Not getting those sweet likes on Instagram? Maybe you need a trip to Iceland, New York City, or some huge mountain.

I live in Nebraska. It’s not exactly known to be a mecca of photographic beauty, and in fact, a lot of people diss this place.

Flat. Repetitive. “Flyover Country.”

“All that’s out here is a bunch of dying small towns,” someone posted recently in a Facebook group for Nebraska photographers.

“Boring,” is how someone else put it.

I mean, c’mon! Nebraska has endless stories to tell, and these are not dead towns. They have vibrancy, texture, and heart.

I freaking love it here.

Last weekend I headed out to the Sandhills with a small group of photographers - and we had a blast. The weekend was an exercise in looking deeply and finding beauty in the commonplace.

I’ve grown up here, and learned photography in these fields.

I think it’s made me appreciate small things, like the light inside the lodge we stayed at in Valentine, NE.

It was a hunter’s lodge, so the decor was distinctly “hunter friendly” and worth taking the time to photograph a few details:

A few cars parked in front of a shed? PURE VISUAL GOLD:

Roadside scenes ask us to slow down and notice things, like this weird mix of new and old brands:

And small-town people can be some of the best you’ll ever meet - also worth noticing.

Small hikes on a nature preserve reveal scenes like these near Valentine, Nebraska:

We drove by dozens of small lakes and open range. The serenity of hearing the wind drift through these grasses is hard to describe.

Here’s a cow with a cooler-than-mine haircut:

The light, man. The light is amazing out here.

We also went on an amazing visit to feed Buffalo on the Golden Prairie Bison tour (highly recommended.)

We were all pretty dialed-in to this single tree near the Bison:

We saw some burrowing owls:

A Kestrel hovering in the wind:

And some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets I’ve seen in a while.

Boring? Flyover Country?

Nah. Not boring.

I think photographers who can’t find beauty here aren’t in a boring place - they just need to learn to “see.”

P.S. - If you’re getting this, you’re probably already subscribed to my newsletter, but please share this with any photography enthusiasts who are looking for inspiration, tips and a positive photo community (no judgement here)!

And as always, send me any questions you have or topics you’d like to see me cover in upcoming newsletters or YouTube videos (you can subscribe here).

More than anything, even if you don’t purchase a print, subscribing to my YouTube channel, watching some videos, and leaving me a comment about what you think is a great, free, way to support me!

Oh - and this post is 100% AI-free. Every title, sentence, misspelling, and mistake is mine, and I love that.

DEATH TO THE ROBOTS.

Comments? Leave them below or email me: jerredz@gmail.com

The OM SYSTEM PEN’s heritage dates back 67 years when 26-year-old Olympus camera designer, Yoshihisa Maitani, said, “I want to design a camera that becomes an inseparable part of the photographer, a camera that does not get in the way.”

Today, you can follow that heritage right into 2026 and the heart of the OM SYSTEM PEN.

This camera comes in for under $1,000, and yet it has zero weaknesses. There is no “catch.”

Here’s what it has:

• A beautiful, modern/retro-body using a rangefinder EVF.

• It’s wildly light, and meaningfully small. (393 grams)

• The new battery lasts all day.

• It’s got weather resistance.

• Fast and accurate autofocus for most uses (with people/pet subject detection that works really well).

• A Computational Photography button for High Resolution modes (both handheld and tripod), Focus Stacking, Live ND, HDR and Double Exposure.

• The Creative Dial is also present, allowing us to dial-in four color and four monochrome profiles with fully customizable settings. (These apply to both photo and video.)

• The PEN also exists within a fully built-out lens system that won’t break the bank and fits the form factor. There are some fantastic, small, light lenses perfect for the PEN that take advantage of the form factor and don’t cost thousands of dollars.

What are the downsides?

It’s got a standard, non premium EVF.

The video is 8-bit.

… that’s about it, unless you’re REALLY nitpicking an under-$1,000 camera.

Sometimes it’s weird for me to be a “camera reviewer.” I don’t really want to influence people into buying things. I’d rather them just go out and make art… but it’s just plain impossible to NOT recommend the PEN.

Small.

Light.

POWERFUL.

$1,000

And you know what? I took a decent amount of photos with the new kit lens, the14-42 f/3.5-5.6 III (revised to match the PEN’s weather resistance). You get it as a package if you pay $1,100 - and it’s a REALLY small, light, and useful lens. Without a doubt, it surprised me with the image quality:

However, the PEN REALLY shines in a way that respects its heritage with one of OM SYSTEM’s brilliant small, light primes.

The 17mm f/1.8II is the prime candidate for the PEN. Just about as small and light as you could hope, with stunning image quality:

Or how about the 45mm f/1.8? Again, brilliant and the weight/size barely registers.

The 20mm f/1.4 PRO is a killer lens when matched with the PEN. Perhaps it’s my favorite combination.

And of course, the venerable 12-45mm f/4 PRO is just so small and light while being incredibly sharp with wonderful rendering - it’s also just about perfect on the PEN.

What’s awesome is that this will get people into the OM SYSTEM ecosystem, where they’ll soon discover some other combinations, such as pairing the PEN with the 12-100mm f/4 PRO for the ultimate in versatility:

Or even the 50-200 f/2.8 PRO, which is in itself small and light for what it is, and it works wonderfully well with the PEN.

