Blog

Slightly Off Center

May 15, 2026

I wrote in my book "Focus on What's Important", which I take every opportunity to shamelessly plug as I'm doing here and can be viewed on my website by clicking here, about how I rarely center my subjects in the composition. It's just what I do without thinking about it. So I got to thinking to myself one day, "Self, where did your odd way of composing a shot come from?". While it could be related to the fact that I do occasionally take part in the spirits when I'm taking photos, I had to dig deeper into the origin of my tedency. One day it hit me - Advertising! I spent a decade and a half working in the advertising department for a grocery chain and part of my job was drawing thumbnails and staging product photo shoots. These photos had to be taken with the deserved and necessary attention to the product while leaving room for descriptive copy and supporting graphics. In other words, they had to be photographed off center. Eureka! This method of composition was apparently planted in my subconscious decades ago, and only manifested itself when I became a serious photographer. While I won't discount totally the impact of libation on my creative offset, I do believe that putting that six pack of pop just down and off to the side enough for the text box was probably my biggest influence.

The true trick to pulling off a shot like this doesn't rely on the textbook thirds rule of photography where you break your composition into thirds, but is more about leading lines and the proper use of void space to draw the viewer's eye to your subject. Frankly, I don't have time to sit and do math in my head and imagine my subject as 33% of my photo when it's moving or is about to move. I take a quick glance at my surroundings and already have the composition in my mind's eye before the eyecup reaches my face. Michelle's grandma, and one of the most beloved and influential people in my adult life, was an artist and used to talk quite often about the importance of leading lines. They force your audience to survey the entire image looking for an entry and ultimately follow the trail to the reward. It's an awesome concept that makes viewing any artform a more immersive experience relying on just a tad bit of intellect and a whole lot of imagination to decipher the artist's intention. As I say in my book "Focus on What's Important" (another shameless and intentional plug), "If you don't experience my photograph, I have failed".

So the next time you stroll through my online gallery and see a photo that may seem off balance at first glance, sit back, take a breath, blink your eyes a few times and think about that six pack of RC Cola at the bottom corner of your newspaper circular back in 1995. Imagine yourself wandering through the gate and following the path to the final destination as you appreciate the surroundings or the serenity of nothingness that you will encounter on your journey. If you're unable to get yourself into that headspace, consider a libation (or two or three) then try again. While the latter may not increase your situational awareness or appreciation for my art, you will undoubtedly be in a better mood. Trust me. I speak from experience.

camera

Dad Humor ...
Why couldn't the photographer see straight?
He had too many shots.

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Not Getting Any Younger

May 05, 2026

It's actually pretty cool being a Gen-X'er. I grew up during a really cool time, and am still coherent (and ornery) and in pretty good physical shape overall. But with each passing year, I realize that some day age will catch up with me. I see this firsthand in my life as I watch people around me pass away and others battling mobility and cognitive issues. So, a few years ago I made a decision to get out and start exploring this vast planet of ours and expand my horizons while I'm still able. Once a year now, Michelle and I plan a 'big vacation'. It's been a mind-blowing endeavor that has opened up my world to cultures, art, antiquities and architecture - some of which I'd only read about in grade school textbooks. Here are some stops that we've made over the last few years including my #1 bucketlist item - The Netherlands.

2023 - Netherlands/Italy

Kinderdijk, Netherlands - Home of iconic windmills dating back to 1630. Nothing says "Netherlands" like a Dutch windmill, and these did not disappoint.
Keukenhof Gardens, Netherlands - We arrived at Keukenhof when the gates opened only to see a hundred tour buses already emptied and lines of tourists already queued. I guess that's to be expected when you go during the tulip bloom in April.
Heineken Experience, Amsterdam - The tour begins with a Disneyland like ride through the brew process that dropped us off on platform where we got to drink deliciously fresh 30-minute old Heineken. The rooftop bar was the icing on the cake serving various Heineken concoctions and a 180° view of the city.

