Paul Larkin

@paullarkin.bsky.social

990 Followers 614 Following

Writer. marketer. waterfowl. I implore you not to follow me unless you like photos, reposts, and the occasional life update. I won’t follow you back. If I followed first, I neither need nor expect a follow-back. Love you all! And Lord love a duck.

Black and white photo of Cascade Falls, about an hour outside of Roanoke, VA. The falls have frozen into an intricate series of stalactite-like shapes that retain the turbulent appearance of water falling upon rock and pile upon each other, with hanging icicles resembling organ pipes. Photographed on January 31, 2026. Temperature 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wide shot of the Roanoke Valley, Virginia. Taken from the Blue Ridge Parkway. A range of mountains recedes into the distance; on the closer mountains, trees decked in autumn colors of red, orange, yellow, and green are visible. The more distant mountains are dark blue and poke through a layer of white clouds and mist that seems to rise from the valley below.
Black and white photo of the ground floor windows of a early-20th century brick building in downtown Roanoke, VA. Taken from the opposite side of the street. A brick planter featuring shrubs and a tree occupy the foreground. The windows reflect a building on the other side of the street as well as the goofy-looking photographer taking the picture. The reflections are skewed and warped in a funhouse-mirror style.
Black and white photo of the Liberty Trust Building in downtown Roanoke, VA. The seven-story stone structure, now a boutique hotel, originally housed Roanoke's First National Bank. The building was completed in 1910 and features Beaux Arts design with marble Ionic columns, intricate designs on its exterior stonework, and long, graceful windows at ground level. "Liberty Trust Building" is engraved in the stone above the entrance.
Black and white photo of a close-up shot of tree roots in Smith Mountain Lake State Park, VA. The tree has fallen to one side, pulling away from its base and creating an intricate webwork of roots and earth. Behind the roots, a dark cave beckons.
Black and white photo of a narrow alleyway between two brick buildings in downtown Roanoke, VA. Both buildings have fire escapes running up their sides. The fire escapes face each other and take up all of the space in the alley; a person could easily jump between them if they were brave and/or foolish. In the foreground, a wrought-iron fence runs between the two buildings, closing off access to the alley.
Black and white photo of the corner of a brick building in Roanoke, VA. Taken in the alley next to the building. To the right of frame, ornate stone scrollwork and well-tended bricks face the street, and in center frame, a drainpipe, pipe, and some wires run along the wall facing the alley. The drainpipe and pipe are badly dented and sport peeling paint, rust, and graffiti. A sign is posted that reads, "Private Property of Osceola-Roanoke Lodge No. 47. Only Authorized Parking Allowed. All Violators to Be Towed at Owners Expence [sic]"
Black and white photo of downtown Roanoke, VA. Taken from the Market St. Walkway & Railroad Bridge on the outskirts of downtown. A parking lot, modern-ish office building, and church steeple loom in the background behind a series of older brick buildings that dominate the foreground. Several of the brick buildings show signs of extensive wear and weathering, with cracked and peeling facades and walls bleached white from the sun and rain.
Black and white photo of the storefront for Mast General Store, Roanoke, VA. The store's windows stretch into the distance and feature a wide range of items, from globes to yarn to clothes to hats to tools to toys to books to candy and more. A sign hangs above the storefront and notes that the business has been in operation since 1883.
Black and white photo of the front corner of the Boxley Building in Roanoke, VA. Shot from almost directly below. The hundred-year-old, eight-story structure extends upwards from a lower granite section bearing the building's name to a terra cotta brick facade and is topped by a copper cornice. The neighboring building (not pictured) casts a dark shadow across the lower right side of the structure, and clouds swirl around its top.
Black and white photo of the Appalachian Power Building in Roanoke, VA. Shot from directly below. The Moderne-style building extends upward in dramatic fashion, highlighting its deco-inspired geometric brick patterns and weather-streaked cement archway and canopy.
Black and white photo of the side of a brick building looking onto an alleyway in Roanoke, VA. The brick structure extends to the top of the photo and beyond and features a series of shuttered windows. At ground level, a double door, air conditioning unit, and lineup of utility boxes, complete with a complex tangle of pipes and wires, face outward into the alley.
Black and white photo of a grove in Smith Mountain Lake State Park, VA. Shot from below looking up at the canopy. The sun is shining through the leaves, creating a brilliant blur and scattering effect around the closest tree trunk.
A windup toy featuring a circus elephant balancing a tasseled blue, yellow, and red ball on its upturned trunk while riding a tricycle. The elephant is pedaling away from the camera and is spinning the ball so quickly that the yellow tassels show as indistinct blurs.
