Welcome to Homer.
It’s hot – early July, mid-day hot. And quiet. Homer is a sleepy rural village in southern Michigan.
Americana was on full display walking around the village square just after July 4.
Shot on the Canon 5D (classic!) and EF 50mm f/1.4.
Images, combined with words, can become greater than the sum of their parts.
– Greig Fraser, Dune cinematographer
We managed to get away for our 10-year wedding anniversary.
It was chilly for the last weekend in May, but we returned to two of our favorite spots near the Lake Michigan coast: Virtue Cider in Fennville, Michigan, and The Kirby Hotel in Douglas, Michigan.
Virtue was one of my early “holy crap” ciders, where I took a chance on a six-pack of cans and was blown away.
Now we come back to taste the new ciders, grab a snack, and head outside for some acoustic guitar.
We came to the Kirby on the coldest day of 2022, after the wassail celebration at Virtue Cider was cancelled because of the weather.
It was fine by us, because that winter, we had the place almost to ourselves and we got to chat with the chef and operator about their historic hotel.
This time, the house was packed for dinner, and we had several guests in the hotel. But the next morning, for breakfast? Just us and the chef again.
I love finding little places like this, where you become a regular and get to know the staff.
Shot on the Canon M6 and EF-M 22mm and 32mm lenses.
Tucked in a cozy corner of Art 634 in Jackson, Michigan, Jason Heinrich’s Yesterdream Studio isn’t just a storefront. It’s a portal to comfort, creativity, and memory.
Admittedly, the space defies easy classification.
“It’s not really a furniture store, not really a record store, not really a gift shop,” Jason says with a laugh. “But it’s also all of those things.”
Growing up in a Downriver factory town in the 1980s, Jason was surrounded by the aesthetic leftovers of previous decades: glass lamps, mid-century furniture, the sound of rock and roll.
“Especially in finished basements and cottages, there was always that old stuff from the ’60s and ’70s. It was everywhere,” he says. “That became my comfort. I didn’t know it then, but I’ve always been chasing that feeling.”
At Yesterdream Studio, that sense of comfort is Jason’s goal. Everything in the space invites visitors to slow down, remember, and then use the items in the shop to make their own space comfortable.
“Transforming your space can transform your mental health,” Jason says. “If you’re surrounded by things that bring you comfort, it affects your mood. That’s a big part of why I do this.”
Jason’s journey here hasn’t followed a straight line. After starting out in fine arts, he spent several years as a laborer in the plumbing trades, his family’s profession stretching back generations. Later, he earned a certificate in graphic design and worked in marketing roles for various Michigan associations. That work included working as a graphic designer and social media manager for marketing departments
But every time he stepped away from art, something pulled him back.
“I’ve tried to reinvent myself so many times,” he says. “But creativity always finds its way back in. I don’t go looking for creative work. It just kind of finds me.”
He opened Yesterdream Studio in 2023 at Art 634, after years of collecting, designing, and repurposing, while continuing to work on freelance graphic design and marketing projects.
Jason says his work revolves around sustainability.
“One of the biggest parts of this place is to reimagine, repurpose, and reuse,” Jason says. “There’s no reason to buy brand-new when you can take something old, paint it funky colors, and give it new life. And it’s better for the environment.”
His love for natural patinas and vintage design finds its way into the usefulness and beauty of everyday objects. For an example, Jason points to a large metal tackle box on his shelf.
“People throw stuff away because they don’t see the value. But to me, this tackle box is beautifully designed. It could be anything—a painter’s box, a face painter’s kit, whatever,” he says. “That’s what I love about it.”
Jason’s love of vintage also extends to running a local steampunk convention.
His journey from Renaissance fairs to Steampunk festivals began in the early 2000s. After discovering Steampunk in 2011, he launched monthly events and co-created the Gears, Beards, & Beers competition. Partnering with DJ Van Helsteam, they later hosted the Monster Hunter Bash.