Florence, Italy - Amazing food and history including being home to Michelangelo's David and Duomo di Milano where we climbed 463 steps to the top for breath-taking views of the city.
The Vatican, Rome - Cannot be described in simple words. Period. Postively spell-binding with the pièce de resistance being the conclusion in The Sistine Chapel.
Positano, Italy - A trendy but traditional city on the Amalfi Coast where we sipped Chianti on the balcony while watching the sunset over The Mediterranean after a daylong Italian food cooking class. Unfortunately we only had one full day there. I'd go back in a heartbeat

Honorable Mentions: Dordrecht, NL (My favorite city that we visited) • Giessenburg, NL (Positively Charming!) • Rotterdam, NL

2024 - Kauai/Maui

Sea Turtles on the Beach (Kauai) - Our VRBO was just down the street from a popular spot for viewing sea turtles as they come ashore. We went to see them our first night there, but it was one of those "been there done that's" mostly because of the aggressive onlookers.
My First Musubi (Kauai) - I'd never heard of Musubi before, and had my first one on Kauai. I've since learned to make them at home, and think they're better than what we had that day. Don't tell the locals!
Kilauea Point Lighthouse (Kauai) - I LOVE lighthouses! They're my single favorite thing to photograph. This lighthouse was cool, but too touristy with an onsite giftshop and pesky people photobombing every shot.

The Road to Hana (Maui) - The drive was positively gorgeous, though whiteknuckling to navigate all the curves in the rain. A stop by Aunty Sandy's for banana bread is a must! Honestly, the town of Hana was a letdown. We spent about an hour there then began our descent back to our hotel.
Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm (Maui) - The farm has an indescribably spectacular view of the valley and flowers and trees that you would never see on the mainland. Definitely worth the drive.
Sunsets - Every night that we stayed on Maui and Kauai was another brilliant sunset seeming to try to outdue last night's spectacle. I can still taste the Mai Tais as we watched the nightly cliff diving ceremony at The Sheraton. Mahalo, Hawaii!

Honorable Mentions: The helicopter tour over Kauai (awe-inspiring) • Float tubing through the sugar cane fields in Kauai

2025 - Wyoming/Yellowstone

Grand Teton - Grand Teton was simply amazing as was the weather while we were there. I remember descending the highway from the mountains on our way into town and my jaw dropped at first sight.
Meeteetse - Meeteetse is a cool little town surrounded by magnificent snow covered mountains. The light pollution, enemy to an astrophotographer, was non-existent so the Milkyway was visible to the naked eye.
Jackson Hole - Just a super cool little town. It was trendy with a touch of redneck where you could enjoy a nice coffee or sit on a saddle for a barstool and partake in local libation.

Wyoming Wildlife - When the road signs talk about how many moose have been hit by cars in the last week, you respect the posted speed limit and never take your eye off the road.
Cody - The last thing I expected to see in Wyoming on a forty degree day was a middle-aged dude skateboarding barefoot in capri pants on the main drag, yet there it was.
Yellowstone - Bordering on surreal and virtually indescribable. I didn't get the grizzly bear photos that I was hoping for, but was still captivated by the beauty of the park.

Honorable Mention: Sedona, AZ was another memorable trip earlier this year and only not mentioned here because I recently talked about it in another post.

Next Stop: Ireland (2026). Stay Tuned!

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Get Over Yourself

Apr 25, 2026




Photos of stuff I've taken when I'm bored

Quite frequently, more often than I'd like, I go into a photo drought. I'm always eager to get out there but, as I tell people all of the time, "I've shot everthing that's interesting to me within a hundred mile radius of my house". I wake up every Saturday morning with aspirations to "get out with my camera", and more often than not end up sulking on the couch or puttering around the yard in a pissy mood because I can't think of a destination.

A few ways that I've pulled myself out of the funk ...

