Journal Entries

I try to do or make interesting things on a regular basis. Here are some words and photos about my exploits.

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...

Saguaro National Park, Part 2

This week I made another trip down to Saguaro National Park to spend the day making tintypes. As I did last time, I parked in a turnout and spent the entire day photographing within a...

Saguaro National Park

As soon as Kari and I first made a quick loop through Saguaro National Park a few months ago I knew I could spend a lot of time there making tintype photographs of the many...

Lake Valley – Ghost Town

One of my reasons for driving at least 4000 miles to Ohio and back over the holidays (the trip ended up just over 6000 miles in total) was to be able to take my tintype...

Brad and Andrea

I recently drove from Arizona to Minnesota, by way of Ohio. Long story as to why I drove, but the point of this part of the story is that I stopped along the way in...

Custom ground glass covers

I am now making and selling custom ground glass protective covers for large format cameras! I have a few different options to start with, as well as some fun customization possibilities. Basic Design The covers...

Tintype Roadtrip: Southern Utah and Grand Canyon

The latest trip in my quest to photograph The West in tintype, as it might have been done as the region was first photographed in the mid-1800s, took me on a loop through southern Utah...

Bombing Range Camping Trip

Every year around the end of the fall semester, the Arizona State University photography graduate students head out to the desert for a camping weekend. This weekend their fearless leader Mark Klett took us to...

First welding project: bottle drying rack!

I have wanted to learn how to weld for years, decades maybe. Never got around to it. Looked into taking classes at a tech school back in Ohio, but it was several thousand dollars (no...