Photo of the Week

This photo was taken in January 2026. I was experimenting with black and white photography

Shot with Cannon R5 and RF 600 mm lens along the Salt River

National MMIW Awareness Day

National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Awareness Day was May 5th. It was established in 2017 to honor Hanna Harris, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe who went missing in 2013. The day kicks off a Week of Action where advocates, such as the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC), encourage wearing red, attending marches, or hosting events to raise awareness. Red is the color worn to represent the lost, as it is believed to be the only color spirits see.

According to data from the National Institute of Justice and Indian Affairs, more than 4 in 5 (84.3%) American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime. Murder is the third leading cause of death for Indigenous women aged 10–24, with rates up to 10 times higher than the national average in some jurisdictions. Approximately 67% of assaults involve non-Indigenous perpetrators. Approximately 95% of cases identified by the Urban Indian Health Institute had not been covered by mainstream media. This is a national crisis.

I ask you all to wear red this week to honor our sisters who are missing or have been murdered. That is the very least we can do.

If you want to learn more check out the National Indigenous Womens Resorce Center at: https://www.niwrc.org/restoration-magazine/february-2020/national-day-awareness-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-may

If you would like to see more of my writing, check out my Substack at: https://macturkphotos.substack.com/

Figuring out my next move

I’ve been mulling over my next move but I’m not ready to announce anything yet. Will probably have a decision by next week and get back on the road. Until then, here’s a picture I took last year.

Sunshine Horses

I thoroughly enjoyed my time back in Syracuse. The last few years before I left, I spent my Sunday mornings volunteering for Sunshine Horses. Their motto is: Helping Horses Helping People. At the time I started, they helped me so much without ever knowing it. It was after covid lockdown and I just needed something to do for my mental health. I’ve always loved animals, especially dogs. I was initially going to volunteer for a dog rescue but I knew I would want to bring every dog I met home with me. I had visited an open house at Sunshine many years before in their old location. I decided to give it a try. I knew nothing about horses when I started. I was immediately hooked and fell in love with all the horses. They became my therapist, my confidant and my sounding board. I would tell then all about my week, the stress, the ups and downs. Then I started to feel better. My Sunday crew became my friends, we talked about our lives and families as we cleaned stalls. We even sometimes got together outside of our Sunday mornings for ball games and birthdays.

This past Sunday, I stopped by the farm to see my crew. Some faces have changed but it was an absolute thrill to see everyone. There were lots of new horses and some familiar ones. A couple of my favorites have moved on to their forever homes but I fell in love with a newer horse named Sadie. She recently came to the farm from a terrible neglect situation with three other horses. She is an absolute sweetheart. Gentle and kind.

I mean, look at that face. How can you resist it? Their 7th annual gala is this Saturday, May 9th. It is a big fundraiser for the farm. They also offer month horse sponsorships. Please check out their website: https://www.sunshinehorses.org/

I know things are tough and money is stretched very thin these days. If you live in the Syracuse area, please consider volunteering. They have morning and afternoon slots. You won’t regret it, I promise.

If you would like to check out more of my writing or subscribe to my free monthly newsletter, you can check out my Substack: https://macturkphotos.substack.com/

Have a great week.

Photo of the Week

Without further ado…..

This image was made in 2024 in Arizona, near the Salt River. It was my first time in this area and I was on a photo tour with a group of the most wonderful women. I shot this the first day at the river and is the reason I went back to that area this past winter. This beautiful young horse captured my heart.

Have a great weekend.

If you would like to see more of my writing, check out my Substack at https://macturkphotos.substack.com/

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge

When I lived in Syracuse NY, I was lucky enough to live close to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. If you have ever travelled between Rochester and Syracuse on I-90, you will pass by the big eagle sculpture that is part of the refuge. When I first got into learning photography, I started with birds. Birds are easy to find. You can photograph them in cities and rural areas. They are everywhere. The refuge was one of the places I would frequently visit. I would take Wildlife Drive and pass marshes, ponds, and a river to see all kinds of birds. That’s how I started my photography journey. Today I went back with a friend. It was a cold and windy and we didn’t see many birds but we did see something cool. All of a sudden two birds popped up into the sky with one chasing the other. It was a juvenile bald eagle chasing an osprey. This lasted for a few minutes as we watched and a second adult bald eagle joined in. A minute later it was over and the birds went their separate ways with no harm done. It was a sight I had never seen before and I couldn’t believe our luck. They were pretty far away so I didn’t get any pictures but this was such a great day. One I’ll never forget.