A Simple Walk Around the Yard - I've actually sold a couple images that I took just walking around my backyard taking photos of 'stuff'. We spend time working and lounging in our yards, but fail to see the beauty of the details. Looking at things through a camera lens filters out distracting backgrounds and artifacts so that you can appreciate the intricacy and elegance of otherwise simple things like a spring blossom, an autumn leaf or even moss growing on a rock.

Visit a Neighboring Town - There are those towns just outside of your borders that you've driven through a thousand times on your way to Costco or taking your dog to the vet, but have you ever really stopped in any of them? It's really amazing to park your car and walk around a small town for an hour or two. Photo opps are abound if you just slow down and appreciate your surroundings, and you might even strike up a nice conversation with a local. Find a cool pub and grub and have a nice lunch and a beer.

Go to the Park - A local park offers a plethora of photo opportunities: people, sports, nature, animals and even the playground toys. Challenge yourself by photographing a bird in flight, a runner rounding second base or a tree reflecting in a puddle. If you're in a lull, it's probably because you've pigeon-holed yourself into a single mindset with your photography and you're bored with the same ol' same ol'. Shooting outside of your comfort zone may introduce you to an exciting new way of thinking about your photography and your subjects.

Other Ideas for Inspiration:

Social Media (Instagram, Facebook, Threads, etc.) - Check out what other photographers are doing
Meetup Groups
City or County Local Calendar of Events
Photographer Friends
Theme - Pick a subject and see how creative you can get!
Newsletters - Subscribe to galleries and clubs to get alerts to potential gatherings and events
Weather - Grab your coat and head out when it's foggy or rainy

Bottom line ... All artists, yes I consider photography an artform, run into creative blocks. Sulk on the davenport (what I grew up calling a couch), throw your hedge trimmer, cuss at your neighbor through the fence but accept that it's temporary and know that with perservence you will overcome. Now get out there!

Social Media (Instagram, Facebook, Threads, etc.) - Check out what other photographers are doing
Meetup Groups
City or County Local Calendar of Events
Photographer Friends
Theme - Pick a subject and see how creative you can get!
Newsletters - Subscribe to galleries and clubs to get alerts to potential gatherings and events
Weather - Grab your coat and head out when it's foggy or rainy




Photos of stuff I've taken when I'm bored

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Keeping it Reel

Apr 06, 2026

I consider myself a pretty tech savvy guy. Heck, I wrote every line of code (thousands of them!) to make this website work. As I'm getting older, though, I'm realizing just how antiquated my skills have become and have made conscious efforts here and there to bring at least some up to speed. With the advent of the digital age, it seems everything is yesterday's news by the time I master something new. I've always really enjoyed doing video and have recently learned how beneficial Reels on Instagram and Facebook can be to bring in new audiences and spread the word, so I set out this last week to learn how to create them. I Googled. I YouTube'd. I read the how to's on Instagram's site and looked at many reels that others had posted for inspiration. I was ready to dive in.

So you parents out there will appreciate this. I probably spent almost two hours trying to transfer the vision in my head to a 60 second reel. Without boring you all with the details, I was stuck on a single and final effect that I just couldn't figure out on my own. So what's a dad to do? Right. I called my twenty-something year old daughter. I told her my concept and about three and a half minutes later she replied with a finished product exactly as I'd envisioned. My first reel, "Street Photography", was born! (Apologies to my Instagram audience for the couple of times that I posted it, pulled it down and re-posted it. There was still a slight learning curve to the publishing that I had to work through.)

The next day that same daughter texted and asked me to send her my ten favorite photos that I've taken. I wasn't sure what she was up to, but trusted that something super cool was brewing. Of course about three minutes later I'm alerted by Instagram that I've been tagged so I logged in to find that she created her own reel with the photos that I gave her and blasted out to her audience. She did such an amazing job on it, and within 30 minutes I had ten hits on my website and three new followers on Instagram! So, friends, consider yourselves forewarned that I'll be doing more reels in the future. As with anything, practice makes perfect, so I'm hoping to some day get to my daughter's level. In the meantime, expect some crude and borderline gratuitous presentations - apologies in advance. Of course by the time I master reels, they'll probably come out with some other great marketing tool and I'll be back to square one. Ugh.

