Weather or Not

Mar 06, 2026

I could never be a studio photographer. I respect those who do it, but give me the great outdoors! I love the anticipation and unpredictability of a sunset and the feeling of cold, crisp morning air in my lungs as I wait for the sun to rise. I enjoy the challenge of the uncertainties that Mother Nature throws at me and the feeling of satisfaction when she and I are aligned on the same wavelength. I've driven, flown and walked thousands miles in pursuit of the perfect shot, and have stood in pouring rain and temperatures so cold that I had to hope that I released the shutter fully because I couldn't actually feel the button. The best part is rummaging through my photos years later and landing on those that let me relive the experience again all the way down to the numb fingertips and rain soaked parka. I keep my kit light and never carry more than three or four lenses and essential peripherals in a small, easily accessible over the shoulder sling bag anywhere I go. I learned early on in my photographic journey the importance of being nimble, and have had to run many times to capture a fleeting moment that I would have otherwise missed if I was clumsily lugging forty pounds of gear in a full sprint. As the saying goes, "Time waits for no man". Of course none of this would be possible without the enthusiastic support and encouragement that I get from friends and family. My wife, Michelle, is my #1 scout and ardent supporter always alerting me to interesting photo prospects and arranging amazing excursions to satisfy my photo appetite including trips to Italy, The Netherlands, Hawaii and so many more. She is actually an amazing photographer in her own right, so she understands when I stop every ten feet to snap yet another photo. Sometimes she waits for me, but most of the time she ventures on ahead or off to the side to capture her own moments. She's the Yin to my Yang. I've never allowed myself to be pigeon-holed into anything, in art and in life, and the same is true with my photography. I get as much joy out of shooting with my $65 vintage Russian eBay find lens as I do with my expensive landscape lenses. I'm often asked what type of photography I like the most, and though I may tend toward landscape, I thoroughly enjoy the creative necessity of shooting with old, imperfect glass. Regardless of the tangibles that I carry on a shoot, it's the loveliness of communing with nature and the conversations with strangers that I encounter that gives me true joy as a photographer.   Man at Work Credit: Ray Cheung Credit: Me! Credit: Jose Lopez Credit: Mick Aldworth

I could never be a studio photographer. I respect those who do it, but give me the great outdoors! I love the anticipation and unpredictability of a sunset and the feeling of cold, crisp morning air in my lungs as I wait for the sun to rise. I enjoy the challenge of the uncertainties that Mother Nature throws at me and the feeling of satisfaction when she and I are aligned on the same wavelength. I've driven, flown and walked thousands miles in pursuit of the perfect shot, and have stood in pouring rain and temperatures so cold that I had to hope that I released the shutter fully because I couldn't actually feel the button. The best part is rummaging through my photos years later and landing on those that let me relive the experience again all the way down to the numb fingertips and rain soaked parka. I keep my kit light and never carry more than three or four lenses and essential peripherals in a small, easily accessible over the shoulder sling bag anywhere I go. I learned early on in my photographic journey the importance of being nimble, and have had to run many times to capture a fleeting moment that I would have otherwise missed if I was clumsily lugging forty pounds of gear in a full sprint. As the saying goes, "Time waits for no man". Of course none of this would be possible without the enthusiastic support and encouragement that I get from friends and family. My wife, Michelle, is my #1 scout and ardent supporter always alerting me to interesting photo prospects and arranging amazing excursions to satisfy my photo appetite including trips to Italy, The Netherlands, Hawaii and so many more. She is actually an amazing photographer in her own right, so she understands when I stop every ten feet to snap yet another photo. Sometimes she waits for me, but most of the time she ventures on ahead or off to the side to capture her own moments. She's the Yin to my Yang. I've never allowed myself to be pigeon-holed into anything, in art and in life, and the same is true with my photography. I get as much joy out of shooting with my $65 vintage Russian eBay find lens as I do with my expensive landscape lenses. I'm often asked what type of photography I like the most, and though I may tend toward landscape, I thoroughly enjoy the creative necessity of shooting with old, imperfect glass. Regardless of the tangibles that I carry on a shoot, it's the loveliness of communing with nature and the conversations with strangers that I encounter that gives me true joy as a photographer. Man at Work Credit: Ray Cheung Credit: Me! Credit: Jose Lopez Credit: Mick Aldworth

2026 California State Fair

Feb 22, 2026

I'm getting ready to enter my first ever California State Fair photo competition! The first stage is entering digital files for jury selection where a panel of judges critiques them based on Technical Quality, Composition, Lighting, Creativity and Visual Impact. If accepted, I submit the actual piece for display, judging and possible sale. Here's what I've got ...
	Point Piños Lighthouse - Pacific Grove, CA I picked this one at the suggestion of my wife, Michelle. She pointed out that this is the "California" State Fair, so I should probably submit a recognizable California image/landmark. I took this photo from the parking lot after touring hours, and had to hold my camera above my head to shoot over the fence surrounding the property. I fired off a few shots, aligning the composition as best I could with the flip out viewfinder, and captured this. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. 😀
	Blue Door of The Pantheon - Rome, Italy This photo is a personal favorite of mine, so there was a little favoritism in its inclusion. However, I do think that it covers a few of the categories for consideration: Composition, Creativity and Visual Impact. I've always really liked the texture and the asymmetrical composition of this photo. I framed it specifically to capture all of the textures surrounding and enveloping the main subject - the blue door. I shot this photo with my favorite vintage lens, the trusted Helios, as I walked around Rome while on vacation. We'll see if it passes the judges' sniff test.
	'53 Ford Surfer Dog - Cayucos, CA This is another personal favorite, and also a fan favorite on social media. This was taken on the strand in Cayucos where I noticed this weathered '53 Ford stationwagon parked and three dogs inside. I asked the owner, a biker-surfer looking dude, if I could take some photos and he replied, "Sure". This is another one taken with the Helios that I think worked great to give the shot a vintage look. I think it also covers all of the judges criteria, so I'm hoping this will be a strong contender in the jury selection.
The fair runs July 17 through August 2. I'll update everyone after the jury voting at the end of May to let you know if any of my pieces were selected. There's a second round of judging where awards are given. This happens around mid-July. Hopefully I'll bring home some hardware. You'll all be the first to know. Wish me luck!