I took thousands of photographs with the PEN, from random shots of cats to my first Rodeo.

The thing is: it just doesn’t have a weakness. It focuses fast. It’s small. It’s light.

It’s got the CP button from the OM-3, which allows for quick access to the PEN’s computational Photography. This includes, for the PEN:

• Handheld and Tripod High Resolution Modes

• LIVE ND

• Focus Stacking

• HDR

• Double Exposure

These options allow more creativity while we are in the field:

And the PEN also has the Creative Dial, with 4 color and 4 monochrome profiles available. By themselves, these offer unique looks, but they allow photographers to create and share their own custom recipes.

For instance, in Kansas City, I visited the West Bottoms during harsh light. I used the Creative Dial to choose a profile, then flattened the highlights and adjusted the colors. I wanted the photos to have a cool, 80’s magazine vibe, and I think I succeeded:

(You can find the recipe at the bottom of this post).

The autofocus was great even during dim light, allowing me to capture shots like these at the Nebraska State Fair:

And finally, it all came into play for me when I met up with my friend Amanda for some fun portraits. I threw my camera on subject tracking, and her and I talked while I casually chose creative dial profiles to match the mood of the photo. I mostly just snapped away as we talked, and the PEN created some stunning images.

The final verdict for me: this is the best new camera you can buy for $1,000.

Get a small, light prime or zoom (even the 14-42 new kit lens does great!), and you’re set.

If you have time, check out my livestream with OM SYSTEM:

Questions? Just ask!

OM PEN RECIPE: 80’S MAG

CURVES: Shadows +3 Highlights -5 (Midtones 0)

Sharpness: +1

Contrast: -1

WHITE BALANCE: CWB: 5400K. A:5 M:6 (Or Auto White Balance in mixed/difficult indoor lighting)

P.S. - If you’re getting this, you’re probably already subscribed to my newsletter, but please share this with any photography enthusiasts who are looking for inspiration, tips and a positive photo community (no judgement here)!

And as always, send me any questions you have or topics you’d like to see me cover in upcoming newsletters or YouTube videos (you can subscribe here).

More than anything, even if you don’t purchase a print, subscribing to my YouTube channel, watching some videos, and leaving me a comment about what you think is a great, free, way to support me!

Oh - and this post is 100% AI-free. Every title, sentence, misspelling, and mistake is mine, and I love that.

DEATH TO THE ROBOTS.

Comments? Leave them below or email me: jerredz@gmail.com

Leave it to the pros.

Weddings are crazy: Equipment fails. People fail. The weather fails.

Weddings are the ultimate pressure cooker for new photographers, and there are 200 billion ways things can go wrong.

But man… I learned a LOT.

When I first started learning photography, I got a big camera.

If you’re a guy with a big camera, and someone is getting married… sometimes they ask you to take their wedding photographs.

And of course, when that happened to me, I said, “SURE! I can do that.”

I had no idea what I was in for. Holy cow… it was the most difficult thing I’d ever done… but it was also fun.

Pretty soon, my wife and I had a wedding photography business and we were doing a wedding nearly every weekend, sometimes more than one.

It was hard work. Long hours. Dozens of hours in the editing room were common. (We shot a BUNCH of weddings before Lightroom even existed.)

We did it for a while before our son was born, and our priorities changed. We wanted to be home with him more - so we shut down the biz. It seems like a million years ago.

Now, though, I look back at those photos and realize that so much of it created the foundation of my photography, even today.

Weddings forced me to adjust to an untold amount of variables, and demanded the absolute best of my skills every time I photographed one.

I had to learn how to handle ISO settings, especially on those ancient cameras I used to use.

Shutter speeds needed to be constantly monitored, especially in churches. A slow-walking bridesmaid is perfect at 1/125th of a second, but the flower girl who’s sprinting down the aisle like the universe is ending needs a faster shutter! Or a flash. or both.

The aperture is important because taking a photograph of 50 people in rows won’t turn out well if you’re shooting wide-open.

I had to learn how my autofocus worked in endless situations. I also had to learn how to disable autofocus to take over control in a split second.

And anticipation, rhythm, and movement were everything. We had to read the room and be ready for what’s next.

We had to tell stories… all while each and every moment of the wedding would only happen once, and often for a fraction of a moment.

And emotion. Emotion is everything.

Weddings taught me so many things, and while I’m grateful I’ll never do another one, in some ways weddings made me improve more than anything else I’ve done.

What I learned is that putting myself into new and interesting situations is important for my continued growth as a photographer.

I’m 51 but will never, ever even come close to “mastering” photography… and that’s fantastic.

I want to keep chasing, putting myself into new situations, and learning as I go.

P.S. - If you’re getting this, you’re probably already subscribed to my newsletter, but please share this with any photography enthusiasts who are looking for inspiration, tips and a positive photo community (no judgement here)!

And as always, send me any questions you have or topics you’d like to see me cover in upcoming newsletters or YouTube videos (you can subscribe here).

More than anything, even if you don’t purchase a print, subscribing to my YouTube channel, watching some videos, and leaving me a comment about what you think is a great, free, way to support me!

Oh - and this post is 100% AI-free. Every title, sentence, misspelling, and mistake is mine, and I love that.

