I took my first photo in 1958, when I was 7 years old. (I saw Mom's camera, grabbed it, and quick took a shot out the door of the house before returning it. No, I didn't ask.) I've used cameras that used 120, 620, 127, and 35mm film (both black-and-white and color, prints as well as slides); digital cameras of increasing megapixels since their introduction. I've learned to use various types of scanning equipment as well as editing software from Microsoft Photodraw 2 (2000s) to Adobe Photoshop and finally, mostly, settling on Zoner Photo Pro.

I've learned to create artwork from my photos, and sometimes the artsy version is more satisfying; sometimes, not. However, in this section I present photos taken that don't fit into any other category. (In particular, photos of family may be found in the About Me and About My Family sections; travel photos are located, of course, in my Travel section.) Please enjoy the albums listed below.

Tropical Depression 11

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 9/1/1968 Posted: 1/12/2016		Page Views: 3,373
Hashtags: #Weather #Photography
All the photos I took at St. Augustine Beach of the aftermath of 1968's Tropical Storm 11.
Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s) (257 words)

Every place gets its own type of drawbacks. Arizona has heat; Minnesota has cold; California has earthquakes. And Florida has hurricanes and tropical storms but also tropical depressions that are sometimes even worse. Still, the aftermath can be a photographic treasure.

Coast Guard Tender at Dawn

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 4/19/1969 Posted: 2/14/2012		Page Views: 3,512
Hashtags: #StAugustine #Florida #CoastGuard
All about the time I boarded a Coast Guard tender and had to find its bathroom.
Estimated reading time: 8 minute(s) (1739 words)

Shortly after I turned 18, I talked my way onto a Coast Guard tender "to take pictures", a thrill that was made more intense when I drank my first cup of coffee…and learned what it did to my digestive system.

Picking Up Gramma at JAX

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 7/21/1970 Posted: 11/27/2023		Page Views: 670
Hashtags: #Photography #JacksonvilleInternationalAirport #Florida
In 1970, a trip to the airport was more fun than a trip to the zoo.
Estimated reading time: 3 minute(s) (616 words)

I had been to Jacksonville International Airport exactly two times before: First, on June 5, 1968, when I drove a friend's dad to catch a flight. I remember the date because I watched Robert F. Kennedy being shot live on the TV monitors in the general waiting area. The second time was when I flew to Fort Lauderdale to visit my buddy, Chris. In those days, before hijackings and security lines and no smoking, a visit to an airport was almost as exciting as actually making the trip oneself. So, in July, 1970, after my grandmother had made a trip to New Jersey to visit her best friend (who we called Aunt Connie), Mom, my sister Mary, and myself made the drive to pick her up. I had bought a special roll of film for the occasion, and we got there early enough for me to do my favorite thing, then and now: explore the place with my camera.

Mary Joan on the Beach

By: Paul S Cilwa			Page Views: 3,414
Hashtags: #StAugustineBeach #Florida #MaryJoanCilwaEngel
Pictures of the hurricane aftermath.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (88 words)

My notes on these photos of Mary Joan Cilwa Engel, made a few years after they were taken, says this was the "aftermath of a hurricane". It also suggests they were taken in May of 1971. However, I can't find a suitable hurricane that would have caused this damage, other than 1964's Hurricane Dora. Dora definitely did cause the end of the pier to break off. Did a nor'easter or tropical storm in late 1970 expose the remnants? If I can find out, I will update this page.

Flower Art

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 5/10/2017 Posted: 4/26/2024		Page Views: 527
Hashtags: #Photography #PhototoArt #Arizona #Flowers
Turning photos into art masterpieces. Or not.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (39 words)

We have beautiful flowers here in Arizona, not just wildflowers, but various types of cactus bloom as well! And I can't help but take pictures of them. But here are some that benefited from being turned into digital art.

Waterfall Art

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 4/29/2024		Page Views: 387
Hashtags: #Photography #DigitalArt #Waterfalls
Why not go chasing after waterfalls?
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (31 words)

I find waterfalls to be beautiful and captivating, as I suppose everyone does. So I take a picture of each one I encounter. But sometimes that isn't enough, and art results.