A Piper Seminole approaches Wood County Airport (1G0) at Bowling Green State University against a cloudless sky showing the remnants of sunset.

That's my boy. ;-)

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as On the Approach on July 9, 2026.

A wooden sign on a sidewalk advertises a wine tasting event.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Wine Tasting Today on July 7, 2026.

That condition proved to be too much for Getty, apparently, as its board voted unanimously to kill the deal if the condition applied. Getty notified Shutterstock today that the deal was dead.

In contrast to the U.K., the U.S. Department of Justice gave the companies unconditional approval of the proposed deal earlier this year.

Can the companies compete with AI imagery on their own, or do they need the scale they would have achieved through the merger? We'll see. I like preserving competition, particularly for editorial photography, but I worry that no one is well-positioned to take on easily and cheaply generated AI imagery.

Post originally published on jmattbuchanan.com on July 7, 2026.

An American flag flies above the U.S.S. Constitution, 'Old Ironsides', in Boston Harbor

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Flag and Constitution on July 6, 2026.

A crescent moon hangs in the sky at sunset over Wood County Airport (1G0) at Bowling Green State University.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Sunset Crescent Moon Over 1G0 on July 6, 2026.

Chairs set for an oceanside wedding on the shoreline of West Penobscot Bay in Maine.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as An Intimate Affair on July 5, 2026.

Backside of the Rockland Harbor Breakwater Light, which seemed worthy of attention…and not just because shooting the front side is difficult without a boat or plane.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Appreciating the Backside on July 5, 2026.

Curtis Island Light in West Penobscot Bay near Camden, Maine.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Light on the Hill on July 5, 2026.

The three-masted Victory Chimes schooner on a morning sail in West Penobscot Bay in Maine

I captured this photo during a family trip to Maine in 2013. At the time, it didn't mean much to me beyond being a neat capture of a ship on the water. A friend of mine later recognized the ship as the three-masted Victory Chimes. I remember reading about her shortly after he told me, and being fascinated by her history. I'm not a sailor, but the story stuck with me, so much so that I'd Google the ship from time to time just to stay up to date.

Which brings me to 2026. I was reading about the parade of tall ships in New York, part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and those stories naturally made me think of Victory Chimes. That had me looking back at this photo, along with others from that trip to Maine.

My next stop, of course, was the Wikipedia entry for Victory Chimes. I revisited the familiar story and was amazed all over again by her history.

Then my jaw dropped.

At the time of my reading of the entry, an unceremonious sentence at the end of the Sailing Career section flatly announced her demise: "Following being unused as a restaurant, Victory Chimes sank in the Gowanus Bay" (more precisely, the Henry Street Basin in Brooklyn, which sits off Gowanus Bay; See the Bangor Daily News article linked below).

That, of course, sent me searching for news of the sinking, which I quickly found. The Bangor Daily News reports that a squall rolled through on Friday, July 3rd, sinking Pilot, another historic ship that had been docked next to Victory Chimes. The exact day and time Victory Chimes went down is unclear, but she was also underwater by Sunday:

Vogel said a strong squall came through Friday night and negatively affected many ships. The historic schooner Pilot, docked next to the Chimes, sank Friday. Vogel said he saw comments by people who said the Chimes also went down and when he went there Sunday, he found it also was under water.

I'm writing this on Monday, July 6th. I made my walk down memory lane — inspired by a search for information on the parade of tall ships — yesterday, the same day Victory Chimes sank.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Victory Chimes in West Penobscot Bay on July 5, 2026.

Two fishermen stand on a rocky pier and are silhouetted against the sunset as they cast their lines into the Gulf of Mexico on Upham Beach in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Last Cast on July 5, 2026.

Photographing a deicing crew from inside the plane

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Deicing Captured on July 5, 2026.

An American flag flaps in the wind from a mount on the back of a boat in Penobscot Bay near Rockland, Maine.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Main flag on July 5, 2026.

