For the first time in several years, the Michiana area is experiencing a real winter—chilly temps topping out at 30° F on a good day, snowstorms or ice at least once every week, and recently a bitter wind that cuts right through my clothes. This isn't terribly out of the ordinary for the Midwest, nor is it the worst weather we could be having, but after several years of relatively mild winters, I'm definitely feeling the drag of depression that I associate with this time of year (we're going to ignore the fact that I felt depressed last year as well, despite the better temperatures). Looking back at last February, I can see that I was able to take advantage of the nicer weather to keep photographing at a solid pace; if January was about finding my footing again, then February was about me getting back in my groove, visiting new places and trying new things. Let's get into it!

As an initiative to keep us creatively energized, the Lab Rats did a "swap" project that February where we tried photographing in another member's style, after which we got together and presented our work, allowing the others to guess who we had imitated. I had drawn Tay Sharpe (@taysharpeshoots) for my person to imitate, so I decided to do portraits in black and white, as that's one of the hallmarks of her style. To do this, I enlisted my friend Nick once again, knowing after our first photoshoot that I could easily work with him to make some interesting photos! We shot at Beaver Point, a forested area on the campus of Andrews University that is bordered by the St Joe River, which has long been a source of inspiration for me. I was hoping that we could actually get in the water, as there's a part of this area where the river floods the forest at times, but it was far too cold for that, so we stuck to land for the most part. Despite this setback, we made several compelling photos at different spots here, including a few by the water's edge. I'm really not sure if I accomplished the goal of the project—I feel like I was just shooting as me, but with the visual elements Tay uses, rather than taking on more of her photographic philosophy. But that itself was an important lesson, that for me at this point in my artistic development, with my ways of thinking about and approaching photography, it's hard to really put myself in someone else's shoes, to photograph how they photograph. As it happens, I just modeled for Tay a couple of weeks ago, which gave me a greater understanding about her methods and how she approaches shoots, which was really cool to see! It helped me "get" her work more than just looking at it or shooting with black and white did, so I'm thankful that I got to do that! But I'm still not upset about the photos I took with Nick that sunny February day—they were fun to make, and it felt good to remind myself that I can successfully work with visual tools I don't often use!

*Nick Muraya*—*Beaver Point, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan.*

The next morning, as I arrived at work, I was struck by the beauty of the morning sun, illuminating the frost that remained on the grass after the previous night's cold. There is a sign on the building next to Gene's that has long frustrated my attempts to photograph it satisfactorily, and I sensed correctly that this morning was offering me the opportunity to capture it in the way I wanted. My final photo of this location presents the Area Hall sign being lit up from behind by the sun, messed up letters and broken glass clearly seen, while the Gene's sign behind it offers both a pop of contrast (the blue of the main sign) and a accompanying spot of yellow (the Nikon logo). Lincolnway West cuts through the rest of the frame, dividing the humbler buildings on the left side from the Liberty Tower downtown on the right. Everything lined up so nicely for this photo, and I'm pleased that I didn't waste the moment that was presented to me, the Ordered World calling my name. The other strong shot from this roll was another small business near Gene's, a house where two attorneys (supposedly) work, which lay in shadow as the golden light streamed through the alley behind it. Like in the Area Hall photo, the lighting makes the shot work, elevating what is otherwise a normal street scene into something beautiful. Shooting this roll was a great way to start the workweek, as well as kickstart my photography proper for the month, setting myself up for success from the beginning.

*Area Hall, Lincolnway West, South Bend, Indiana.*

*North Taylor Street, South Bend, Indiana.*

The centerpiece of the month for me, creatively and personally, was a trip that Malia and I took the next weekend to see her family, who live just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I have always joked that Pittsburgh is not a real place (either it doesn't exist at all, or is just a collection of bridges), but I was excited to get to know the city and its surrounding regions a little during the trip. Of course, most of my time was spent with Malia and her family, and it was really great to get to know them—and her through them—more, our few days there filled with delicious homemade food, hangouts at her aunt and uncle's beautiful home, and playtime with her nephew and nieces, who are at that age where they can be bodyslammed into a couch and simply get up and ask to do it again. Malia and I also got an evening to ourselves, doing a fun date night at the Carnegie Science Center, followed by baller tacos at a place near our hotel. In between all of this, though, I did find a little time to photograph, and the two rolls I shot there were the highlight of February! The second day we were there, we went to the city with Malia's dad, Michael, to experience one of Pittsburgh's famous Inclines, trams that travel up and down some of the sharper slopes in the area. During this adventure, we got a great view of downtown Pittsburgh from the south side, before taking the Monongahela Incline and walking about halfway across the Smithfield St. Bridge. My favorite part of this was finding a monument to Pittsburgh's historically huge steel industry, the "Lung of a Blast Furnace," which appears throughout my photos on this roll in various ways, first small in the landscape shots and then the proper subject of my favorite composition here, where it occupies the foreground while the skyscrapers of downtown are positioned in the back and to the left in the frame. Taking that photo, I felt once again like Joel Sternfeld or Stephen Shore, as the lighting, subject matter, and composition I chose all are reminiscent to me of their work. I could feel the Ordered World there with me as I made these images, and I am glad that, although I left that day with still only a surface level understanding of Pittsburgh, I nevertheless was able to make several photos that express the peace I felt in that moment!

*Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 218 Grandview Overlook.*

*Lung of a Blast Furnace, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.*

*Smithfield St. Bridge, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.*

The second roll I shot on that trip was taken in and around the town of Mars, Pennsylvania. In keeping with the unusual name, the inhabitants of Mars have made it a point to incorporate alien imagery into their storefronts, logos, and their most notable attraction, the Mars Flying Saucer that sits in the heart of town (yes, I tried taking a photo of it, and no, it didn't turn out the way I wanted). The morning before we left, I slipped away and explored the area, starting with Mount Olive Cemetery, which caught my eye due to the contrast of the clean but older headstones with the suburban development springing up around it. After this I started driving towards Mars proper, stopping once more on my way to photograph the sign for Mars Lanes, a bowling alley. The second composition I tried here ended up being my favorite from the roll; I was able to create a triangle of signs beginning with the Mars Lanes sign, moving left to the Auto Service sign, and finally back to the center, where I placed a third sign subframed within the foreground elements. The result is a shot that is deceptively simple, with details that might not be noticeable at first glance. With this photo locked down, I finally made it to the downtown area, finishing my roll as I walked through the mostly empty streets. Of these last images the strongest one presents an imposing church on Grand Avenue, bordered by a hardware store and a soon-to-be sold bank building. How do I know that the bank building was for sale? Someone approached me while I was taking this shot and asked if I was taking photos for the listing, which gave me a little bit of context for the scene even though I sadly had to say that no, I was not getting paid for this photo, or for any photo for that matter. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm happy that this photo taken in Mars, Pennsylvania carries no visual signifiers of where it was taken, none of the alien motifs that characterize this town. Places are not always special because they're unique, and the Ordered World can present itself to me regardless of location or any other factor. I left that day feeling, as I had before in Pittsburgh, that my time spent exploring this area was totally worth it; not only did I get to spend time with the one I love and people she cares about, but I also got another taste of the Transcendence that I crave. I hope to return to Pittsburgh in the future, but for now I am very happy with what I saw and photographed there!*

*Mount Olive Cemetery, Mars, Pennsylvania.*

Like I said, the Pittsburgh trip was the peak of my photographic experience last February, but I wasn't done shooting quite yet. About a week later, I took a little walk through downtown South Bend, resulting in exactly one photo I like, showing a wall overlaid by the shadows from a nearby tree. I enjoy the layers in this shot—the outlines of the bushes, then the branch shadows, and then the natural texture and patterns of the wall. It's simple but effective, and it demonstrates my growth in being able to find photos in places like this, where I have struggled in the past. After this roll I didn't go shooting again until the very end of the month, when I took a lunch break to visit Leeper Park again, enjoying the warmer weather on the banks of the St Joe River. Here I found another Sternfeld-esque composition, where I used a couple of trees and logs to divide the frame into roughly equal parts. For once I can't exactly explain what I enjoy about this photo, but I think it has something to do with the lone tree branch stretching off to the right, as well as the general brightness of the scene. A couple of days later, still enjoying the warmish temperatures, I went down to the Fisherman's Haven in Berrien Springs to finish the roll. I'd been there several times before, but never in winter, and I was happy to find a few icicles still hanging out in a few places, a set of which I included in one of the photos shown here. The sunset provided the perfect golden lighting for my exploration, and I made my way along the riverbank and then up a hill through some woods. Coming out of the trees onto a path that took me further up the hill, I found one more great photo, a relatively barren landscape where the only item of note is some snow that remains nestled in a crevice in the foreground. Like my shot from the Weko Beach Campground the previous October, there's almost nothing of interest in this frame. And like that image as well, I felt compelled to photograph it anyway. I am happy I did; once more following my instincts and the call of the Ordered World paid off, and I'm left with an understated photo that gets better the longer I look at it. It was a good way to end my shooting for February, too—a moment of quiet and calm after adventures near and far, the peace that followed me all month long coming to rest on a nondescript hill in Michigan. I love little pauses like this, and it was just what I needed as I continued to move forward in my year and in my shooting!

*Fisherman’s Haven, Berrien Springs, Michigan.*

*I also want to thank the fine folks at the FINDLab, who developed and scanned my film from that trip beautifully!

February 2024 - Rolls 153-158

© 2025 Jonathan Borton

February 2024 - Rolls 153-158

January 2024 - Rolls 149-152

© 2025 Jonathan Borton