I'm getting ready to enter my first ever California State Fair photo competition! The first stage is entering digital files for jury selection where a panel of judges critiques them based on Technical Quality, Composition, Lighting, Creativity and Visual Impact. If accepted, I submit the actual piece for display, judging and possible sale. Here's what I've got ...

Point Piños Lighthouse - Pacific Grove, CA I picked this one at the suggestion of my wife, Michelle. She pointed out that this is the "California" State Fair, so I should probably submit a recognizable California image/landmark. I took this photo from the parking lot after touring hours, and had to hold my camera above my head to shoot over the fence surrounding the property. I fired off a few shots, aligning the composition as best I could with the flip out viewfinder, and captured this. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. 😀

Blue Door of The Pantheon - Rome, Italy This photo is a personal favorite of mine, so there was a little favoritism in its inclusion. However, I do think that it covers a few of the categories for consideration: Composition, Creativity and Visual Impact. I've always really liked the texture and the asymmetrical composition of this photo. I framed it specifically to capture all of the textures surrounding and enveloping the main subject - the blue door. I shot this photo with my favorite vintage lens, the trusted Helios, as I walked around Rome while on vacation. We'll see if it passes the judges' sniff test.

'53 Ford Surfer Dog - Cayucos, CA This is another personal favorite, and also a fan favorite on social media. This was taken on the strand in Cayucos where I noticed this weathered '53 Ford stationwagon parked and three dogs inside. I asked the owner, a biker-surfer looking dude, if I could take some photos and he replied, "Sure". This is another one taken with the Helios that I think worked great to give the shot a vintage look. I think it also covers all of the judges criteria, so I'm hoping this will be a strong contender in the jury selection.

The fair runs July 17 through August 2. I'll update everyone after the jury voting at the end of May to let you know if any of my pieces were selected. There's a second round of judging where awards are given. This happens around mid-July. Hopefully I'll bring home some hardware. You'll all be the first to know. Wish me luck!

Social Media

Feb 06, 2026I've set up a couple new accounts for social media. I still need to go in and fill them with some content, so be sure to bookmark them for future use.

Instagram (@donvanderloophotography) Facebook (/donvanderloophotography)

Keep an eye out for them to be updated in the very near future!

I'm Somebody!

Feb 02, 2026I checked this morning, and I've made it to Google.

I'm Back!

Dec 27, 2025donvanderloo.com has been resurrected! Years ago I used this domain as a portfolio site for web development and design when I was job searching. I found a new job and let the site go (along with my coding skills - ugh!). I've since found a renewed passion for photography and was able to get my domain name back. I mean, really, how many people want to use my name as their domain - it's not like there was a bidding war to get it. Anyway ...

I hadn't written a line of code in almost eight years, so the first few weeks of the four month journey to build this site was re-learning and re-discovering a 'language' that used to be first nature to me but proved to be a massive struggle at the onset. Slowly but surely it's coming back to me, and here we are.

So what's happened over the last eight years? Well, I bought my first digital camera with a kit lens and walked around with that for about a year just taking photos of whatever. I learned about filters and started messing around with them, then sold my kit lens on eBay and was able to buy a couple other lenses with the proceeds. I used them for a couple of years, sold one, bought another, sold another, bought another until I finally felt that my kit was rounded with the perfect arsenal to capture any shot. I purchased a single lightbox that I use sparingly for portraiture, but studio photography has never appealed to me. I'd rather spend my day walking around outdoors feeling cool morning air in my lungs than sit in a dark studio breathing recycled, filtered air.

I joined some photo groups and signed up on Instagram to get inspiration and showcase my works. I entered a few low key shows and won a couple of awards and have sold a few of my images. I've developed somewhat of a following and a style that has become recognizable as my 'brand', so-to-speak, using vintage lenses and an approach to composition that pushes the boundaries of acceptable in photography. A couple times a year I go on what I call my 'Photo Safaris' when I take my camera, a few lenses and a couple changes of clothes and spend two or three days wandering around beaches and towns taking photos of whatever.

I've written two books that you can view on my 'Books' page. The first is a compilation of mostly landscape photography and second is a collection of those boundary pushing photos taken with my vintage lenses. I printed them off for display in my home, but have had multiple inquiries to buy and am exploring a way to get the price down to a palatable number for my audience where I can still eek out a small profit for my time. More to come on that, hopefully, in the future.

So that's what's been going on in my world for the last few years. I'm super excited to have the site up and running, and look forward to meeting new people, exploring new worlds and continue challenging myself as a photographer. While you're here, sign up for my mailing list. I PROMISE I won't bombard you with a bunch of crap. I only intend to use it to announce new blogs, photos and events that I'll be participating in. I will absolutely not solicit anything or send ads of any kind, and you're free to opt out at any time.

Thank you to all who have followed and encouraged me on my photographic journey. I look forward to my continued growth with the love and support that you've all shown throughout the years.