Joe's Notes

Welcome!

This is my blog and I do whatever I want here. I write my thoughts about things and short stories, I take photos, and have lots of book reviews. Make sure to check out the PRODUCTS page to order your edgy t-shirts or the PRINTS page to get prints of my photography! Use the search bar at the bottom of this page to discover more posts. Use the ARCHIVE page to see all my posts. Categorical searches will also yield good results for those who want more of a specific group of posts such as “Photo Journal” or “Book Review”. Check out the OLD BLOG for over 270 posts that go back to 2010 and get your PRINTS at the Prints Store!

Thank you!

And then they disappeared. (Photo Blog 3.17.26) - Powell Butte

March 17, 2026 by Joe Gray in Nature Lover, Photo Journal, Photography, Wildlife

I was getting closer to some deer when right in front of me, there were two huge coyotes! My heart began to race, and I snapped some shots. They were so close that I was worried they might get nervous and see me as a threat. They walked off to my right through the brush and disappeared. There were two groups of deer on each side of them, and they never noticed the coyotes. I backed off a bit and made my way back to the trail. Here are the shots I got from my trek along the Powell Butte Trail.

My Best Photos of 2025

December 21, 2025 by Joe Gray in Best of Photos, Macro Photography, Mushrooms, Nature Lover, Photography, Wildlife

Check out my best photos from 2025!

Testing the GoPro Max2 on a Photo Hike (Unboxing Too)

October 19, 2025 by Joe Gray in Gear, Macro Photography, Mushrooms, Nature Lover, Photo Journal, Reccomendations, Tech, Test Shots/Testing, VLOG, Wildlife

I got my hands on the new GoPro Max 2 360 camera and took it for a test drive to Powell Butte Nature Park in Oregon. I brought along my Canon R5 and some lenses and looked for some stuff to photograph. Then I edited the photos, reframed the 360 footage, put that into Davinci Resolve and added music and stuff. Here is that video! Stay tuned for more!

Blue Lake Regional Park Photo Blog and Live Editing (Photos and Video)

April 10, 2025 by Joe Gray in Macro Photography, Mushrooms, Nature Lover, Photo Journal, Photography, Travel, Wildlife

Thank you for checking out my photos! I took a walk around Blue Lake Regional Park with my Canon R5 and Canon 100mm Macro lens. Afterward, I streamed my editing live on Twitch (Lukefno2) so if you want to know how I edit check out the video below.

A Day at the Portland Zoo 3/20/24 (Photos)

March 22, 2024 by Joe Gray in Nature Lover, Photo Journal, Photography, Portland Zoo, Wildlife

I went to the Portland Zoo with my mom and we got a chance to see almost all the amazing animals. I hadn’t been to the Zoo in a while and as much as I am torn about the circumstances around zoos I was grateful to get a chance to see and photograph the exotic wildlife. I hope to find some of these animals in their natural habitats in the future but for now, I can enjoy their beauty in person. I shot using the Canon 80D and mostly on my Sigma 150-600. I use Lightroom to edit and I think I got some great shots. Which one is your favorite?

Best Photos of 2023

January 01, 2024 by Joe Gray in Best of Photos, Macro Photography, Nature Lover, Photo Journal, Photography, Travel

Most of these photos were taken using the Canon 80D with a variety of lenses. I use the Canon 100mm Macro Lens the most along with the Sigma 150-300mm Contemporary Lens, Sigma 14-24 f2.8, and Canon 24mm Pancake, and I used my new Pixel 7a for the sunset shot at the beginning. I use a flash sometimes and extension tubes as well. I love hiking and looking for interesting wildlife to capture.