This week's humor (from an elderly comedian on Instagram and I apologize for not catching his name or I'd give him full credit) ...

"I can't get used to these new-fangled cars. The other day, I put my car in reverse and this movie came up on the TV screen on the dashboard of some guy getting run over by a car."

Don't forget! ... I'm on Instagram (@donvanderloophotography) and Facebook (/donvanderloophotography). I'd appreciate any follows and likes as I try to get this campaign off the ground. 😉

Photos That My Daughter Used To Create Her Reel

I consider myself a pretty tech savvy guy. Heck, I wrote every line of code (thousands of them!) to make this website work. As I'm getting older, though, I'm realizing just how antiquated my skills have become and have made conscious efforts here and there to bring at least some up to speed. With the advent of the digital age, it seems everything is yesterday's news by the time I master something new. I've always really enjoyed doing video and have recently learned how beneficial Reels on Instagram and Facebook can be to bring in new audiences and spread the word, so I set out this last week to learn how to create them. I Googled. I YouTube'd. I read the how to's on Instagram's site and looked at many reels that others had posted for inspiration. I was ready to dive in. So you parents out there will appreciate this. I probably spent almost two hours trying to transfer the vision in my head to a 60 second reel. Without boring you all with the details, I was stuck on a single and final effect that I just couldn't figure out on my own. So what's a dad to do? Right. I called my twenty-something year old daughter. I told her my concept and about three and a half minutes later she replied with a finished product exactly as I'd envisioned. My first reel, "Street Photography", was born! (Apologies to my Instagram audience for the couple of times that I posted it, pulled it down and re-posted it. There was still a slight learning curve to the publishing that I had to work through.) The next day that same daughter texted and asked me to send her my ten favorite photos that I've taken. I wasn't sure what she was up to, but trusted that something super cool was brewing. Of course about three minutes later I'm alerted by Instagram that I've been tagged so I logged in to find that she created her own reel with the photos that I gave her and blasted out to her audience. She did such an amazing job on it, and within 30 minutes I had ten hits on my website and three new followers on Instagram! So, friends, consider yourselves forewarned that I'll be doing more reels in the future. As with anything, practice makes perfect, so I'm hoping to some day get to my daughter's level. In the meantime, expect some crude and borderline gratuitous presentations - apologies in advance. Of course by the time I master reels, they'll probably come out with some other great marketing tool and I'll be back to square one. Ugh. This week's humor (from an elderly comedian on Instagram and I apologize for not catching his name or I'd give him full credit) ... "I can't get used to these new-fangled cars. The other day, I put my car in reverse and this movie came up on the TV screen on the dashboard of some guy getting run over by a car."
Don't forget! ... I'm on Instagram (@donvanderloophotography) and Facebook (/donvanderloophotography). I'd appreciate any follows and likes as I try to get this campaign off the ground. 😉
Photos That My Daughter Used To Create Her Reel

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With Age Comes Character

Mar 27, 2026

My Vintage Arsenal: 1959 Nikkor Pat. Pending 105mm • 1985 Helios 44-2 58mm • 1987 Pentacon 30mm

People who know me, know that I LOVE to shoot with vintage lenses (AKA 'Old Glass'). There is a character and warmth to them that you simply cannot replicate with modern filters and technology. My infatuation began probably five years ago when I saw a post on Facebook that was a collection of images that just looked different but I couldn't put my finger on the 'why?'. I dove deep into the comments and read that the lens was a Soviet Era lens called a "Helios". This lens was East Berlin's Cold War Era attempt to duplicate a well known lens made by Carl Zeiss, and was technically a flawed reproduction that gave it its distinct character commonly known in photographic circles as 'swirly bokeh' or a blurry background that appears as a vortex. I had to have one! The lens hadn't become trendy yet, as it is today, so I was able to score a nice copy on eBay for sixty-five bucks. It may be the most used lens in my kit today. You'd be lucky to find a decent specimen for less than $125 now that the word's out.