DEATH TO THE ROBOTS.

Comments? Leave them below or email me: jerredz@gmail.com

I still shoot RAW + JPEG (RAW files are good as a backup for difficult situations), but I now mostly focus on jpegs, and it’s been a huge boost to my creativity.

I’m here to be a champion for creative JPEGS!

Because, I most definitely wasn’t always like this.

The art filters, the borders, the funky color profiles, and the blur you can add to the top and bottom of a frame were things I thought no “real” photographer should ever touch.

The prevailing advice from experts is almost always to shoot RAW only. That’s way more “PRO.”

I mean, look at this dude, who shoots RAW as his entire IDENTITY:

I WAS WRONG. He’s wrong.

Lately, I’ve been really focused on what I want to do with my photography.

I want to get outside more. (Less scrolling, better mental health.)

I want to have more fun. (Less worrying, and a good way to live life.)

I want to be more creative. (Voice over “pretty stuff”. Signal over noise.)

Shooting JPEG-first helps me do all those things.

(Remember, my advice is to shoot RAW + JPEG but to focus on the JPEG.)

When I’m focusing on a jpeg-first style, it’s freeing. The files come out fast, they’re small, they’re easy to share, and most of them look great straight out of the camera with almost no work.

What’s awesome is that it has also transformed my entire style of shooting.

Embracing jpegs as my primary file (and thinking of the RAW file as backup), sent me in a whole new direction.

I’ve been shooting a lot more magenta and purple and deeper, moodier color lately, mostly inspired by OM SYSTEM’s Art Filter 16 (Instant Film) on the OM-3’s Creative Dial.

I use it when I go find these weird, dark, kind of strange-looking spots, and I lean into how changing my white balance can really transform the files into something gritty and somehow ethereal.

The unique colors and filters have inspired me to get out more in certain situations, and I’m developing a collection of images made when I find strange, cool light.

And one of my favorite sets from Chicago comes from using the same Instant Film Art Filter for these colorful and strange scenes:

Yet… one click over to the monochrome setting on the Creative Dial, and I’m shooting the best black and whites of my life.

I never even thought of myself as a black and white photographer.

But the monochrome profiles of my camera make me feel like I’m toting along a classic black-and-white film camera.

These files are TOTALLY editable!

One of the knocks against JPEGS are that they don’t have a lot of information in them. That’s totally true compared to RAW files, and why I still recommend shooting RAW + JPEG.

But you know what? You can edit these JPEGs like crazy.

Here is a before/after of edits made directly to the original SOOC jpeg in a jpeg file where the highlights would be normally blown out. I was able to gently recover much of the grass and trees outside and boost the shadows even without the RAW file.

Here is another pair showing you how much color and information is in this original SOOC jpeg “flat” file:

I had so much information, I could create this file:

And for junkyard junkies like me, who love to find cool cars out in the middle of nowhere, jpegs are fine even for some of the extreme high contrast scenes we find, like a car interior in bright sunlight. Check out this file from a monochrome recipe I dialed in specifically to help with the highlights and shadows in high-contrast scenes:

Zooming into the highlights reveals a ton of detail in the outside world, while keeping the interior’s shadows full of texture.

In 2026, modern jpegs are fantastic. I can pull highlights back, push the color around, and recover more than I expected. Do RAW files have a lot more data? Yes! However, the old idea that you have to shoot RAW to do much editing isn’t always true.

JPEGS ARE PERMISSION

Try this out! I’m challenging you to think differently here.

EMBRACE THE JPEG!

Set your camera to the craziest JPEG look you can think of, and then get outside and take some photographs.

1. Pick a color profile or an art filter you’d normally ignore. If there are settings such as contrast, sharpness, and color manipulation, mess with those too.

2. Change your white balance to a custom one. This shifts a photo more than almost anything and can totally transform your entire style.

3. Now go out and shoot. Walk around your block. Shoot the sidewalk. Shoot the downtown you’re sick of. Take a photo of the stuff you’ve photographed a hundred times.

4. Tweak your settings based on reviewing your photos.

5. Repeat steps 1-4.

After doing this project, ask yourself: What did you notice about the jpegs? What did you like? What don’t you like?

Then do the steps again the next day with a different look.

The point isn’t the perfect photo! The point is getting out the door, having fun, and (possibly) finding a new idea or two based on experimenting with your camera’s jpeg engine.

I’d love to see what you come up with, so share it with me by replying here or emailing me. I’d love to see what you come up with!

P.S. - If you’re getting this, you’re probably already subscribed to my newsletter, but please share this with any photography enthusiasts who are looking for inspiration, tips and a positive photo community (no judgement here)!

And as always, send me any questions you have or topics you’d like to see me cover in upcoming newsletters or YouTube videos (you can subscribe here).

More than anything, even if you don’t purchase a print, subscribing to my YouTube channel, watching some videos, and leaving me a comment about what you think is a great, free, way to support me!

Oh - and this post is 100% AI-free. Every title, sentence, misspelling, and mistake is mine, and I love that.

DEATH TO THE ROBOTS.

Comments? Leave them below or email me: jerredz@gmail.com

My son was playing the guitar before a family walk in Omaha’s Old Market. I had my camera on me, and took some deliberate, intentional photographs of him.