Black and white photo of a large tree on a wide lawn in Highland Park, Roanoke, VA. The tree has shed a majority of its leaves, and its bare branches spread across most of the photo. In contrast, the background trees are still lush and fully leaved, and they seem to encroach on the balding tree.
A view from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke, VA. A range of low mountains are visible all the way to the horizon, each covered with fall colors of red, orange, yellow, and green. In the distance, the sun has broken through and adds a bright swath of light to one layer of mountains. A profusion of trees, also decked out for autumn, dominate the foreground.
The Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke, VA. The trees are showing their fall colors of red, orange, yellow, and green as a car rushes past the display. The photo was taken with a long exposure, elongating the car into a white and red blur on the Parkway.
A man dressed as a lumberjack and a crowd of onlookers watch as the winner of the logrolling contest dismounts from a synthetic log at the Lumberjack Show, part of Go Outside Fest 2025 in downtown Roanoke, VA. The afternoon sunshine lights up the trees above the crowd.
Black and white photo of Chestnut Ridge Trail in Smith Mountain Lake State Park, VA. The trail recedes into the distance and is surrounded by sun-dappled trees, creating a tunnel-like effect.
Black and white photo of the stone foundation and a few planks from the remains of an old log cabin in Smith Mountain Lake State Park, VA. The cabin is almost completely disintegrated and is not much more than a couple piles of stone and wood surrounded by trees and brush.
Black and white, close-up, 3/4 profile photo of some of the shoulders and the neck and big dumb head of an amateur photographer. The subject is unshaven and a little weather beaten, with a serious expression and close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair that is mostly white at the temples. Part of a baseline photo shoot for an ongoing series of portrait experiments featuring a variety of different lighting, focal length, and camera distance options.
Black and white photo of a tree laying on its side on the shore of Smith Mountain Lake. The tree has been blown over and uprooted. All the tree's branches are bare and face in one direction as they dip into the water; they were shaped as they grew by the same constant wind that finally defeated the tree itself.
Black and white photo of a mass of pine cones clustered together in a tight group on a tree. The tree is sparsely adorned with needles and has a number of bare branches; it might be dead or dying. Shot taken in Smith Mountain Lake State Park, VA.
Black and white photo of a thick web spun by webworm caterpillars on a tree in Smith Mountain Lake State Park, VA. The web spans multiple branches and the tree trunk and has snagged a number of leaves, sticks, and debris.
Black and white photo of a tree in Highland Park, Roanoke, VA. The tree is covered in ivy, which has spread all the way up the trunk and the surrounding ground.
Long-exposure shot of a man (me) preparing his morning espresso in his kitchen. The man is more-or-less stationary in front of the espresso machine but still blurred, and his arms reach for different items arrayed on the counter in front of him. 30-second exposure.
Black and white close-up photo of a slightly scrungly senior cat with grey fur and white whiskers. He is absolutely done with the photo shoot and is on his way out of the room to nap somewhere quieter.
Black and white photo of Jenny's Canyon in Snow Canyon State Park in Utah. The shot is taken from the Jenny's Canyon Trail terminus and looks back to the canyon's entrance. Massive rock walls tower above on either side, with only a narrow column of light between them.
Black and white photo of a tree in Highland Park, Roanoke, VA. Shot from below. The tree has shed its foliage and is covered in vines.
Black and white photo of fountains, trees, and pathway lights in Elmwood Park, Roanoke, VA.
Early 20th Century brick wall painted advertisements in Roanoke, VA. The wall ads are for: Virginia Carriage Factory, Pepsi, and Uneeda Biscuit (5¢)
Photo of a building in downtown Roanoke, VA. The right third of the building is obscured by another structure, but the reflection in that one's glass facade aligns fairly well with the other two-thirds to form a more-or-less complete building. In the lower left corner, a few trees have encroached into frame and dominate the foreground.
Black & white photo of tree in Highland Park, Roanoke, VA. Shot from below. The trees are bare of leaves below their canopy and appear skeletal and a little spooky.
Henry the tortoise enjoying some watermelon cake on his 60th birthday. He's making a mess of the cake and clearly having a great time.
Stern Daddy hard at work
Label for a bag of Winter Solstice coffee beans from Roastology in Richmond, VA. The beans are medium roasted and a blend of natural- and washed-process, and the label claims the beans have notes of mulled wine, macadamia, and blood orange. Damn tasty.
Photo of the total eclipse of 4/8/2024 using an iPhone 15 Pro Max. The moon and corona are visible through a filter of clouds.
PC components including Ryzen 7 CPU and GEForce RTX 4070