A firework explodes over Upham Beach in St. Pete Beach, Florida, leaving a trail of light that resembles a palm tree in front of the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.

This photo always reminds me that all photo outings are "like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get."

I captured a few dozen photos during this particular outing on the Fourth of July on St. Pete Beach. Capturing fireworks is always a challenge, but I was fairly happy with what I saw on the back of the camera when I started to put my gear away. This one caught my eye right away when I started culling and editing the next day. It wasn't one I had mentally flagged in my back-of-camera review the night before, but I noticed the palm tree shape of the firework and quickly knew I had a favorite shot from the outing.

That, along with the spectacular St. Pete Beach sunset in the background, makes this one of my favorite fireworks photos.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Firework Palm on July 4, 2026.

A bald eagle lands on a upwardly extending dead tree branch against a partly cloudy sky.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Wheels Down Alaska on July 4, 2026.

A Piper Seminole takes off at sunset from Wood County Airport (1G0) at Bowling Green State University.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Seminole Sunset on July 3, 2026.

Three pelicans rest on a sea wall in Boca Ciega Bay near Upham Beach in St. Pete Beach, Florida. One pelican has a fishing line protruding from an area behind his leg.

This rusty old sea wall in St. Pete Beach is a favorite location of mine. It draws me back time and time again...and year after year. Pelicans are also frequent visitors of the wall and they're usually willing to sit fairly still while I awkwardly move around the rocks at the base of the wall with my gear in tow.

On the night of this photo, these three pelicans seemed to stay put for a particularly long time. The one on the right kept turning to me, like he had something to say. I was clueless to whatever he was trying to convey, trying to hold my balance on the rocks and focus on his eyes. My wife knew right away, of course, telling me as she approached my spot on the rocks.

All three flew away shortly after I captured this image, so I never saw it until I edited the photo in full resolution. Look closely—he's got a leader protruding from just behind his left leg, with a swivel and a bit of line dangling from it. I can't tell if there's a hook involved, but that feels like a reasonable assumption to me.

I loved this photograph before I knew about his predicament because it gave me a sense of technical satisfaction: three in a row, perfectly spaced, and nobody's pruning themself! And, bonus, that gaze!

Now it makes me a little sad every time I look at it.

I still love it though, because it reminds me of things that are important to me—wildlife and the environment—and the challenges they face.

Technical Notes

The sea wall is partially surrounded by a rocky pier. Accessing the wall is relatively easy, as long as you're willing to navigate the boulders of the pier. A tripod is helpful but challenging to setup once you find a spot. Those rocks have caused me great frustration with multiple cheap tripods over the years. They also have helped me appreciate the trusted, not-so-cheap tripod I prefer to carry these days.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as A Little Help? on July 2, 2026.

A couple sleeps on the subway between stops

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Sleep Between Stops on June 30, 2026.

A subway train speeds past people waiting on the deck of an underground station

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Red Line Inbound on June 30, 2026.

A rain-soaked street scene in Puerto Rico

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Rainy Window Shopping on June 30, 2026.

The flag of Puerto Rico flaps in the breeze through an open window of a restaurant in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as The Breeze on Norzagaray on June 30, 2026.

Red flowers on an altar behind an imposing yellow wall at Castillo San Cristóbal in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Flowers on the Altar on June 30, 2026.

A graduation tassel lies on the base of a column following a graduation ceremony at Harvard University

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Discarded Tassel on June 29, 2026.

Patent marking on an antique Zeroll brand ice cream scoop holding a melting scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Mint Chocolate Chip No. 16 on June 29, 2026.

Sunrise over the Maumee River as observed from Buttonwood recreation area.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Sunrise at Buttonwood on the Maumee River on June 29, 2026.

Peggy's Cove Lighthouse stands high above the rock formation on which it sits at the opening to St. Margaret's Bay in Nova Scotia.

Photograph originally published on jmattbuchanan.com as Peggy's Cove on High on June 29, 2026.