It’s been a busy weekend for Michael Ladd Photography.

Saturday started with another photography class with Susan Meyer. I’m still learning, and the classes give me a chance to get out with the camera and actually put into practice some of the things I’ve been learning.

I also got a pretty cool surprise this weekend. Hudson Crossing Park showcased one of my photographs on their Facebook page. I spend a lot of time at Hudson Crossing with my camera, and I take my photography lessons there, so seeing one of my photos shared by the park meant a lot to me.

This weekend I also photographed local demonstrations.

I want to make something clear about those photographs. I don’t have an opinion to offer about the demonstration, the people involved, or what is written on the signs. I’m there with a camera to photograph what is happening in front of me.

This is something new for me and another way to learn. Things happen quickly, there are no second chances, and I have to watch what is happening around me and try to capture it as it happens.

Another Photographer Shares His Story

I also received another photographer submission for the project, this time from Paul Jones.

Paul has been a photographer for about 52 years and started with a Kodak Box Brownie. Here are his own words about photography and the image he submitted:

“Hi, my name is Paul, and I’ve been a photographer for about 52 years. I started taking them when I was young with a Kodak Box Brownie, and I slowly moved on and up.

My main thing is landscapes, wildlife, astrophotography, and aircraft. I just enjoy taking photos. It gets me out and into my calm zone, so I hope you all enjoy.

This image was taken on Folly Beach, SC, about 30 minutes before sunrise. 200 shots at 16 sec, f/8, ISO 2400, Nikon D500, 14mm f/2.8, stacked in Photoshop.”

Thank you, Paul, for sharing your photograph and your story.

The words “it gets me out and into my calm zone” really stood out to me. That is one of the reasons I started this project and began asking other photographers to share their photographs and stories.

Photography can mean something different to each of us.

For me, this weekend meant another class, another chance to get out and shoot, seeing one of my photographs showcased by Hudson Crossing Park, and receiving another submission from someone who understands what getting out with a camera can do for you.

Not a bad weekend.

I'm still learning. I'm still shooting. I'm still seeing where this goes.

A Lot Has Changed in a Few Days

It has only been a couple of days since my last update, but quite a bit has happened.

The biggest thing for me is that I finally have business cards for Michael Ladd Photography.

That probably doesn't sound like a huge deal, but it is to me. Until now, when I met somebody while I was out taking pictures and wanted to tell them about the website or what I'm trying to do, I had to explain everything and hope they remembered the website.

Now I have something I can actually hand them.

The cards point people back here, where they can see my photography, the Community Gallery, and what I'm trying to do with this project. Hopefully they also make it a little easier to get the word out about donating a photograph for mental health awareness.

I've also spent quite a bit of time in the late evenings cleaning up the website.

The MISC gallery is completely gone. I never really liked having a place where photographs went simply because I didn't know where else to put them. In its place is a new gallery called Human. It gives the photographs I've taken of people a proper place on the site.

I've also continued going through the other galleries, removing things that don't need to be there and trying to make the site represent the photography I'm doing now instead of just filling it with pictures.

The Contact section has been updated as well. I'm available evenings and weekends if someone is interested in having me take photographs, and people can also use it to contact me about Community Gallery submissions or anything else related to the project.

I'm also going to start doing something I've been thinking about for a while.

I'm going on YouTube.

My plan is to start taking people along with me on some of my photography walks on the weekends. Nothing fancy. I'm not trying to turn myself into a photography teacher or pretend I'm a professional. I just want to bring a camera, go somewhere, take pictures, and let people come along for the walk.

Maybe somebody watching will decide to pick up a camera and go outside themselves. If that happens, then it was worth doing.

The bigger goal hasn't changed.

The first camera has already been handed out. I still want to find a way to fund more working cameras and put them into the hands of people who might benefit from photography but may not otherwise have access to one.

The Community Gallery is still open. If you're a photographer and would like to contribute one photograph in support of mental health awareness, I would still love to have it.

There hasn't been some huge breakthrough this week. No giant grant announcement. No company showed up with a truck full of cameras.