When Michigan’s Steampunk scene slowed during the pandemic, Jason found new inspiration at Art 634. In 2023, he launched Steampunk on the Bricks, a one-day festival that blends workshops, live performances, and integrated vendor experiences. Now in its second year, the event draws hundreds from across the Midwest thanks to support from Art 634, Experience Jackson, and Manchester Underground.
Jason is productive, often jumping from project to project—painting, cooking, woodworking—and he rarely sits still for too long.
“It’s kind of like checking things off a list,” he says. “One minute, I’m carving a walking stick, and the next, I’m painting a side table. It’s all over the place, but it works for me.”
Above all, Jason wants Yesterdream Studio to provide an antidote to the intensity of modern life.
“The world’s gotten meaner,” he says. “People are stressed out, trying to survive. We’ve lost compassion and grace. I wanted to build a space that reminds people to slow down, to breathe.”
His space also invites other artists, including his colleagues from Art 634, to collaborate and network, which helps create a productive, inspiring space for Jason to dabble and create.
“I just want to be around authenticity,” he says. “No personas, no fakeness. Just real people being real. That’s what this space is about.”
Driving back from Stockbridge, Michigan, on a super foggy morning, I drove through the little village of Munith.
The truth is, throughout my life here, I haven’t ever seen Munith. It’s tiny—a village on the northeast edge of Jackson County.
But here I was on the first day of autumn, on the way back from Stockbridge, when an abandoned storage area caught my eye coming out of the mist.
It was the perfect pop-out-of-the-car-and-grab-some-pictures spot.
Shot on the Canon 5D (classic!) and EF 40mm f/2.8.
In my latest YouTube video, I test out several film-like Canon Picture Styles to see which of them can give Canon photographers that Fujifilm-like simulation experience.
Preslav Rachev left a comment asking for feedback on a Picture Style he recently developed, Cinematic Color Negative, and offered it up for a free trial.
Last weekend, I loaded up Preslav’s filmic emulation onto my Canon M6 and shot for an artist friend of mine at his Steampunk on the Bricks event here in Jackson, Michigan.
Overall? It’s good. I like the colors and contrast – it fits my style of shooting nicely.
The reds pop, and the greens are muted. That’s just what I’m looking for in my Canon film simulations. And in good lighting, skin tones are natural.
However, testing it out on our new baby niece, and in mixed lighting, the skin tones were a bit overpowering:
Everyone else’s skin tones looked okay, but poor Baby Iris. She got the neon orange treatment. It could be a combination of jaundice and a reddish skin hue.
The baby is an outlier. For the most part, Preslav’s Cinematic Color Negative Picture Style worked well over a weekend of shooting.
A few more RAW vs JPG shots for comparison (RAW is on the left):
My eye notes the subtle desaturation of the greens and blues. The top comparison makes that clear with the plants and the blue sky.
The bottom comparison is a little more subtle: contrast is up, and the house appears whiter in the JPG. Again, the sky in the back loses a bit of blue. Whites are whiter, blacks are blacker – both help increase the contrast.
Head to Gumroad, throw Preslav a buck or two, and try out Cinematic Color Negative yourself (and check out his photography too).
Thank you, Preslav!
This is an old neighborhood in Jackson, Michigan.
Here on Wildwood Ave and Edward St, behind the public high school, you can sense the age in the size of the homes and their proximity to downtown Jackson.
It’s quiet. A little under construction. And here on a sunny day in early May, there’s plenty to see.
Shot on the Canon M6 and EF-M 28mm macro.
It’s tough for me to make photos in cloudy conditions. I rely on sharp, dramatic sunlight for much of my work.
But here, on the northwest side of Jackson, Michigan, I gave it a good go around the Hibbard and Hallett Street neighborhood.
Instead of capturing light, I did my best to capture interesting settings, objects, or colors. If nothing else, it’s good for me to exercise the non-contrasty photography muscles.
