My home state of Oklahoma sits at the southern end of the Great Plains, bridging the Midwest, Southeast, and the Southwest while resting atop Texas as a cozy hat. When people who have never visited ask me to describe my home state, I find it […]
Author: Jeff Bell
The Wichita Mountains – The Most Beautiful Place in America You’ve Never Heard Of
Most people don’t know this, but when God made the Earth, he spilled a bit of Colorado in southwest Oklahoma. It was late on the 6th day, and he was tired, so he left it. That bit of Rocky Mountains in the Great Plains is […]
Happy Birthday America! I hope you get many more, but I’m worried.
Happy Birthday, America. It is July 4, 2022. You look a little haggard these days, but then again, you are 226. I hope you have hundreds more as a vibrant democracy, serving as a “city on a hill.” But I’m afraid your run as a […]
How Oklahoma Became the Marijuana Capital of the World.
Oklahoma, the land of God, guns, and…ganja? Visiting my home state for the first time in three years, the sheer number of medical marijuana dispensaries that cropped up in that time blew my mind. I started doing a little research, and what I found blew […]
Okie Repeat, Part II
Hilltop Cross For Medicinal Purposes Only Defunct Garage ‘Murica Murals Out of Gas Old West Bank Ameriguns Empty Calories Coke on Main Okie Repeat, Part I
Okie Repeat, Part I
I wrote in my last post that I love photographing small town Oklahoma because the towns have unique buildings and their own charm and character. However, as I photographed more places on my recent trip, I started to see patterns and similarities, some obvious, others […]
Why I Love Photographing Small Town Oklahoma
On a sunny Sunday morning, I pulled into Carmen, Oklahoma, parked my car, and started walking down the deserted Main Street. Carmen is a town of 355 people in western Oklahoma, far from any major road. I saw absolutely no signs of life as I […]
Oklahoma Encounters
I was taking photos in downtown Snyder, Oklahoma, when a man approached me and said, “If you want to learn about the history of this town, go in that store and talk to A.J. He knows everything about this place.” The man proceeded to tell […]
Luang Prabang in Photos
“What is your favorite place?” This is a question I get often, and at the risk of sounding pretentious, it is nearly impossible to answer. I have had the great fortune to travel all over the world, and for various reasons, I have dozens of […]
Snapshots of Nong Khiaw – The Adventure Capital of Laos
After five days of sunset cruises, overpriced lattes, and western food in the tourist enclave of Luang Prabang, I forgot that Laos is one of the wildest countries in Asia. I was rudely reminded of this fact when we went to the bus station and […]
Trekking in Nong Khiaw, or An Unexpected New Year’s Party
As I stood there dressed in Hmong celebratory regalia holding a shot of homemade rice whiskey about to lead a dance among highland villagers, I pondered our serendipitous turn-of-events. I signed up for a trek in the mountains of Laos to see waterfalls and nature […]
My Top 10 Photos of 2019
Each December, I sort through my photos from the last 12 months and pick my ten best. This exercise allows me to reflect on the year and also see if my photography is improving. During the process, I rediscover old photos buried in the pile, […]
Planet Bell 