Why? Because I wanted to remember these moments.

I’ve been focused on that word lately: intentional.

Research done in 2017, 2020 and 2021 all found relationships between taking photographs and memory. Most of it is not great news: snapshot-like photography might actually make our memory worse.

In one of the studies, visitors to art galleries who took photos of the artwork were not able to remember the artwork as well as others who took no photographs at all.

It’s an interesting facet of our society: everyone, everywhere taking photos and videos of almost every aspect of our lives. Are our memories at stake?

After reading this research, I worried: is my constant need to take photographs making me forget what’s important in these moments?

From an NPR article on the subject: "When people rely on technology to remember something for them, they're essentially outsourcing their memory," says Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University. "They know their camera is capturing that moment for them, so they don't pay full attention to it in a way that might help them remember."

That scares me personally, because one of the things that has gotten me out of a later-in-life state of constant depression is this: every day presents us with opportunity to experience wonder.

I need to remember it ALL… and I want my camera there with me.

I desperately need to remember these amazing things I see every day.

The inspiration I find in other people’s art:

The interesting way shadows move on the sidewalk:

And incredibly common light on a building that takes my breath away:

Luckily, for us, the research provides a path for us “everyday carry” photographers.

Another researcher found (from the NPR article):

“Focus in on details. If you immerse yourself in the details of a scene as you prepare to take a photo, that process can help anchor memories,” according to New York University's Barasch. "As we search the visual field to decide what to capture in a photo, we are more likely to commit those details to memory," she says. As such, "taking photos can actually enhance memory for certain details in an experience."

Now, THAT is what I needed to read!

The process of reviewing our photos and editing them is important as well.

Also from the article:

“Look at your photos regularly. Photos are an effective tool for memory retention only if we take the time to look at photos — which many of us don't do,” says Henkel: "We need to take the time to look at photos after the experiences and reactivate those mental representations."

Again - wonderful news. Yay for us, the ones who are intentional.

This night a month ago was just a common one.

But the evening was full of all kinds of beautiful things.

Intentionality is important.

Experiencing the every-day with a focus on the beautiful within the commonplace is something worth doing…

All of these big-or-small moments matter, and if we pay attention while we photograph, our memories will be more distinct.

This is the scene that ended the night as I ran into my local grocery store for family snacks and looked behind me:

I made an audio-version of this newsletter here:

P.S. - If you’re getting this, you’re probably already subscribed to my newsletter, but please share this with any photography enthusiasts who are looking for inspiration, tips and a positive photo community (no judgement here)!

And as always, send me any questions you have or topics you’d like to see me cover in upcoming newsletters or YouTube videos (you can subscribe here).

More than anything, even if you don’t purchase a print, subscribing to my YouTube channel, watching some videos, and leaving me a comment about what you think is a great, free, way to support me!

Oh - and this post is 100% AI-free. Every title, sentence, misspelling, and mistake is mine, and I love that.

DEATH TO THE ROBOTS.

Comments? Leave them below or email me: jerredz@gmail.com

“Are you bringing your camera, dad?”he would ask with his nose scrunched up. He did NOT want me to bring my camera.

And if I ever mentioned that he could use my camera someday, or that I’d teach him photography, he made sure to tell that he would NEVER want to do that.

However, Logan asked me for a camera recently. “Dad,” he said. “Do you have a camera I can borrow?”

We were in Chicago, and it caught me by surprise. I tried to play it off and shrug: “yeah, man, if you want one.” I knew if I got too excited I might ruin the moment.

During this trip, I was doing a video for OM SYSTEM using the OM-3 to do street photography in the Windy City. As a backup, I still brought my OM-1 MarkII, to keep in the hotel room, so I handed it to him.

I set the camera to auto ISO and aperture priority mode with his f/stop set to f/4. (he mostly used the 12-100 f/4 PRO and 12-45 f/4 PRO).

The light would fade eventually, so I told him what would happen with the shutter speed creating blurry photos and told him, “Just keep the camera steady.”

I also showed him how to autofocus and move his autofocus points… and that was mostly it. He ran off and started taking photos.

These are among his first shots:

He asked me “how do you get that cool blur stuff” so I just had him steady his camera on a street lamp. He did the rest.

I KNOW! They are cool!

We walked through some neighborhoods, and he took a few more photos at some local places we found:

A record store:

A historic church:

Then we went hunting for photos in the evening, and he got these of the Congress Hotel:

We walked to the pier the next night.

I LOVE how he noticed details and honed into things I completely ignored:

A series of water abstracts:

A series of interesting clouds:

And just more beauty:

I remember him saying “It’s cool how the clouds and light keep changing.”

He didn’t just say it… he told the story of those moments with his photographs.

It was INCREDIBLE to see him run around the pier with the OM-1 MarkII. He barely spoke, and just kept taking photos as the light faded.

As the light changed, so did the colors - the warmer city lights taking more prominence. He thought that was pretty awesome.

Logan took this next photo and ran toward me. “This looks just like a painting.” I looked through the viewfinder at the photo he had just taken, and saw this:

Wow.

When we found ourselves far away from the lighthouse, he looked back and saw the building surrounded by incredible clouds and color. He ran full speed back toward the lighthouse to get these:

And he just kept shooting:

We drove to a different vantage point:

I mean. WOW, right?

