In spite of the horrors going on all over the world, and the constant barrage of idiocy from our leaders, 2026 has been incredibly aesthetically nurturing for me. The roads, fields, night skies, rivers, and clouds of Missouri are rich in color and drama. I felt compelled to leave a few of these views here for posterity. I’m thankful to get to document some of these things, and for the potent experiences and joys that I get to share with my friends, students, kids, and fellow humans.

Two views from a night drive with my good friend Jesse. These were south of Columbia on dirt roads near Cooper’s Landing.

Another road trip with Jesse to find some interesting shooting locations for his next film project. Near Wooldridge, MO.

Sunset views in Mid Missouri – left is on I70 facing west – right is off Scott Blvd facing southwest.

I’ve taken thousands of images so far this year. These are just a tiny sampling of my way of paying attention to what my eyes want to see. Many of the photos are just for documentation or to embrace the strange and wonderful things I see around me. I do try to refine some of them into artworks. I think we take for granted how ubiquitous and available photography is now, and most of us are very uneducated about how images work and whether what we are told are photographs are even real.

There’s a wonderful piece of writing by artist/writer/director Johannes Grenzfurthner over at Midwest Film Journal that talks about the importance of imagery that is established by the “physical trace” of real places, sights, and experiences. We now live in an era where images are being crafted “without physical reference.” Our job as embodied human beings is to be firmly committed to the fact of our physical existence. Photography – whether just snapshots, memory aides, documentation, or art – should be about OUR eyes, OUR living experiences. We should not give AI or tech bros authority over our vision of life.