Shot on the Canon M6 and EF-M 28mm macro lens.
Photos and videos are increasingly used for informational reasons rather than just for pure aesthetic and artistic purposes…Everyone is advertising everything. The idea of getting people to see, engage, and appreciate your still images feels so quaint in 2025.
Creativity and transformation define Logan Swoffer’s artistic journey.
As both a musician and printmaker, his artistic evolution is deeply tied to his lived experiences that were shaped by hardship, discovery, and ultimately, a second chance at life.
His near-death experience in 2023 profoundly changed his perspective, instilling a newfound appreciation for beauty and a drive to create.
Logan was born in Jackson, Michigan, but his journey took an early turn when he moved to Arizona with his mother and stepfather in the fifth grade.
Settling in Deer Creek near Flagstaff, he discovered his passion for music at 14, picking up the guitar and finding that creativity “flipped on like a light switch.” He also dabbled in graffiti and doodling, though his artistic pursuits remained mostly informal at the time.
In 2005, after high school, Logan began traveling back and forth between Arizona and Michigan. Eventually, he and his mother left Arizona for good, escaping a difficult situation with his stepfather. He reconnected with his biological father, a poet and printmaker, and the more time they spent together, the more Logan saw their similarities.
“He was a scoundrel, so I come by that naturally,” he jokes.
His father’s work in printmaking would later become a major influence on Logan’s artistic career.
During this period, Logan became immersed in the local Jackson music scene while working various jobs, including a long stint in medical billing. Music remained a core part of his identity, but his artistic journey had yet to fully take shape.
Years of heavy drinking caught up with Logan in 2023 when he fell critically ill.
At the time, he was working at Unleashed and Loving It when he began experiencing aches and fatigue. Friends and coworkers noticed his declining health, but it wasn’t until his mother intervened that he finally sought medical help.
Doctors diagnosed him with hepatic encephalopathy, a life-threatening condition caused by liver failure. Days away from death, Logan was rushed to Detroit for a liver transplant in May 2023.
Reflecting on this experience, he describes it as a complete transformation.
”I didn’t do a 180; I vanished and came back a different person,” Logan says. “One week you’re going to die, then you go to sleep and wake up a changed person. It’s a beautiful thing.”
His recovery was swift, but the experience left a profound impact on his outlook. Now immunocompromised and managing ongoing health risks, Logan embraces his “new normal” with gratitude and determination.
Following his transplant, Logan found himself drawn to beauty in a way he never had before. Seeing an Instagram post about printmaking ignited a deep passion within him.
“It lit me up like a firecracker,” he says.
Though he had never considered himself a visual artist, he quickly embraced the medium, exploring printmaking, watercolor, and mixed media.
“Maybe I got a bit of my liver donor’s soul, but something changed,” Logan says. “I saw things I didn’t use to see.”
His art often blends delicate floral imagery with bold political statements, advocating for trans rights and marginalized communities.
“Print is the perfect vessel. I can put it up wherever I want. Say what I want. The pointedness is out of necessity,” he says.
While he strives to balance political messages with beauty, he acknowledges that art is a powerful tool for activism.
Logan’s sobriety is deeply tied to his gratitude for the second chance he’s been given.
“I do it out of respect for my donor, who died and gifted me with this new lease on life,” he says.
He has since built a strong community of sober friends who support one another in their shared commitment to a healthier lifestyle. Since January 2024, Logan has been working out of Art 634, where he’s found another supportive and inspiring community.
“You could make art anywhere, but going to a creative space? I just love it here,” he says.
He hopes to contribute to Jackson’s cultural revival by expanding his reach through zines, exhibitions, and collaborative projects.
Looking ahead, Logan remains focused on growing his artistic presence.
“I could’ve gotten into archery or race cars, but I saw that printmaking video, and that’s what stuck,” he says.
Through music and printmaking, Logan channels his gratitude, using art as both a personal outlet and a means to inspire others.