And then a few days ago I asked him if he wanted to run out one morning and take photos in the fog.

He said, “Get me my camera.”

He had claimed the OM-1 MarkII as his own.

We headed out to take photos in the fog, and he took these:

You have to understand that I’m not coaching him at all. He almost never asks questions.

He just lets the camera do it’s thing and holds it super steady to avoid camera blur (made easier with OM SYSTEM’s world-class stabilization).

He focuses 100% on composition.

I’m honestly in awe of many of his shots. This next one is a photo he said he doesn’t even like very much (he wishes he would have stepped a bit more to the right), but I find it so dreamy with the way he framed it all.

The following photograph is another “WOW” one. He said at the time, while pointing to the river, “that looks like a Japanese painting.” And then he took this photo:

HOLY COW. Yes it does.

Finally, he noticed the interplay between light and shadow above us:

I hope you’re okay with me having a PROUD DAD MOMENT with this week’s newsletter.

These are photos that I, as a professional photographer, would be proud to share… and they were done by my son with nearly zero experience.

We often get caught up in countless YouTube videos, learning the technical aspects of photography or arguing about how much distortion there might be in a lens.

We compare ourselves to others.

We argue over megapixels and theory and sharpness, and blah, blah, blah.

My son could not care less about any of that stuff. He just wants to remember the beautiful moments he experiences with a camera.

This week’s YouTube Video is a slideshow-only one I made to feature a lens I didn’t even want to buy: the OM SYSTEM 12-45mm f/4 PRO. However, I’ve found it to be pretty awesome at helping me tell stories, so I put something together with no script - just music and photos from the lens:

P.S. - If you’re getting this, you’re probably already subscribed to my newsletter, but please share this with any photography enthusiasts who are looking for inspiration, tips and a positive photo community (no judgement here)!

And as always, send me any questions you have or topics you’d like to see me cover in upcoming newsletters or YouTube videos (you can subscribe here).

More than anything, even if you don’t purchase a print, subscribing to my YouTube channel, watching some videos, and leaving me a comment about what you think is a great, free, way to support me!

Oh - and this post is 100% AI-free. Every title, sentence, misspelling, and mistake is mine, and I love that.

DEATH TO THE ROBOTS.

Comments? Leave them below or email me: jerredz@gmail.com

Fog is interesting because it can capture surreal scenes, straight from our restless dreams.

The fog also mirrors how I’ve felt the last couple days.

Empty.

Afraid.

Alone.

Unsure.

Sometimes, our camera is a mirror.

We often hide our emotions online. We present a perfected version of ourselves in order to trick everyone into thinking we’ve got the answers. Our quest for followers and subscribers can turn us into tricksters and liars.

The universal truth is that, as humans, we feel weird things that don’t often make sense or align with reality.

I can’t help but to think that right now, in a world that is sometimes literally on fire, we need more authenticity than ever.

I just hope that when I share these struggles, I can help others feel less lonely and remember there is hope in every day’s sunrise… even when shrouded by fog.

Also, at least there are cats to cheer us up after all these intense deep thoughts!

(All photos: OM SYSTEM OM-3)

Are all things better late than never?

In my case, here is a video I recorded way earlier this year. I actually TRIED to get decent b-roll, which made the video look better… but took me forever to edit. My first cut was over 40 minutes long. My second was 20, and with the gracious help of my friend, Hunter Hart, the final video is much more palatable at right around 16 minutes.

I had a ton of fun on this trip:

P.S. - If you’re getting this, you’re probably already subscribed to my newsletter, but please share this with any photography enthusiasts who are looking for inspiration, tips and a positive photo community (no judgement here)!

And as always, send me any questions you have or topics you’d like to see me cover in upcoming newsletters or YouTube videos (you can subscribe here).

More than anything, even if you don’t purchase a print, subscribing to my YouTube channel, watching some videos, and leaving me a comment about what you think is a great, free, way to support me!

Oh - and this post is 100% AI-free. Every title, sentence, misspelling, and mistake is mine, and I love that.

DEATH TO THE ROBOTS.

Comments? Leave them below or email me: jerredz@gmail.com

I seriously, honestly didn’t even know why I bought the OM-3. Professionally, I was already using tens of thousands of dollars of full frame and medium-format cameras, so why would I need another camera system?

Honestly: I just thought the OM-3 LOOKED cool. I thought I’d buy it, make a few YouTube videos about it, and move on.

Something happened though: this thing won me over.

Every intricate detail is designed with precision and delight, and the more I used it, the more I realized it’s a camera destined to become a legend. I call it Optimus Prime because it’s my favorite camera of all time.

I wasn’t ready for how much tech was packed into the solid but diminutive body. This is a stacked sensor, no-holds-barred, cutting edge camera designed with a throwback, retro-inspired body. The bonus: when I held it… it just felt perfect.

Photography is a fusion between art and technology. Can we create works of art using equipment designed AS works of art? The OM-3 is the answer to that question.

A beautiful machine that helps me create beautiful imagery.

Using the OM-3 was my gateway drug to the rest of OM SYSTEM’s lineup.

First the OM-3, then a few lenses, then their other flagship camera, the OM-1 MarkII, and then a BUNCH more lenses.

