The Wrong Thing

i really have taken a liking to the sound of the word "bling". it's a wonderfully descriptive utterance for something that has a momentary sparkle and flash...the passing twinkle in an eye used in an over-the-top visual comedy...so sad that we grab onto that so often as the first thing...and spend an inordinate amount of energy of all sorts trying to possess...nothing...or, arguably less satisfying, the wrong thing.

such an incredible lack of discernment..or is it simply just laziness, like looking at nothing in particular and past everything and just grabbing the first "bling" we see?

it makes me very uncomfortable to ponder this one..."calming vibrations"

Facing Faces

i usually take the stand that there are "absolutes", but as i get more experience in life i have to admit that there seems to be no possible way to ascertain what they (or it) might be.

every single object or event looks different, and may have different significance, depending on the person observing it or the location of the observation point...that would seem to include physical location, mental state, life experience, education, and whatever else we could imagine that would make each observer/location combination unique. it sometimes seems to me that if we could just get all the views, we'd know what something absolutely is...or would we?

i'm fascinated by this concept, and it's easy enough to play around with it on a small scale while photographing the same thing from different perspectives...the more i play with it, the more i'm convinced that there's just no telling...and so i go on exploring and observing.

two of the many faces of one of my favorite buildings, the templeton granary..."a matter of scale" and "boxes and boxes".

A Hit to the Eye

Not much to say here...color...texture....it's everywhere! i like it!

just a couple of pieces that tickle my retinal receptors..."Turquoise Harem" and "Intruder Warning in Red"

Webs We Weave

throughout the world, in all of our lives we see the evidence and consequence of the intrigues we create. we are often aghast to observe that, once created, they are likely to take on a life of their own...completely out of our control, careening down paths that we never imagined. oh what wondrous webs we weave...and in the nature of webs, they become tangled and entangling...it's just the nature of things.

unfortunately, we fool ourselves into thinking that we do have control over our creations and machinations...we don't. it's not that we can stop our web-making, and it's impossible to untangle our creations, but it's worth the effort at times to stop and observe that tangle and try to sort it out to find a focus...if for no other reason than to learn a thing or two about them.

these two pieces required considerable thought to find a focus in the tangle...but, worthwhile i think..."industrial strength web" and "snail snare"

Rachel

people and images...i surely find people the most challenging of all images to make. it's not all that difficult to take a good photo of a person, but to capture a bit of their personality...for me, that's a tough one...

my favorite person, wife, partner, and, pleasurably, my favorite model...rachel... "rachel deep in thought" and "piece of mind"

A Star Is Born ... Every Day

sometimes it flat out amazes me to see something that i am very familiar with and think i "know so well" in a new context. my first reaction is one of awe at what i'm looking at...its beauty, color, shape, complexity, whatever the overwhelming sensation may be. if i examine it at length, i may come to realize that it is a very familiar thing that shines in contrast to a foreign environment. a star is born! i find myself overwhelmed by the sensation and fail to see what i am really looking at...the "same old thing" in a context that showcases its special traits.

in light of this observation it's surprising that we should be so anxious about being in unfamiliar situations...the very places where we might shine.

so....."punk'd out in orange" and "a star is born"

The Little Bits

it's amazing how often we miss the beauty of the little insignificant parts...shapes, color juxtapositions, words, inflections, sighs...in our mad "appreciation" of the grandeur of everything...

here's to those bits...."colors bumping" and "little bits of time"

O So Mysterioso

when i was very young my father used to take my brother and i for walks in the woods...we used to explore and play tag and hide and seek (me in my red jacket)...i always thought it was a magical place...mysterious, dark, sometimes light streaming into secret places revealing wonderful scenes...i don't think i've ever lost that feeling of the mysterious in nature...one of my favorite experiences, still, is wandering in some out of the way area (this often can be 5 feet from a road!) and discovering a bower, a pile of leaves, a stream, a wizened and impossibly gnarly tree, a spider sitting on it's woven lace picnic blanket awaiting a guest for dinner... being awe inspiring without the slightest need for an audience...and here i am, the lucky observer... like being someplace i'm not really supposed to be.

if i have my camera with me, i can spend hours, trying to capture that feeling of awe and the delights that i'm seeing and experiencing. it's not so easy, i find, to capture that mystery...