Follow Logan on Instagram | Shop Logan's Store
To be around musicians as they make music? Try new things? Rehearse new songs?
It really is the best thing.
My wife’s band, the Harmony Gardeners, is working on original songs for their summer concert series and a new album. It was fun to grab some rehearsal photos with them in the studio.
Shot on the Canon EOS M and EF-M 22mm f/2.
True solitude is the boredom of hearing nothing but our own voice. That’s an increasingly rare occurrence.
When I worked close to an urban center – Ann Arbor and Albion, Michigan, for instance – exploring neighborhoods was a good way to get out, take a walk, and make photos of what I saw. I do it around my own neighborhood, too.
This style of photography reminds me of something William Eggleston would capture: the everyday life of an American town.
Lately, I’m making my way around local neighborhoods I don’t know well. This one, by the city’s primary high school, took me on streets I’ve never seen. I woke up early on a spring morning and took a walk to see what I could see.
Neighborhoods, with good light, are a constant source of good material. I could do this forever.
Shot with the Canon M6 and EF-M 28mm macro.
It’s hard being a serial hobbyist. Erin’s advice and strategy are solid.
Call this a love letter to a 13-year-old camera.
I purchased my Canon EOS M 12 years ago during a Canon fire sale. Very quickly, I appreciated the M’s size, portability, and image quality.
As the years went on, the M was always there. It went everywhere: to the beach, on family trips, on urbex adventures, and in my front seat as I drove around Michigan grabbing anything that caught my eye. The M is still my grab-and-go kit, my reliable everyday carry camera.
Last year, I tried to replace it – first with the M200 and then the M6. But like a comfy, broken-in pair of shoes, I kept the original M out of – what – loyalty? Insecurity?
I’m glad I did, because on my recent Detroit trip, my Canon M6’s shutter button started to malfunction. Then, in a terribly frustrating mishap, I dropped my M6 and the EF-M 22mm on a sidewalk, denting the lens and leaving scuff marks on the M6. I’ll have to replace the lens, which is expected. The drop was my fault. But the M6’s shutter button? It’s a known issue and it hit me at the most inconvenient time while we’re on vacation. Despite my attempts to fix it, the problem is still there, and repairing it will cost more than what the camera is worth.
I tried replacing the OG Canon M. Twice now. But the hits keep on hitting.
The first week I owned the M, back in 2013, I dropped it on a street. I was so mad at myself. Here was this brand-new camera, and I had already tried to wreck it.
Do you know what happened? Nothing. The M has consistently kept shooting ever since. Despite all the drops, all the bangs, all the dust and sand, it just keeps going. In 2013, I wrote:
The camera itself is a solidly-built little instrument. It feels dense, but not heavy, so that it feels like a good, quality hunk of camera.
Here we are, 12 years later, and that sentence is still true. No, the dial pad won’t let you go up in selections anymore, and yes, it flakes out now and again. But I’ll take manageable reliability over a complete lack of functionality during critical times.
I grew to love the M6, too. I love the look, the convenient dials, and the grip. But if the shutter button gives me problems, that becomes a core issue with the camera’s operation.
Luckily, I kept the M. It’s still my everyday carry, it still travels in my vehicle front seat, and it’s still there when I need it. I could replace it with a new-in-box model, and it would probably last me another 12 years. Apart from my Canon 5D mark 1, it’s my favorite camera of all time. I talk lovingly about it in ways film photographers talk about the Leica M2 or M3, or Nikon users talk about the F series.
Canon’s M series is a dead system. I still love it.
I’m not sure where to go from here. But whichever way I go, the Canon M remains by my side.
All images captured on the Canon EOS M and EF-M 22mm f/2.
When Madison McCarver walked into 21Blooms Tattoo Studio in Jackson, portfolio in hand, she was terrified.
