Journal | Behind the Images, Beyond the Frame

This Journal is where I pull back the curtain—on the work, the travel, and the quiet moments that never make it into the product pages. It’s part field notes, part personal history, and part creative reflection. Here you’ll find stories from the road, thoughts on abandoned places, forgotten objects, and unexpected beauty. This isn’t about tutorials or gear lists—it’s about why I keep going, what I find along the way, and how real photography still matters in a world tilting toward the artificial.

Journal

Map of Vietnam showing Hue, Da Nang and the central Vietnamese coastline

Heading to Vietnam

Waiting in Toronto's airport lounge, I'm looking forward to Vietnam more than the long journey there. I share the anticipation of travelling with my wife and camera, with plans to explore and the uncertainty of what photographs I will bring home.

Ten Hours Inside the Toronto G20 Police Kettling at King and Spadina

I rode into Toronto with a Leica M9 to photograph the 2010 G20 protests and spent ten hours inside the police kettling at King and Spadina. I share a photograph from that experience and the circumstances that kept me at the intersection.

The Big Apple Colburne Ontario Canada

A giant red apple beside Highway 401 persuaded me to stop and take a closer look. I share a photographer's visit to the Big Apple in Colborne, from its working bakery to the unexpected shapes and roadside details worth noticing.

Dan Kosmayer capturing authentic photography during global travels

My Journey in Photography: Four Decades of Real, Authentic Work

My first Kodak camera led to a darkroom, a Pentax and decades of looking through a lens. I trace that journey through changing equipment and expectations, explaining why real encounters, sustained attention and the finished print still matter to my work.

Red Arrows formation with smoke trails at the Scotland Airshow in Ayr

Scotland Airshow: Highlights of the Best Aerial Performances

The aircraft drew me to Ayr's Scottish International Airshow, but the shoreline and watching crowds helped shape the photographs. I look back at flying displays, vintage aircraft and the atmosphere along the seafront, distinguishing that visit from later events in Ayr.

Travel

Hog Island Lighthouse Nassau Bahamas

Hog Island Lighthouse makes a small, clear landmark beside Nassau Harbour. I look at the relationship between its white tower, a foreground channel marker and the open sea, exploring how a simple coastal arrangement can hold a photograph together.

Travel

Australia Pinnacles Desert

An early drive from Perth took my wife and me into the limestone formations of the Pinnacles Desert. I share the journey through Nambung National Park, the surrounding stops and the changing shapes that made this landscape worth photographing.

Dan Kosmayer Etsy store launch featuring signed limited edition wall art photography prints created from real locations and shipped from Haliburton Ontario

Dan Kosmayer Launches Etsy Store

I've opened an Etsy store to give people another way to discover my photography prints. I share the reasons behind that step, the real places and encounters within the work, and my curiosity about which photographs will find a place in someone's home.

Insect street food skewers at Beijing bug market

Market with bugs to eat China

At a Beijing food market, trays of scorpions, spiders and larvae gave my wife and me plenty to consider. I share the encounter through photographs, looking at the displays, repeated shapes and curiosity that make markets such interesting places to explore.

Staying Aware While Traveling Alone A Lesson from Havana

A Night in Havana That Taught Me to Pay Attention

A friendly encounter in Havana became an evening that made me reassess the situation around me. I recount what happened and reflect on attention, trust and boundaries while travelling, alongside the curiosity that continues to draw me back to photographing Cuba.

Limelight to Twilight mural in Winnipeg featuring Charlie Chaplin and Groucho Marx painted on a brick wall

Groucho and the Little Tramp

A glimpse of a mural changed the direction of our walk through Winnipeg's Exchange District. I recount finding Groucho and the Little Tramp, and reflect on the way public art interrupts an ordinary outing and persuades me to bring out the camera.

A moving exhibit inside the War Photography Museum Zagreb captures the human cost of conflict and resilience of Croatia

Exploring the War Photography Museum Zagreb: A Journey Through History

Visiting Zagreb's war photography museum prompted personal questions about my Croatian family and the lives recorded in its images. I reflect on that earlier visit, the human weight of documentary photographs and what I carried back into the streets afterward.

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