trail system.

Animals of Plaster Creek (June 2016)

Some of the animals outside the Caffeinated Press office door, at our HQ in the Ken-O-Sha Professional Building along Plaster Creek.

Grand Haven Boardwalk (May 2015)

A session with my friend Mel, just walking along the Boardwalk in downtown Grand Haven, Michigan.

Ludington State Park (June 2014)

Mid-Michigan in summer, adjacent to the lakeshore. Ludington State Park offers unimproved trails along marshlands and deciduous forests. This photoset grabs some of my favorite animal captures.