If you want to see more of my writing, check out my Substack: https://macturkphotos.substack.com/

Is it failure or a learning experience

I hope some of you checked out the video I posted on Substack, a behind the scenes of sort from a day in the field last week. The video was shot shortly after I arrived at my location. Let’s just say it wasn’t my most successful day of shooting.

This was the only “usable” shot I got and it isn’t the best shot.

American Kestral

This is an American Kestral (Falco sparverius). The picture is not great at all but it was the first time I got a picture of this bird so I will keep it for reference purposes. This happens when you’re out photographing. Sometimes you just don’t get any great shots. The key is patience and just enjoying being out in nature. If you keep this in mind, you will never have a bad day in the field.

You can see the video on my Substack at https://macturkphotos.substack.com/. There is also some additional stories about my travels. Check it out.

Back in my old stomping grounds.

I arrived back in the place I left (Syracuse, NY) last June on Sunday. We will be here for a week before heading out again. Of course I will be catching up with friends but I have a couple of photo spots I want to check out. It will be a good time.

If you have some time, check out my Substack. I posted a little behind the scenes video from last week.

Link is below or https://macturkphotos.substack.com/

It also contains some additional writing from the past few months.

Have a great week.

Photo of the Week

I was experimenting with side light in this photo for a project. I hope you like this beautiful Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) on a windy day in Syracuse, NY. I would love your feedback on the photo.

Back in the field

Finally I was out photographing early this morning and it felt so good. I went to the Wallkill River National Wildlife Preserve and it was beautiful.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see a lot of birds but that wasn’t the point. I spent a cold but pleasant morning sitting in a marsh area. I mostly got “bird on stick” photos but I didn’t care. I was outside doing what I love. Can’t wait to go back out tomorrow.

Happy Earth Day

On April 22, 1970, an estimated 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthier, more sustainable environment. It remains one of the largest civic demonstrations in history. This was the birth of Earth Day. It inspired immediate action in the United States. By the end of 1970, landmark environmental legislation was passed like The Clean Air Act, The Clean Water Act and The Endangered Species Act among others. Today, it is recognized globally as one of the largest observances, with over a billion people in nearly 200 countries participating each year. The United Nations chose Earth Day 2016 as the day to sign the landmark Paris Agreement, a major international accord on climate change.

As is normal in US politics, the government has systematically tried to dismantle these laws since their passage. The fight continues more than 50 years later and is not slowing down. You might ber thinking I’m one person, what can I do? The short answer is a lot! Simple things like recycling, planting native flowers and trees, picking up trash if you see it, and conserving energy/water. Make sure your state and federal legislators know about the issues. You may or may not be shocked at how little our legislators and their staff know about issues across the country. Make them aware. They have local and federal offices you can call, they accept emails and letters with addresses readily available. If you need help with this, I have sample scripts that I’m more than happy to share. There is legislation regarding delisting and amendments to The Endangered Species Act, regulatory rollbacks at the EPA, increasing drilling and mining of our public lands, and farm pesticide liability issues pending at the federal level. This is in addition to several issues at the state levels.

We only have this one planet to live on and we must protect it at all costs for future generations.

Scouting

I discussed how I scout new places in a prior post. I planned to come to New York several months ago, mainly to visit the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, NY. Unfortunately, it is closed to the public until 2027. I was hoping another source may be able to get me in but that did not materialize. I will talk a little about the Wolf Conservation Center later this week. Since that plan was a little up in the air I had to make a plan b just in case. Before I left Indiana, I did some cursory research on other potential photography areas. I found the Wallkill River National Wildlife Preserve. It looked interesting for bird photography so I decided I would check it out. Since I’m here for five days, today would be my day to scout out the area. I wanted to get a feel for the drive (35 miles on back roads) and pick out good areas to set up for the birds. I totally made a rookie mistake that I shouldn’t be making anymore. Although I had done some research ahead of time, I never actually went on the preserve’s website. My goal for today was to locate the preserve, get a paper map (yes, I love paper maps) and speak with someone about the best areas for photographs. If I had gone to the website, I would have seen that the preserves in this area are scheduling controlled burns this month. I also would have noticed that the visitor center is only open by appointment. Needless to say, I didn’t find out any of this information until I got there. Now this didn’t ruin my day by any means. I was wandering around an ran into a ranger. He explained the controlled burn and pointed out the area where it was going to take place. We also talked about the best areas to access for photography. In other words, I got lucky and accomplished most of what I went there for. The only thing I didn’t get is a map. So tomorrow will be an early morning as I plan to get out there for sunrise. Off to do a little more research before tomorrow.