Every time I went on a photo trip, I’d take all my gear, including the other cameras… but I’d never touch them. I’d use the OM SYSTEM stuff instead.

West Texas with the OM-3? Pure awesomeness.

Soon, I sold all my other stuff. OM SYSTEM’s cameras are smaller, lighter, cheaper, more versatile, more robust, and their cameras DO MORE STUFF.

They go more places with me, and fit into my life.

And now, something cool happened:

OM SYSTEM asked me to be their next North American Ambassador.

This is a huge honor, and I feel totally comfortable taking on this role because, if you haven’t figured it out, I LOVE THIS GEAR. I sold all my full frame and medium format cameras and lenses, and haven’t regretted it one bit a year and a half later.

(Note: for the curious, they don’t pay us to be ambassadors. I get some discounts, free repairs, and will be considered for select paid opportunities to test out new gear and speak at events.)

OM SYSTEM stuff is pure creative fuel. I’ve never been more prolific with my photography than when I bought these cameras.

Suddenly, I’m a street photographer in Chicago?

And then out in the country, I’m taking soulful, straight-out-of-camera, monochrome images of Sandhill Cranes too. I’m finally taking black and white images that I LOVE using that way-too-cool Creative Dial:

I never thought I’d be recognized for my photography like this. I never imagined I was good enough.

It’s wild to think of how all this happened.

A little more than five years ago, I was a high school teacher. I had been one for almost 20 years!

I never thought I’d become an artist. A writer. A photographer.

I couldn’t survive by making a living with my creative skills. Could I?

I had to learn fast because I quit my entire career in the middle of the day, and I haven’t looked back.

Photography has given me an income AND a way to let my secret inner artist express himself. It’s been an incredible gift.

I’m SUPER excited to be an ambassador, but this doesn’t really change much for me.

This newsletter, Megapixel Road, will always be more about the heart and soul of photography rather than focusing on gear.

Sometimes I’m going to geek out about cameras and lenses like this post, but more than anything, all I want to do is inspire you to get outside and have more fun with your camera, no matter the brand. (I just happen to REALLY dig OM SYSTEM. I was a huge evangelist for the system before they even approached me.)

Thanks for being on this journey with me. Let’s do cool things - TOGETHER.

(THANK YOU, OM SYSTEM! We are going to do some cool stuff!)

Buy the OM-3 (or the OM-1 MarkII) from YOUR LOCAL CAMERA STORE! Support them!

If you don’t have a store near you, please consider using this link to Rockbrook Camera - Nebraska’s family-owned photography store.

P.S. - If you’re getting this, you’re probably already subscribed to my newsletter, but please share this with any photography enthusiasts who are looking for inspiration, tips and a positive photo community (no judgement here)!

And as always, send me any questions you have or topics you’d like to see me cover in upcoming newsletters or YouTube videos (you can subscribe here).

More than anything, even if you don’t purchase a print, subscribing to my YouTube channel, watching some videos, and leaving me a comment about what you think is a great, free, way to support me!

Oh - and this post is 100% AI-free. Every title, sentence, misspelling, and mistake is mine, and I love that.

DEATH TO THE ROBOTS.

Comments? Leave them below or email me: jerredz@gmail.com

I was a pixel-peeper and would examine each photo for critical sharpness. If it wasn’t perfect, I’d nuke the photo into oblivion with the delete button.

Photography was not super fun back then. The constant push to be perfect wasn’t driven by my internal artistic vision. Instead, I wanted things perfectly sharp because I thought that’s what everyone else wanted.

This photograph I made a few days ago, I’m proud to say, would have made the cut. It’s a good one! It’s made with awesome equipment (OM SYSTEM OM-3 with the 90mm f/3.5 Macro) and the detail is INTENSE. But… who cares?

Even this one, also made recently, is a good example of being technically pretty good, but a little “meh.”

But you know what? I’ve got thousands of technically, boringly, “good” photos of flowers already in my library… and almost none of them have ever actually been artistically fulfilling.

Lately, the “art” part of my life has become increasingly important. As I get older, I want to keep trying to figure out who I am and what I want to do when I grow up.

I may never know the answers to those questions, but at least I’m gunna try, and I’ve been doing a ton of experimentation lately.

So, I switched things up with my garden photography and got weird.

I threw on a “spiral halo” filter I bought for $30. (not an affiliate link). It looks like this:

And it does THIS:

And it does this:

And this:

And all kinds of SUPER DUPER cool stuff:

ARE YOU SEEING THIS INSANITY?

I’ve been a “photographer” for over 20 years now, and I’ve shot far too many photos of flowers.

And for the first time ever, I’m smiling and giggling in the garden like a maniac. All because of a cheap filter that inspired me to “see” through the lens differently.

I started using my camera as a paintbrush:

I stopped clicking a shutter release. Instead, I was painting my sensor with nature’s colors.

My internal artist came alive and started speaking, and although I don’t have words to interpret what he said, I do have these photos.

Look… filters are old-school. I’m not re-inventing the wheel here. In fact, in the past, I always thought of them as a gimmick.

Why would I waste thousands of dollars on “perfect” glass when I was just going to throw a weird, cheap, gimmicky filter on it?

These photos. These photos are why, people!

