Hwhup The Deans List? The Jason Dean here, bringing an end to the Weekend like it that recent $1.99/quart Blue Bunny ice cream sale at Econo. It snuck up on you, but when it happened, you were like “holy cow, this is amazing!” and you went all in. The next day, though, the ice cream bought was finished and when you went back for more the sale was over and you were sad but also relieved because after all it was Blue Bunny ice cream.

Anyways. Let’s get into it.

New Art in my own space

Here’s what I’ve been cooking up in the lab 😎

“Jason, what are you doing sharing a winter photo from 2025 it’s summer how could you?” I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT. This is my newsletter and I will share winter photos in mid-August whenever I feel like it and after a particularly uncomfortable hot and humid stretch, I definitely feel like it!

Here’s a thing you need to know about me: I can, and will, complain about the weather no matter what season we’re in. This is something I can’t (Editors note: won’t) change about myself and God has given me the courage to accept this thing that I can’t (Editors note: could, but never will) change. So yeah, it’s been hot and I have complained and I am sharing a picture of my car window after a late December blizzard in protest BUT ALSO when the November gales are blowing in those white S N O W flakes, I’ll be whining about the snow, bitching about the cold, and sharing photos from August beach trips as a hard cope.

You’re welcome.

Dimension is one of my photographic obsessions; in particular, the idea of photographing between dimensions. In my macro photographs of leaves and grass, I explore liminal space in a way that tries to capture the space between planes of existence. With objects and people, I’ve been trying to photograph the intangible; or rather, make the solid incorporeal. The process is somewhat straightforward- use a long(ish) exposure, in this case four seconds, hold the camera in place for, I don’t know- a couple of those seconds?- then move it quickly. Like most of my crazy techniques, it yields a lot of crappy, unusable photos.

Then there are times when I catch ghosts.

The above photo of my friend Tony was taken with a similar technique, although a much shorter (about 1/3 of a second) with a downward swiping motion at the last instant. It was inspired by a post that David shared with our Finch group chat ahead of our August meeting.

David, Tony, and I went out to the mean streets of Marquette earlier this month, cameras in hand with hearts full of dreams, to try our hands at capturing beautiful street images like this.

We failed. Except we crushed it.

Because A) we spent time outside on a beautiful evening practicing a fun new photo technique B) only kinda looking like tourists C) and had a lot of fun while also D) getting free leftover pizza from this nice elderly couple.

The Social Media sphere wants to tell us that if you aren’t getting thousands of followers and thousands of ‘engagements’, then your work doesn’t matter. Art isn’t about mattering though- it is about experiencing and expressing what it means to be a human, in a way that only you can experience and express. Art is not about the output- it lives in the process. Nights like that one are great reminders of that truth.

Bayou Art Walk

Art Walk is this weekend! 12-4 on Saturday (Sunday if there’s rain) there’s going to be a great group of artists out at the Chocolay Bayou Nature Preserve, including yours truly. I hope you’re able to stop out and say ‘Hwhup’ 👋!

I’ll be debuting some new mini framed prints for sale at the Art Walk. One of the designs I’m quite excited about is Flee, a photo I took a few years ago of the Black Rocks waves riding into the shore. I’ll be sharing some more of my new mini frames on social media this week; can’t wait for you to see them!

Google reviews

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Waves are Wednesdays Preview

Behold: the wave image I will be sharing this week on social media for #wavesarewednesdays:

It’s a little too early to start thinking about a 2026 retrospective; after all, there are still four plus months left of weather for me to complain about. I have been thinking about all of the growth and change that has happened to me this year, though, and I can’t believe that this version of me is the one I get to inhabit. I’m loving life in a way that I never thought was possible.

Thank you for following along and being here for that journey, for sticking by me during dark nights and helping me see the bright days. It means a great deal, folks 😊

Congratulations, you made it to the end of my newsletter! If you like what you read here, please consider sharing it on your social media or with someone who is in the room with you. And in the comments, I’d love to know what your favorite kind of weather is 😎

See you around,

Jason