Since that first purchase, I've bought and sold another half dozen vintage lenses to finally arrive at my honed down collection that covers a wide gamut of subjects and moods. My most recently purchased (and now oldest in my kit) 1959 Nikkor, another wonderful eBay find from Japan, was a favorite of Linda McCartney and used for many of her iconic portraits in the 60's and 70's. This lens is one of only 170k produced before it went to mass production, and is marked as such - "Pat. Pending" - on the barrel. To round off my collection, I have a 1987 Pentacon 30mm that takes gorgeous landscapes with a mid century modern feel.

The challenge of shooting with old glass is that they're 100% manual. All of the settings are dialed in separately and meticulously, so I've practiced like a gunslinger working on his quickdraw to be ready at a moment's notice. I've absolutely missed opportunities when my subject doesn't cooperate the way I predicted, but have captured some of my favorite images when things go as planned. One thing I've had to work on shooting with these old lenses is patience which anyone who knows me will tell you is not my strong suit in everyday life. To see more images shot only with my vintage lenses, visit my Books page and click on the book thumbnail "Focus On What's Important". Enjoy! Photo Humor ... "I hope, when I die, that my wife doesn't sell my photo gear for what I told her I paid for it".
Some Photos Taken With My Vintage Lenses

1959 Nikkor • 1985 Helios • 1987 Pentacon

People who know me, know that I LOVE to shoot with vintage lenses (AKA 'Old Glass'). There is a character and warmth to them that you simply cannot replicate with modern filters and technology. My infatuation began probably five years ago when I saw a post on Facebook that was a collection of images that just looked different but I couldn't put my finger on the 'why?'. I dove deep into the comments and read that the lens was a Soviet Era lens called a "Helios". This lens was East Berlin's Cold War Era attempt to duplicate a well known lens made by Carl Zeiss, and was technically a flawed reproduction that gave it its distinct character commonly known in photographic circles as 'swirly bokeh' or a blurry background that appears as a vortex. I had to have one! The lens hadn't become trendy yet, as it is today, so I was able to score a nice copy on eBay for sixty-five bucks. It may be the most used lens in my kit today. You'd be lucky to find a decent specimen for less than $125 now that the word's out.

Since that first purchase, I've bought and sold another half dozen vintage lens to finally arrive at my honed down collection that covers a wide gamut of subjects and moods. My most recently purchased (and now oldest in my kit) 1959 Nikkor, another wonderful eBay find from Japan, was a favorite of Linda McCartney and used for many of her iconic portraits in the 60's and 70's. This lens is one of only 170k produced before it went to mass production, and is marked as such - "Pat. Pending" - on the barrel. To round off my collection, I have a 1987 Pentacon 30mm that takes gorgeous landscapes with an mid century modern feel.

The challenge of shooting with old glass is that they're 100% manual. All of the settings are dialed in separately and meticulously, so I've practiced like a gunslinger working on his quickdraw to be ready at a moment's notice. I've absolutely missed opportunities when my subject doesn't cooperate the way I predicted, but have captured some of my favorite images when things go as planned. One thing I've had to work on shooting with these old lenses is patience which anyone who knows me will tell you is not my strong suit in everyday life.

To see more images shot only with my vintage lenses, visit my Books page and click on the book thumbnail "Focus On What's Important". Enjoy!

Some Photos Taken With My Vintage Lenses

Photo Humor ... "I hope, when I die, that my wife doesn't sell my photo gear for what I told her I paid for it".

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