In her book I Feel Bad About My Neck, Nora Ephron wrote “Never marry someone you wouldn’t want to be divorced from.” The man I married has turned out to be a good ex-husband, and after years of him supporting me in surprising ways, I’m now supporting him in a small way.
Bob has a remarkable eye for taking photos, especially of natural settings and animals in nature. He’ll stand still, holding out a handful of nuts, for long minutes (five minutes? Ten or more?) until a bird cautiously lands on a finger, takes a peanut and flies off, often to be followed by the second bravest bird in the area.
After decades of compliments on his photos, especially by people who appreciate nature, a few weeks ago Bob launched a website where you can purchase one of his many images. He sets out with his camera and his dog and gets some pretty good shots.
Beauty On Earth 312 features photos Bob took not more than a few hours from where he lives. I like some of the quirky names he uses, such as “Cold Shoulder” for the backside of a hawk on a distant branch (I think it’s a hawk), and “Big Brother” for a shot of a wolf he took inside a cemetery.
The offerings include a shot of Bob’s hand and a courageous bird grabbing a free meal. I’m not a visual person and I don’t usually like photos. When someone pulls out their phone to show me a renovated kitchen or a beach shot I try to talk them out of it. But Bob’s got some stuff that even impresses me, so I hope you take a look.
Me and Bob in 2008
Bob ended our marriage in 2013, but we’ve stayed in touch. In 2017 he helped me through two hospital stays, going with me or bringing me home, and he brought me groceries long after each of those recuperations was over. He takes me to breakfast when our schedules are in sync, and that’s when we catch up about our jobs, our health, and how our families are doing.
And since Bob is the assistant general manager of a fine dining restaurant, every once in a while he asks me if I want a steak. I always say yes, not just because I like red meat, but because those are $70-dollar steaks! They are good.
Bob’s a good man who unfortunately wasn’t any better at marriage than I was, and his photos are so good even I appreciate some of them. If you enjoy photos of natural Illinois, he’s on Facebook, so after you look at his website, you might even follow him.
He’s also on Instagram @bobmartin692.
Bob Martin, Chicago photographer
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