Moments in Focus – Dorian Roark

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Chronicles of Wasted Time
Moments In Focus
Tangents

Chronicles of Wasted Time
Moments In Focus
Tangents

Logan's Senior Prom — Prom

Ghrol in the Moment — Concerts

Lady Witch Photoshoot — Witchy Woman

All work © 2024 Paul Hobson

thedorianroark

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Cohoes Falls #cohoesfalls #Waterfalls

Cohoes Falls

#cohoesfalls #Waterfalls

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For years, this piece sat tucked away in my gran

For years, this piece sat tucked away in my grandfather’s desk: a 1901 Indian Head cent encased inside an aluminum “Good Luck” token from Niagara Falls.

Known simply as an “encased cent,” it was part of a souvenir craze that swept the country in the early 1900s as aluminum suddenly became cheap to stamp. Vendors hawked them as talismans—flanked by horseshoes and four-leaf clovers—cashing in on turn-of-the-century tourist traffic with little thought beyond a quick sale.

Yet the physical wear tells a quieter, longer story. The softened aluminum letters and smoothed rim show it spent years bumping against keys and loose change in someone's pocket before it finally retired to my grandfather’s drawer.

What started as disposable roadside ephemera ended up outlasting the pockets that carried it—a tiny, durable relic of American travel that found its way to me.

It’s worth more to me as a historical relic than its value as a collector’s item. You can find various coins like this selling on auction sites for about $40.

#penny #niagrafalls #history #relic #artifact

This is fun. Use your AI of choice and enter this

This is fun. Use your AI of choice and enter this prompt: Based on what you know about me and the attached photo can you please create a vintage 1960’s movie poster of me?

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#controlresonant #control #liminalspaces

#controlresonant #control #liminalspaces

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A little bit of truth in advertising.

A little bit of truth in advertising.

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Intellectually, I think we all understand this, bu

Intellectually, I think we all understand this, but I would wager we are all our own worst students.

Getting lost in lore. #controlresonant #control

Getting lost in lore.

#controlresonant #control

Dennis Haskins (1950–2026). Hearing about Dennis

Dennis Haskins (1950–2026).

Hearing about Dennis Haskins passing away hit me unexpectedly today.

When I was a young teenager, I thoroughly enjoyed Saved by the Bell. Was it television kool-aid? Absolutely—pure, neon-colored comfort food that was sweet, easy to consume, offered little nutritional value, but was endlessly re-watchable.

As an adult, I now understand what made it work was Mr. Belding. Richard Belding was the pulse that kept Bayside High grounded. Dennis Haskins turned what could have been a cartoonish foil for Zack Morris into a warm, patient, and respected mentor who genuinely cared about his students. The show was light on heavy morality, but whenever it paused to deliver an actual lesson, Dennis was the one who gave it real heart.

There is a distinct grief in watching the fixtures of your youth grow old and pass on. What else is there to say but thank you? Thank you for the comedy, for the memories and an unforgettable era of Saturday mornings.

#thanksforthememories #savedbythebell #childhoodmemories

My mother recently handed me an old folded map tha

My mother recently handed me an old folded map that was, at one point, tucked away in my grandfather’s desk—a vintage, hand-illustrated tourist map of Saranac Lake.

Because I’m a compulsive archiver and can’t help myself, I set out to digitize it before it faded away in a drawer. But as soon as I started scanning, I stopped looking at the topography and had a thought.

Before GPS turned maps into sterile blue dots and turn-by-turn voices, cartography was allowed to have a sense of humor. Mid-century illustrators weren’t obsessing over millimeter-perfect precision. They focused on capturing what a place felt like, packing the woods and shores with tiny micro-dramas of people actually enjoying the Adirondacks.

Modern maps get you where you’re going, but they leave nothing to the imagination. They trade a little bit of utility for a lot of soul.

#charm #maps #vintage #Adirondacks #saranaclake

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Dorian Roark Photography Copyright 2026 Paul Hobson

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