During this little garden adventure, I continued to have fun with experimentation and proceeded to spray my lens with water:

It’s another trick as old as photography, but I feel like we’ve forgotten how much fun this stuff can be. We’re always chasing perfection. What happens when we let go of all that?

The energy I have had recently to discover new ways to play with light is providing me with a lot of artistic momentum... a drive to keep discovering new ways to “see.”

So I combined the spiral-halo filter with some water spray: pure joy.

After all these years, it’s finally become easy for me to name myself a photographer.

However, I used to say that I wasn’t an artist. (I am. So are you.)

I used to say that I wasn’t a writer. (I am. We all are.)

And I still don’t think I’m a poet. (That’s a lie. Our lives are poems in progress.)

The one thing I know more than anything else, though, is this: I have no answers, and I’ll never solve life’s big mysteries. But embracing everything possible in order to find our voice in the world, even by using a cheap filter and spray bottle, is worth the time and effort.

So here’s a haiku:

All the photos with the filter and water were made with the OM SYSTEM OM-3 and two lenses: the 12-45 f/4 PRO and 20mm f/1.4 PRO.

P.S. - If you’re getting this, you’re probably already subscribed to my newsletter, but please share this with any photography enthusiasts who are looking for inspiration, tips and a positive photo community (no judgement here)!

And as always, send me any questions you have or topics you’d like to see me cover in upcoming newsletters or YouTube videos (you can subscribe here).

More than anything, even if you don’t purchase a print, subscribing to my YouTube channel, watching some videos, and leaving me a comment about what you think is a great, free, way to support me!

Oh - and this post is 100% AI-free. Every title, sentence, misspelling, and mistake is mine, and I love that.

DEATH TO THE ROBOTS.

Comments? Leave them below or email me: jerredz@gmail.com

I’ve never even shown anyone 99% of the botanical photographs I already have.

Yet I still spend hours photographing them every week.

Lately, the doom monologue has been amping up in my head recently.

These internal thoughts keep me from living in the present, and I find myself experiencing reality somewhere between the fear of the future and the regret of my past. It’s not a fun place to be.

So I make myself visit a garden.

Nature allows me to breathe and move. Spending time in these spaces quiets my incessant inner thoughts.

These walks force me to remember that even life’s most common moments can be awe-inspiring.

I can’t help but be present and aware of my smallness in the universe.

Yet I never feel alone here.

I weave through the fields of wildflowers, trying to do as little damage with my footsteps as possible.

I pay attention to vibrant splashes of color.

Details that reveal hidden worlds.

Beds of softness.

And pastel dreams.

All of this: a reminder to rest.

And to see.

And to let go.

(Photographers - these were shot within the last few weeks with a bunch of different cameras: the OM-3 and OM-1 MarkII, as well as the GFX100s and Sony A7Rv)

P.S. - If you’re getting this, you’re probably already subscribed to my newsletter, but please share this with any photography enthusiasts who are looking for inspiration, tips and a positive photo community (no judgement here)!

And as always, send me any questions you have or topics you’d like to see me cover in upcoming newsletters or YouTube videos (you can subscribe here).

More than anything, even if you don’t purchase a print, subscribing to my YouTube channel, watching some videos, and leaving me a comment about what you think is a great, free, way to support me!

Comments? Leave them below or email me: jerredz@gmail.com

Sometimes at my incredibly advanced and decrepit old age, my body hurts just getting out of bed… so why would I go out on a mini photo adventure in crappy conditions?

I weighed the choice of staying at home to dwell in existential dread, or leaving the house to go on a mini photo adventure through the country.

I’m so glad I walked out the door!

I chose one camera (the OM SYSTEM OM-3), and hit the road.

CHAPTER ONE: NEFF SCHOOLHOUSE

I often go to the same places, and the Neff Schoolhouse is one of my favorite spots.

I used my camera to dial-in some monochrome looks to match the gloomy, overcast skies.

I love this place. It’s got a feel to it, resting in retirement on the crest of a gentle country hill.

I can’t find much online about this school at all, except that it was once a part of the town of Spiker. According to a post I found, a fire burned most of Spiker’s business district and that was it. No more town.

Today, this old place is all that remains… and one day there will be no trace at all of Spiker, NE.

I can imagine schoolchildren looking out this window into endless fields:

CHAPTER TWO: SCRIBNER, NEBRASKA

Not far from the Neff schoolhouse, I drove to the town of Scribner.

Unbelievably, even thought it’s pretty close to my house (60 miles away), I’ve never explored main street before.

I LOVE details on these old buildings, like this Opera House.

CHAPTER THREE: SNYDER, NE

I’ve probably been to Snyder, Nebraska five or six times. Maybe more. It’s a much smaller town than Scribner, but it’s got some real charm to it.

At this point I switched to color on my OM-3’s Creative Dial because the grey skies were clearing. The light was wonderful.

CHAPTER FOUR: DODGE, NE

Dodge proudly declares itself the home of Joe Strecher, so I went into town searching for him.

I only found out later that he’s a long-dead professional wrestler (world champ!), but if he were alive today, I bet this would have been his car:

Most of these old towns have very cool (but usually abandoned) town halls.

I wish newer buildings had such unique characteristics.

Dodge also has, what I call, a “Creepy Jesus.”

