Journal Entries
I try to do or make interesting things on a regular basis. Here are some words and photos about my exploits.
Great Tintype Adventure of 2017 (Part 3)
Wait a sec…”Part 3″? I thought the last Great Tintype Adventure of 2017 was “Part 1”?! Well, two answers. First, the original plan, back in July, was to start around Mexican Hat and work my ...
Excursion to the Toroweap Overlook
The plan for my big summer road trip was to end up at the Toroweap Overlook on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. That trip was interrupted, though, before I could make it back ...
Solar Eclipse of 2017, a Tintype Attempt
For various reasons I wasn’t planning on doing anything particularly special for the eclipse. I’d watch it myself, then get online and enjoy nice photos from other people. I definitely didn’t have the urge to ...
Great Tintype Adventure of 2017 (Part 1)
I have made several trips through southwest Utah in the past year, each time taking my little (and low-slung) Ford Focus further down dirt roads than I should, each time asking the guy changing my ...
Screenprinting: Road Trip T-Shirt!
One of the many things I’ve learned recently is how to screen print, at least one method of doing it. TechShop has a CNC vinyl cutter and a basic screen printing station, so I started ...
Reclaimed Wood Beam and Steel Plate Bench
About the same time I was working on my I-beam coffee table I was also creating another toe breaker / boat anchor, my Big Beam Bench. The wood beam was left over from a set ...
Steel I-Beam and Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table
A couple of months ago, while daydreaming about things to make with my newfound skills, I had the idea to use one of the most powerful tools at TechShop – a device that can cut ...
Road Trip: Nevada and California National Parks and Monuments
A friend of mine in Los Angeles recently bought one of my tintype photographs, and rather than entrust it to the postal system, I decided I needed to hand deliver it. (To be clear, in ...
DIY Recessed Lens Board: waterjet, powdercoating, and of course, lasers
I recently decided I needed a wider wide-angle lens to take in the vastness of some of the vistas out here in the west. So I found a little 65mm lens from my peeps at ...
Dawson’s Finest Reclaimed Wood and Steel End Table
Continuing in the theme of “Mark, I thought you were a photographer?!” I present: Dawson’s Finest Reclaimed Wood and Steel End Tables! Once I got into the metal shop and saw all the fun tools ...
Mark Dawson’s Best Campfire Beer Stake and Tequila Assistant
A couple of weeks ago I was laying in bed waiting on my turn in the bathroom, and was trying to think of something to make as something fun for an upcoming camping trip. One ...
Chiricahua National Monument
In terms of quantity of photographs, my trip last week to Chiricahua National Monument and parts of Coronado National Forest was not particularly productive. What I lacked in quantity, though, I feel like I made ...