Place and Presence - Craig Douglas Gephart, Photographer

08/15/2026

A couple of shots with the Leica iOS app. Still my most often used iPhone camera app. It just works the way I want a camera to work. No frills. Just predictable results. I think Aperture mode does a really nice job, easily.

08/11/2026

In case you haven't noticed, Place and Presence has gotten more consistent in its branding over the past several days. Yesterday, the www.placeandpresence.com domain was officially connected to my Substack account. My portfolio at Adobe is now a subdomain of www.placeandpresence.com; it's not perfect due to restrictions by both Substack and Adobe, but it at least shares a consistent domain name; https://portfolio.placeandpresence.com. My Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky accounts have all had their usernames changed over to placeandpresence and the banners updated to ensure greater consistency. Things are coming together in a more permanent way!

Sharing photographs and stories that highlight the beauty and goodness that show up in everyday life — real moments that breathe wonder back into the world. All original images are Copyrighted by Craig Douglas Gephart. Click to read Place and Presence - Craig Douglas Gephart, Photographer, a Subst...

08/08/2026

Times are changing. AI is a two-edged sword we must figure out if and how we can adapt to it. I’ve followed Robin’s Lenscraft publication for several years. I hope he and other creatives who operate small businesses find a way to survive. Read his opening article in the link below.

08/08/2026

Mark is right. While I don’t have any of the Fujifilm X100 models, my XT5, with the TTArtisans 25mm f2 lens, still feels surprisingly compact and has made shooting convenient and fun. I find myself carrying it more often than I ever did with my other cameras (and it’s a more creative and capable tool than any smartphone I have ever owned). In fact, I take my XT5 with me most places, just in case I see something I want to capture.

*Go to https://squarespace.com/markdenney to get a free trial and 1...

08/05/2026

Since moving to a Fujifilm XT5 at the end of 2025, this has become my favorite setup for documentary style photography:

Fujifilm XT5
TTArtistans 25mm f/2 prime lens
Haoge LH-F48B lens hood
Color and Black & White Recipes in the style of William Albert Allard designed specifically for the lens.

Other lenses I own but use much less frequently:
FUJINON XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR
7Artisans 35mm f/0.95

08/02/2026

Yesterday I visited Shelburne Falls, MA. See much more at https://craigdouglasphotography.substack.com/p/a-visit-to-shelburne-falls-ma

07/25/2026

If you enjoy photos that accompany personal reflections from backroad journeys and backyard discovery, you'll want to check out my blog at https://placeandpresence.com.

07/19/2026

The other day I was thinking about the fact lenses from different manufacturers often have unique rendering qualities. I decided to ask ChatGPT to create a color and a monochrome recipe to work with my TTArtisans 25mm f/2. I may back the softening off a notch but I really like the SOOC images it creates on this $60 lens.

07/16/2026

https://open.substack.com/pub/craigdouglasphotography/p/why-do-i-photograph?r=yzxdm&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

I asked ChatGPT based on interactions I've had with it over the past several months.