When you meet Tom, he impresses you with his passion from the start! His images take that passion even further. I was fortunate to shoot with Tom in his early days, his quiet demeanor I always thought, was a juxtaposition to his photography. He has a great story that will help all photographers of all genres. FRAMES just had him on their podcast, well worth a listen or two. And you can see his images on his website and IG account. Every so often, I hear from Tom. I just love his images and storytelling.

I grab the ThinkTank with my gear every errand after toasting myself in the past. Most times, it gets a free ride, being put back afterwards without ever being unzipped. Then there are those moments when I’m so glad it’s there. This last Saturday, we went into The Hangar for our huckleberry pancakes on a gorgeous, way too warm and dry morning for Montana. We see everything from biz jets to Pientenpol on the ramp, taxing and launching. It’s a marvelous way to start any day for sure. We walked out quite satisfied when we heard that lovely sound, a plane warming up. We looked and there was Mike in his gorgeous 195 in preflight. I walked over and got my gear from the truck and walked over to the ramp. Soon, Mike’s wife joined us as we watched. Before long, he was taxing and on his way north. The golden light (which should be cold and blue this time of year) was perfect for the moment! I made some clicks, enjoyed the company and view and felt truly blessed. And it is I never leave home without it!

Why have I posted an ancient image of mine of a Snowy Owl when talking about AI? It’s because there are all these horrible AI-generated images and videos of Snowy Owl in a nest with these adorable chicks perched on a TREE! There are no TREES in the Arctic. Snowy Owls nest on the ground. But if you don’t know this basic biology, how would you know what you’re seeing is AI-generated? And that’s what gives me a headache!

Being informed is always the best weapon when our sensibilities are under siege. In this day and age though, staying informed, educated, is a fulltime job all by itself. When I look to get informed, only to find AI crud, it makes it really hard to get informed to be able to recognize AI outside my sphere of knowledge. It just gives me a headache!

What gets me is, history is repeating itself. Back in May, 1998, The Atlantic published an article, Photography in the Age of Falsification. This was long before AI, heck, the internet was in its infancy, and yet, there it is in print. Knowing this doesn’t lessen the headache. We MUST stay diligent and informed! Thirty years later, we kinda have the same issue with the same root cause, it’s just that the elephant on the screen is AI.

I keep adding to my DoDad list as I find items that work, making the field experience just that tad finer. The latest is the Bambaw water bottle. Big mouth, easy to refill so more plastic isn’t being thrown into landfills. Bamboo insulation keeps water cold all day and fits easily into the side pocket of pants, camera bags, briefcase. The Win.Max ice cleats go on and off so easily and grab onto ice, providing sure footing. These items and more can be found here.