McMullen Photography

10/05/2026

The Cubism Experiment

My favorite art movement, the one I return to again and again, is Cubism. What Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso set out to do was paint a three dimensional object or scene on a flat plane. Where artists traditionally used light and shadow to depict the illusion of form and depth, Braque and Picasso went a step further and depicted the depth and form by breaking up the perspective....

09/14/2026

Black and White is Not a Filter

Oftentimes on forums and social media, you'll see photographers -- especially new photographers -- posting two versions of the same picture asking "do you prefer the color or the black and white?" Usually they took the image in color and then slapped a black and white filter on it, so it looks more Fine Art. But black and white, monochrome, grayscale, whatever you want to call it, is not a filter....

Oftentimes on forums and social media, you’ll see photographers — especially new photographers — posting two versions of the same picture asking “do you prefer the color or …

09/07/2026

Happiness is a 50mm (equivalent) and a warm puppy

First off, everyone, meet Jimothy Christmas Carter, the newest addition to our family. He is a five month old dachshund/??? mix and likes exploring the world teeth first. Now, onto the photography part. The above image was taken with a 75mm 2.8 lens on my Pentax 645z. Being medium format, the 75mm is the equivalent of a 50mm. I, like most photographers, started out with the cheapest lens I could find when I bought my first camera which happened to be a 50mm....

06/21/2026

Connla and the Fairy Maiden – Celtic Mythology Series No. 1

"The ocean is not so strong as the waves of thy longing. Come with me in my curragh, the gleaming, straight-gliding crystal canoe. Soon we can reach Boadag's realm. I see the bright sun sink, yet far as it is, we can reach it before dark. There is, too, another land worthy of thy journey, a land joyous to all that seek it....

06/05/2026

Art & Fear

After years of hearing nothing but great things, and a mention in Sally Mann's Art Work: On the Creative Life, I finally got a copy of Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland. And I have to say, it is every bit as good as every one said it was. I've highlighted, like with a highlighter, parts of this book....

After years of hearing nothing but great things, and a mention in Sally Mann’s Art Work: On the Creative Life, I finally got a copy of Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland. And I hav…

06/03/2026

Connla and the Fairy Maiden

"The ocean is not so strong as the waves of thy longing. Come with me in my curragh, the gleaming, straight-gliding crystal canoe. Soon we can reach Boadag's realm. I see the bright sun sink, yet far as it is, we can reach it before dark. There is, too, another land worthy of thy journey, a land joyous to all that seek it....

“The ocean is not so strong as the waves of thy longing. Come with me in my curragh, the gleaming, straight-gliding crystal canoe. Soon we can reach Boadag’s realm. I see the bright sun…

05/31/2026

“Real Photographers Shoot Film”

You need not dig very far into the photography discourse to find the familiar refrain. "Real photographers shoot film." It's said effortlessly, almost zombie-like, in comment sections and forum postings. In fact, it's said so often, some might be inclined to think it's true. My most recent interaction with this particular nugget of immortal wisdom was on an Instagram reel. A street photographer walked up to a guy, took his picture, and the guy responded "Real photographers shoot film," before walking away, victorious in his battle against mediocrity....

You need not dig very far into the photography discourse to find the familiar refrain. “Real photographers shoot film.” It’s said effortlessly, almost zombie-like, in comment sect…

05/14/2026

Postcrossing – March to May 2026

Here are the postcards I have received since I began Postcrossing. They range from as far as Japan and as close as Tennessee. I've sent 11 so far. The only one still traveling is going to Ukraine and, well, you can probably guess why it hasn't made it yet. Happy Postcrossing!

Here are the postcards I have received since I began Postcrossing. They range from as far as Japan and as close as Tennessee. I’ve sent 11 so far. The only one still traveling is going to Ukr…

04/09/2026

Toy Photography – The Master Studies

I've been toying (lol) with the idea of doing action figure, scale model, and diorama photography for a while. My post The Calm After the Storm was my first diorama build. This is a custom character that I'll be using in a small series.

I’ve been toying (lol) with the idea of doing action figure, scale model, and diorama photography for a while. My post The Calm After the Storm was my first diorama build. This is a custom ch…

03/27/2026

Postcrossing

I discovered Postcrossing recently and decided it fit neatly into my goal of being less chronically, and chaotically, online. Postcrossing is a website that facilitates the sending and receiving of postcards to people all over the world. I immediately loved the serendipity of it. It satisfies my interest in physical media, ephemera, and human story. And the excuse to buy more fountain pen ink and have my photos printed onto postcards doesn't hurt....

I discovered Postcrossing recently and decided it fit neatly into my goal of being less chronically, and chaotically, online. Postcrossing is a website that facilitates the sending and receiving of…