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 […]
All posts tagged: oklahoma

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 […]

Western Oklahoma in Photos, Part IV
Let’s finish off this series with a few black and white shots. This concludes my series of photos from Western Oklahoma. Thanks to everyone who took the time to look at these photos and comment. Next, I’ll be writing about my three-week trip to Japan […]

Western Oklahoma in Photos, Part III
The camera records what is in front of it, but it doesn’t always tell the entire story. Since I’ve started posting photos of western Oklahoma on my blog and Instagram, I’ve had many comments about the apparently derelict condition of my home state. As a result, […]

Western Oklahoma in Photos, Part II
Note: I took these photos during July 2019. Photos from Western Oklahoma, Part I Let’s Connect: Instagram | Email

Western Oklahoma in Photos – Part I
Oklahoma is beautiful and photographically interesting. Growing up in Oklahoma, I never saw it this way. Now that I live abroad, I see the charm in the little cafes, the majesty in the open spaces, and the character of the small towns. Sometimes in life, […]