But the website is better. The business cards are here. I'm still taking pictures. I'm going to start taking the camera and this project onto YouTube on the weekends.

And one last picture from me.

I caught this little guy today. I know he's probably just eating, but when I looked at the picture...

Me too, little buddy. Me too.

September 1, 2026 - One More Thing

I decided to enter one of my photographs in America’s Favorite Photos.

I entered my Hummingbird Clearwing photo, taken here in Saratoga with my Nikon D3100. More importantly, I was able to select the Suicide Prevention Collaborative as the charity connected to my entry.

That made entering feel worthwhile.

If you like the photograph and want to vote for it, you can find it here:

https://americasfavoritephotos.com/v/zn3xjt

I have no idea how far it'll go, but that's okay. The whole reason I started sharing my photography was to connect it with something bigger than just taking pictures.

So I figured, why not give it a shot?

September 1, 2026 5:33PM

Not a huge news day today, but I kept moving.

I spent some time shooting, going through pictures, editing, and cleaning up the website over the weekend. Lots of new pictures have been added. Editing in Lightroom takes a bit of time.

As far as the camera project goes, no emails or donated pictures. I'm still working on it.

The important part is that the first camera has already been handed out. Somebody has a camera in their hands because this project exists. That's what I wanted to do when I started this.

Now I want to do it again.

I'll keep taking pictures, keep asking, and keep trying to find the funding to get more cameras into people's hands.

It can't rain every day.

Next stop is YouTube. I have no problem bringing people along for my weekend and after-work walks. Nothing fancy. Just where I go, what I find, what I photograph.

Maybe it'll get a few more people interested in what I'm trying to do here. Either way, I'm going to keep going.

A few things happened with the project this weekend.

Michael Ladd Photography is now openly LGBTQ+ aligned.

That simply means everyone is welcome here. I don't care who you love, how you identify, where you come from, or what kind of camera you carry. This project is about photography, mental health awareness, and giving people an opportunity to experience what photography can bring into their lives.

This project is for people. All people.

There is also a little movement toward the goal of putting working cameras into people's hands.

I reached out to KEH with an idea, and at this point they are entertaining it. I want to be completely transparent about what that means. KEH has not agreed to provide cameras, funding, a partnership, or anything else. They are simply willing to consider the idea and have a conversation.

KEH is under absolutely no obligation to continue. If they decide at any point that this isn't something they can be involved with, that's completely fine. I appreciate that they were willing to listen in the first place.

Rather than summarize what I asked them, here is the actual letter I sent:

I'm reaching out with what I hope is a pretty simple idea.

I started Michael Ladd Photography in July 2026 after photography helped me through an extremely difficult time in my family's life. Getting behind a camera gave me a reason to get out of the house, meet people, and start engaging with the world around me again.

Now I'm trying to turn that experience into something that might help someone else.

My goal is to secure grant funding specifically to put working cameras into the hands of people who may benefit from photography but might not otherwise have access to one.

I'm not asking KEH to donate cameras.

What I'm hoping to do is establish a relationship with a camera supplier so that if I secure the grant funding, that money can be used to purchase older, inexpensive, working digital cameras from KEH. I would then distribute those cameras through the project. They would not be purchased for resale.

I'm not looking for the newest equipment. Quite the opposite. I'm interested in the affordable working cameras that can still give somebody their first real opportunity to pick up a camera and go create something.

I recently approached another used-camera company with this idea, but they weren't able to pursue it. So I'm reaching out to KEH to see if there might be a way to make this work together.

You can see what I'm building, why I'm doing it, and the progress so far at:

michaelladdphotography.com

If this is something KEH would be willing to discuss, I'd be grateful for the opportunity to talk.

Nothing is guaranteed. The grant isn't guaranteed, the cameras aren't guaranteed, and KEH's involvement isn't guaranteed.

But the idea is being heard, and I'll keep working on it.

The goal hasn't changed: get working cameras into the hands of people who might benefit from photography.