Travel and set up day

After a great week with my girls today was a travel and camp set up day. We arrived in Wallkill, NY and set up camp. It was a long day of travel and it is COLD here. And it’s going to be colder tonight. Scout and I will be hunkering down for the night. Tomorrow will be a day to explore and get some supplies. I’m looking forward to getting back out into the field for the next few days. It has been way too long.

Here’s a photo of Scout being extra cute in the hotel room. He had a bed all to himself.

Photo of the Week

Without further ado……..

This photo was taken at the float plane airport in Anchorage AK. Additionally it was the summer solstice, longest day of the year. The shot was taken around 12:30 am, yes that is what sunset looks like on the summer solstice. I loved the way the sunset was reflecting off the plane. This was our third location of that night. I will have to share some of the other photos at a later time. I hope you enjoy this photo and get to Alaska to see that beautiful state.

Have a great weekend.

Locked in

As I sit here tonight writing this blog post, I feel a sense of accomplishment. When I come to these events, for me, it’s more about the social aspect than actually creating a lot of “stuff”. I probably spend as much time talking and meeting new people as I spend actually working on my endless list of projects. Today though, I was locked in, not only with ideas for my stuff but also coming up with ideas for things other people were working on. It always feels so good when those creative juices get flowing. I feel the same way when it comes to my photography. It is way more than just pushing the shutter when you see something. What are you trying to convey with a photo? What feelings are you trying to illicit with in your viewer? These themes run throughout both of the creative endeavors I partake in. Though it seems like I have taken a break, I feel like so much of what I’ve done, seen, and discussed this week I will be able to transfer over when I’m out in the field next week

Check back tomorrow for the photo of the week. I love sharing meaningful images with everyone.

The people you meet along the way….

I met this amazing woman by chance at a craft event (crop) we think in 2015. I’ve thanked my lucky stars every day since.

It’s always find weird how the people you need in your life somehow find you. My friend, Lori, is probably the kindest person I know. She’s smart, fierce, a kick ass business woman, mother and wife. Even before I started living on the road we didn’t get to spend nearly enough time together as we lived quite far apart. It didn’t matter because as soon as we see each other, it’s that familiarity built over the years. We could and have, sat for hours just talking about anything and everything. I cherish every moment we get to “hang out” together. It is even more special as this year our group is missing one of our most important members, Amanda. We are all doing a pretty good job of keeping it “together” and remembering all the great times we’ve had at these very tables creating and chatting.

Please don’t wait until you lose someone to show your appreciation to those you love. Make that call. Facetime your people just to say hi. You will never regret it. I would lay down my life for these ladies and their families. I hope they know how much I love them.

Today is all about Scout

Today is all about my peculiar pup.

I remember the day I adopted you. You were so painfully shy and the rescue was so loud with all the barking. I could see the stress on your face. I sat on that floor for over a half hour and you didn’t pay any attention to me. I knew at that moment that I had to adopt you. I got you in the Jeep and you cowered on the floor but when I got you home, you climbed up on the couch with me an fell asleep. I think you knew you were safe and home. It has been quite the adventure for us. You are still shy and a little weird but I couldn’t imagine my life without you. You still lie on the floor of the car when we travel but you have turned into the best travel buddy a girl could ask for. Loud noises scare you. You are not nearly as shy and even let strangers pet you. I can’t wait to see where the wind takes us next. I will love you forever buddy.

This week is different.

I travelled to the Cleveland OH area today. This wee will be different. I spend this week hanging our with my soul sisters crafting, laughing, busting chops, and there will probably be a little crying as we miss Amanda. I don’t know what I would do without these ladies. They mean the absolute world to me (John too).

Photo of the Week

Without further ado……

This is one of my very earliest photos when I was just learning. A flaconer brought her birds in for us to photograph. Meet Mama the barn owl. It was such a learning experience for me. I worked on photographing birds in flight and bird portraits like this one. I even got to hold a bird.

This photograph is from 2015, boy do I look young here. Minutes after this picture was taken, this falcon spit up its pellet. It was gross and fascinating at the same time. I hope you are enjoying the photo of the week. See you on Monday.

My favorite guy

Today I did…..nothing. That’s it. I did nothing. It was just one of those days. My buddy Scout, kept me company doing nothing. Check back tomorrow, I promise a photo of the week.