She was looking to leave her job in Toledo, where she had apprenticed and worked as a tattoo artist, but she wanted to be closer to home in Ann Arbor.
Taking a deep breath, she introduced herself to the 21Blooms team, laid out her work, and braced for rejection.
Instead, they simply asked, “When can you start?”
It was a moment of validation for Madison, who believes she manifested the life she wanted—one filled with good people, a welcoming environment, and creative freedom.
“This is a good environment,” she says. “Usually, I want to leave work and go home, but here, we’re hanging out in the studio until 8 p.m. because we love what we do.”
Art has always been Madison’s escape. As a child, she dabbled in fine arts, portraiture, and even fashion design. In school, her art teachers recognized her talent and submitted her work to competitions, boosting her confidence.
Though she once dreamed of moving to Los Angeles to study fashion, life took a different turn when she enrolled at Washtenaw Community College, where she fell in love with figurative arts and painting.
In 2020, stuck at home during the pandemic, Madison often found herself painting and drawing for 10 hours a day—until burnout set in.
Looking for a change, she took a job at a beauty spa in 2021 but quickly realized the environment wasn’t for her. When she got her first tattoo that year, something clicked. Madison realized tattoo art could become a career.
She started her tattoo apprenticeship that same year, driving from Ann Arbor to Toledo three times a week, practicing on fake skin for nearly a year before moving on to real clients. By 2022, she had graduated from her apprenticeship and officially entered the industry.
Now, three years in, she’s found her rhythm.
“This industry has its challenges, but at the end of the day, I get to draw on people,” Madison says. “Now, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.”
Madison’s art is a fusion of influences: her mother’s love of Rococo, the powerful works of Kehinde Wiley, and the delicate textures of Laura Brevner’s feminine portraits.
She leans into period fashion, the female form, and a mix of vibrant, poppy colors with classic undertones.
Music also plays a significant role in her creative process, from ‘70s funk and soul to modern pop.
“Music influences how I create art. I’m both visual and auditory,” she says. “And that’s my style: colorful, poppy, but classic.”
Early in her tattoo career, Madison needed a way to make ends meet, so she took a job as a painting instructor at a paint-and-pour studio. Teaching helped her develop patience, communication skills, and a fresh perspective on art.
One moment that stuck with her was working with an older couple who doubted their abilities.
“I had to reassure them: ‘It doesn’t have to look like mine,’” she says.
When they later told her she was an excellent teacher, it reminded her of the impact art—and encouragement—can have on people’s lives.
Looking ahead, Madison wants to continue exploring new artistic avenues. She still paints and is learning oil techniques, dreams of a solo art show, and even dabbles in fashion and cosplay. While tattooing remains her main focus, she hopes to blend her passions in unexpected ways.
“My canvas is skin, but I still love painting,” she says. “I just have to figure out how to meld the two.”
Madison manifested art into her life. Now she can’t live without it.
“If I don’t have art, I might die,” she laughs.
Luckily, at 21Blooms, she’s found a community that supports her growth, shares clients based on specialties, and encourages creativity.
“I’m a lot happier here. Things are good.”
Follow Madison Sky on Instagram | Madison Sky at 21 Blooms Tattoo Studio
Over the last few months, I’ve spent a lot of time testing Picture Styles – Canon’s version of Fujifilm’s in-camera film emulations.
I’m not typically a JPEG shooter. I prefer to grab my RAW files and edit them in Lightroom, but in a few cases, using film-like simulations was very efficient and convenient.
In this video, I show the results of those tests and try to explain the benefits of shooting with Picture Styles. It’s also a nice option for those Fuji users if they ever have to pick up a Canon camera and shoot film-like emulations. Picture Styles don’t have the legacy of Fuji making their own film, but it gets you pretty close.
There are two groups of Picture Styles I tested:
You can read my individual reviews of these picture styles:
Canon also lets you build your own Picture Styles using the Picture Style Editor software.
Black and white is tough.
