Dowling Studio

06/16/2026

So, I should be editing photos right now. But she is purring.

06/16/2026

06/16/2026

You know those lovely photos we show of the night sky? It really looks like we have our stuff together. Clay was really excited about clear skies last night, so he went out to photograph the Milky Way in a location he's wanted to use for a long time.

Complications arise after he finished his blue hour foreground capture. When he went to do the sky exposure he couldn't make out the Milky Way clearly. A quick check of Stellarium showed that the Milky Way would remain washed out by the city lights of Ann Arbor until sometime around 3am.

06/14/2026

A heads up for anyone heading out to Art Hop on Sunday: Because of thunderstorms opening is delayed until 12:30. We'll be staying open until 5:30 to give you some extra time.

06/12/2026

This is the back of one of our framing orders. It's very -not- sexy, but there's important stuff that happens on the back of a frame. The most obvious is our Certificate of Authenticity. We've started including these with all of our photos. It's a sort of proof that you have an authorized print from our limited edition, including the number in the edition and the edition size.

The second thing is the brown paper back. It's thoroughly unsexy, but it's important. It's called a dust cover, and it's to keep dust from creeping into the picture, under the glass. It slows air exchange overall, which helps to limit warping over time as humidity changes with the seasons. Also, and this is really important, it makes it a lot harder for bugs to get into your picture. Bugs love paper, and they love tight places. When we first started we used a metal frame that didn't allow us to put a dust cover on, and it wasn't uncommon to find a bug that has insinuated itself under the glass overnight. It's been over a year since we displayed metal frames at shows, and we still sometimes find a big co**se trapped in one of the old metal frames at home.

We also use a traditional wire hanger. It's not a big deal, but we find them somewhat easier to hang without the hook showing than a sawtooth.

06/08/2026

An order with custom framing ready to ship out. All of our prints are signed, limited edition giclee prints. Our oak framing uses wood from Clay's parents' property, and emphasizes the natural variations in red oak.

06/05/2026

A custom frame for an order that will go out. These lovely patches of color come from accepting the oak as it is, and appreciating its uniqueness.

05/31/2026

We're here at the south end of Main Street in Midland, across from Three Bridges Distillery. Come get some photography today

05/28/2026

As photographers, we are selling captured light. We need light on our work to show it well. The new portable power packs, and old school work light reflectors, are giving us an easy solution. The Elite 100 v2 can drive our six lights for two days without a recharge.

05/26/2026

Having a good looking display is something we struggle with. So this weekend when sensible people were relaxing, we were doing full setups and teardowns of our display. This is where we ended up, and so far I really like it.