There are a lot of these “Creepy Jesus” cemeteries all over the country, and finding them is one of life’s great joys, even if they can be nightmare fuel.

INTERMISSION: ZION PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

The evening was coming quickly, and I honestly didn’t want to be out too late. My family was at home, and I wanted to spend some time with them (by this time, I’d already been out for about five hours on the road.)

However, I couldn’t help but snap a few shots of this spot:

I’ve been here at least three times previously.

It used to look quite a bit different, and I had heard at one point someone was going to fix it up.

This was in 2020:

CHAPTER FIVE: THE WAYNE, NE CHICKEN SHOW

Getting out of the house means experiencing new things, like this “Chicken Show,” which is obviously kind of a big deal, and I had no clue when I left in the morning I’d end up here.

There was a lot of stuff going on.

The star of the show for me, though, was the car show.

I’m not “really” a car guy… but my dad was a body shop mechanic for 90% of his life, and he and I would bond over talking about cars and going to car shows.

He would have LOVED this show.

I walked these streets and thought of him. I miss him a lot.

We would have bought hot dogs and soda, and slowly walked the streets. He’d talk endlessly about the different engines and history of the cars.

Car shows are endlessly colorful and fun to photograph.

I have a feeling this Chevy would have been my dad’s favorite of the show:

My favorite though, without a doubt: this incredible Plymouth Superbird. It’s a car that was only produced for one year (1970) and sold so poorly they were deeply discounted on the lot.

I remember my father telling me the story of this car at a different car show, decades ago. He would have said, upon seeing it, and with grave seriousness: “I should have bought one.”

The older I get, the more I realize how little time I have.

I don’t want to watch TV, or pick up my phone to read camera reviews.

Trips like this are a reminder that experiences are everything.

Living real life is leaving the house, and on this day, I’m incredibly grateful I did.

I made a video (a little more camera-centric) you can check out here:

P.S. - If you’re getting this, you’re probably already subscribed to my newsletter, but please share this with any photography enthusiasts who are looking for inspiration, tips and a positive photo community (no judgement here)!

And as always, send me any questions you have or topics you’d like to see me cover in upcoming newsletters or YouTube videos (you can subscribe here).

More than anything, even if you don’t purchase a print, subscribing to my YouTube channel, watching some videos, and leaving me a comment about what you think is a great, free, way to support me!

Comments? Leave them below or email me: jerredz@gmail.com

It was the 91,311th time the sun rose over a country called America.

Two hundred and fifty years! YAY!

Let’s blow up the world.

I’d be there to document it. My plan: hit the streets with my camera and a tripod to document how my fellow Americans were celebrating.

But my heart wasn’t into it.

As people all around me were laughing, singing, and displaying their flags dressed as Uncle Sam, I felt disconnected.

I put my camera away and almost went home, disgusted with myself for not completing this little “project” of mine.

Then, I noticed a strange and much quieter area near me:

I was mesmerized.

So much of my photography is guided by emotion, and I felt something real as I walked these haunted neighborhoods.

I kept asking myself: what does it mean to be an American patriot in 2026?

Is something wrong with me if I don’t feel like shouting: “Team America: FUCK YEAH!”

Why was I exploring empty streets, alone, relentlessly looking away from the exploding horizon?

I don’t know the answer to these questions.

But I think the answer’s here. Hidden in the monochromatic night.

P.S. - If you’re getting this, you’re probably already subscribed to my newsletter, but please share this with any photography enthusiasts who are looking for inspiration, tips and a positive photo community (no judgement here)!

And as always, send me any questions you have or topics you’d like to see me cover in upcoming newsletters or YouTube videos (you can subscribe here).

More than anything, even if you don’t purchase a print, subscribing to my YouTube channel, watching some videos, and leaving me a comment about what you think is a great, free, way to support me!

Comments? Leave them below or email me: jerredz@gmail.com

The world aligned.

The angels sang.

The storms sound echoed through every bone in my body.

Athletes call it being “in the zone,” while others call it being in a “flow state.”

No matter who calls it what - I was there - connected to the universe as thunder reverberated off the concrete and steel of Chicago’s inner city.

I’ve never taken real photographs in Chicago before, and I’ve never photographed within the heart of a torrential downpour. Yet here I was, a camera to my face, walking through the city taking photo after photo. I was barely conscious of being 100000% drenched from head to toe.

Instead, I just “felt” the scenes in front of me.

It’s hard to describe being in a state like this. Although I’m a 99% manual-mode guy, I never once thought of shutter, aperture, iso, or anything camera related. Every step I made was in alignment with myself and my surroundings, and my job was to let myself (and the camera) absorb all the light, shadow, and color.

I had to let go of “myself.” My ego, fear, insecurities, confidence, jealousy, rage - all of it vanished.

I had one thing left: clarity.

The photos themselves are “flawed” by traditional standards (not always in focus… my settings not always optimal… my composition sometimes skewed), but that’s how life is. It’s how reality and the universe is.

This thunderstorm in Chicago was a reminder that I shouldn’t be chasing perfection with my photography.

I don’t need perfect lines, razor blade sharpness, or posts custom-designed to delight an algorithm.

Instead, I need to accept what the universe has in store for me.

I need to get into the rain and away from myself…