these two shots are a pleasure for me...i think i came close to capturing that element of mystery that i enjoy..."after the shower" and "oak grove on a rainy day"

Glory Daze

time passes and so does the sheen.

i guess missing the sheen is normal, but letting it become the defining element of our thinking is less than invigorating to one's creative life. when that becomes the focus, all endeavor seems to lean to recapturing what we thought was the more successful time of creativity (or would that be notoriety?). we all(exceptions are entertained)love to be noticed and noted. in fact, creativity seems, like happiness, to be much less satisfying if not shared. there is definitely a thrill and satisfaction from the work done, but put all the results in a place where no one else can see and laud or critique, and i doubt that any of us "creative types" would continue. that's the "fak" jack! (yeah, i know that feeling insular and above it all is a great pose...a lofty perch above it all in the pecking order, but it's not a very original delusion.)

so, what's left? no faded glory that's for sure! like the rust forming under metal that has been repainted in an attempt to restore the old glory...often, like the experiences of life, the bubbling, dented, weatherbeaten, crusty layers add a new glory...and for me, i think i'll try to capture that...there'll be enough time to reflect on the "old glory" when i'm pushing up daisies!

so...for reflection and introspection..."Once Upon a Star" and "Glorious in Retirement"

Special-ness & Success

in a crowd of 6.7 billion people, "special" is a pretty astounding word to use when describing one of us, yet we all believe that each one of us is special...(smoke that one for a while!)... and just what what is "success" among this number of strivers for the brass ring...and who or what calls the shots that determine the outcome?

of the millions of sperm that are sent on their mad dash for survival/success in a single act of intercourse, only one will be successful...of all the eggs that are fertilized only a certain number will see the light of day of birth...of those, many newborns will not live to see puberty...and still the number of "successes" are astounding considering the odds.

once reaching adult status, very few are "successful" considering the standards of the world...whether by fame, monetary status, or power...and then how many of us attain the status of "truly memorable" ... those whose ideas or accomplishments are credited with steering this vast human ship through the uncharted waters of history..?

pondering this is a good reason to reach for that additional beer or two...and ponder "beating the odds" and "chosen".

Fracktured Flickers

while working on these images i got to thinking about how i physically "fit" in the world.

i tend to think of my personal self as insular and totally inclusive to my own "place" in space and time...but experience, science, and "spirituality" seems to hint to something quite different.

how did i know what that other person was going to say before they said it? where do "my" body's atoms and molecules end and the outside's begin...exactly? why does it seem to me that "prayer" or positive "vibes" or energy is effective in the world?

at times these considerations seem to fracture my concepts of just what or who my self is...

does it matter, or is the only practical consideration the skin i'm in?

so..."cat branches" and "boy through water"

Phancy Phlights

sometimes...setting is all. a diamond set it in a glass of water...it becomes invisible for all practical purposes no matter how perfect a diamond it is. take a rotten tomato, place it on a black field and set a small spot light on it...you will have an interesting if not beautiful picture...

so...i thought that i'd search the archives for items that i've always liked, but never did know what to do with and apply some creative settings using elements of the original shots for that purpose...(this bears further experimentation i'm thinking...)

these two have always reminded me of the french impressionists...and now dipped ever so tentatively into the arts nouveau setting have a bit more sparkle than before...

"lily pond pastels" and "lily bloom"

Getting the Bird

i always have a feeling of triumph when i can actually get a shot of some birds that are interesting to me...they are usually all over the place and not very amenable to close inspection unless the observer hides out somewhere...alas, a nature photographer i'm not... that being said, i love to watch birds interact...they often take on the form of human social groups...gathering in cliques, chattering away, excluding some hapless member of the avian community...hanging around some light pole or other...real light weights...

in that vein i'm sneaking in "not ready for prime time" and "evening recap"

Sparkle

keeping that "spark" way past the jaded...can everything old still be new without having to get alzheimers to experience it. i suspect that the key has something to do with learning to really look at things anew and not blowing them off as "the same old thing". photography, or any of the "arts" seems to be a facilitator for looking anew at things...almost of necessity the process slows us down enough to look or think again...

"preening in the Sunset" and "morning hangover"