You’d think shooting monochrome with only two “colors” – black and white – would be easy. But photographers’ opinions on black and white film and presets are almost as strong and varied as their opinions on camera companies.
Canon’s standard monochrome picture profile setting is…fine. It’s just not special or unique.
But thanks to the power of custom picture profiles and film simulations, you can get the look of Kodak T-Max film on your digital Canon EOS camera.
This T-Max film emulation comes from the Vision Wrangler collection – like the previous Kodachrome film style.
I took a sunny, spring evening in downtown Jackson, Michigan, to try out this black and white emulation. Maybe it was the lighting, maybe it was the simulation, but this was good stuff.
For a contrast-y film simulation, this T-Max picture profile was a good walk-around monochrome standard. If you want to shoot JPGs and not worry about editing, this film emulation is reliable and consistent.
My one suggestion with this profile is to try cranking up the ISO setting on your digital Canon to get more of a filmic grain.
But the deep blacks and good microcontrast? It’s all here.
Here’s how to install picture profiles on your own Canon digital camera.
Shot on the Canon EOS M and EF-M 22mm f/2.
I try so hard to not be trendy. But here I am rucking around the neighborhood.
It is good exercise, and I walk all the time anyway.
As my joints ache, I notice that there’s a time of year, in the early spring, when the trees and bushes haven’t budded yet. At the edges of the day, in the morning and evening, the trees cast these stark, defined shadows on buildings.
I tried to think of a name for this phenomenon. The best I could do: bare limb shadows.
Shot on the Canon M6 and EF-M 22mm f/2.
Spring has finally – and for real – sprung here in Jackson, Michigan.
I woke up early on a Saturday morning, just as the sun was coming up, to walk around Sparks County Park (popularly known as the home of the Cascades) to hear the geese fighting in the water and watch the last of the frost melt away.
Shot on the Canon M6 and EF-M 15-45mm.
Much like last year, we stuck close to home for spring break – this time, to downtown Detroit, Michigan.
One of the largest markets in the country, Eastern Market was fairly quiet in late March. It’s not quite farmers market season yet.
We still saw, and tasted, plenty.
Mondays are quiet, so we took the People Mover downtown to stroll around the Renaissance Center and midtown.
That might have been a mistake. First, it was chilly, with the buildings acting as a wind tunnel for a cold breeze off of the Detroit River.
Second, we had a few mishaps, including me dropping my Canon M6 and busting my beloved EF-M 22mm lens.
So we headed back to the hotel and just chilled. It wasn’t worth it outside.
This was my jam.
The DIA is a world-class art museum, and the light was just perfect inside to get some dramatic shots inside the main hall and near the Diego Rivera mural.
After the museum, we ate at Hop Cat and watched the Detroit Qline come and go.
A few more photos as we finish up at the hotel, have some diner-style breakfast, and head back to Jackson.
All images captured on a busted-ass Canon M6 and a variety of EF-M lenses.
An oldie but goodie: Merlin Mann, giving the same advice on writing as Nike does for sports: just do it.
Take this advice for any hobby.
Last year, Jaime and I visited Monterrey, Mexico, for work.
My wife and I have been to Mexico several times, but Monterrey was new for us. On the first day, we visited the Macroplaza – the main square in the heart of the city, home to museums, government buildings, and a riverwalk.
It was busy: tons of people strolling the main plaza, selling goods, and enjoying the city. What’s so fun about traveling is to be a stranger in a strange land, and to observe.
Be there with a camera and capture what’s interesting.
After a river boat ride on the Santa Lucia riverway into Parque Fundidora, we strolled through the Barrio Antigua neighborhood just in time to browse a flea market on the street.
We grabbed dinner and stepped inside the largest antique store we’d ever seen – a multi-story museum of collectibles.
Colors, light, sound, smells – it was a great first day in a new Mexican city.
Photos shot on the Canon M6 and EF-M 32mm and 22mm lenses.
