Is there like some kind of secret society, maybe run by the devil,
that insists that if you are young, female, have a little bit of
talent, or an inclination, you can achieve stardom if and only if, you
become blonde and get a boob job so that you fit the mold of the
young, female star (and all look the same)?
It's just so annoying that all female singers, for instance, seem to
go to this secret society, some kind of stepford stars soceity, and
sell their souls, which are sucked out of their bodies with some kind
of wierd sci-fi vacuum, and then they are left empty, but blonde and
buxom.
Britney, Jessica, Christina, Paris, Nicole, the list goes on and on.
Brunettes entering the machine and coming out all looking exactly the
same!
What's the deal anyway?
So along comes Avril, and she is different! She is skinny, flat,
scrawny, angry, with her dark hair parted down the middle, almost
hiding her face. She's a little bit punk and a lot individual (well,
at least more so than the the stepford stars).
So, look at the photo, and tell me.
She's gone and done it, too, hasn't she? She got sucked into the
stepford star machine and spit out the other end, looking like every
other young, female star, and lacking the soul that was just traded in
for her new star-making looks.
It's just so tiresome!
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Female Photographers
This morning my husband pointed me in the direction of some other female photograhers who are shooting much as I did when my kids were young, in a journalistic style along with the writing that accompanies it.
I recall, even before I became a mom, and in fact, probably even before my first day of Kindergarten, thinking that I was an observer. I liked (like) to observe people and anything visual. I would be really quiet, a lot of the time, mostly deep in observation (when not climbing trees, exploring canyons, or riding waves, all of which, in a sense, for me, are other forms of observing).
When I looked at a couple of their blogs, I was entranced to find fellow observers. It brought me right back to my center. It is akin to the feeling one might have when, after being a stranger in a strange land for some time, returning home, and immediately recalling all that one values.
Thank you Mark. And thank you ladies. If you wander over here and see this, you will know who you are. And perhaps in the very near future, if it agrees with you, I will link this blog to you because you are creating beautiful photographs of childhood, and a beautiful history. And you are being wonderful, gentle moms, that is very evident.
{note on the photo that accompanies this blog: I took this about five years ago. It is my daughter-in-law with my first grandchild, who was supposed to be napping. Clearly, mom is tired, as all moms are at this stage. The photo is actually a film photo, and I copied it with my digital, and plan, one day, soon, I hope, to rephotograph it on a stand, with a tripod to make a more crisp copy. In the meantime, I am savoring this soft, dream-like copy, because that is like my memories of my children at this age.}
I recall, even before I became a mom, and in fact, probably even before my first day of Kindergarten, thinking that I was an observer. I liked (like) to observe people and anything visual. I would be really quiet, a lot of the time, mostly deep in observation (when not climbing trees, exploring canyons, or riding waves, all of which, in a sense, for me, are other forms of observing).
When I looked at a couple of their blogs, I was entranced to find fellow observers. It brought me right back to my center. It is akin to the feeling one might have when, after being a stranger in a strange land for some time, returning home, and immediately recalling all that one values.
Thank you Mark. And thank you ladies. If you wander over here and see this, you will know who you are. And perhaps in the very near future, if it agrees with you, I will link this blog to you because you are creating beautiful photographs of childhood, and a beautiful history. And you are being wonderful, gentle moms, that is very evident.
{note on the photo that accompanies this blog: I took this about five years ago. It is my daughter-in-law with my first grandchild, who was supposed to be napping. Clearly, mom is tired, as all moms are at this stage. The photo is actually a film photo, and I copied it with my digital, and plan, one day, soon, I hope, to rephotograph it on a stand, with a tripod to make a more crisp copy. In the meantime, I am savoring this soft, dream-like copy, because that is like my memories of my children at this age.}
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Attack Beagle
Things are not always as we might expect. I was taking a brisk walk in downtown Huntington Beach, and passed by this house with a Beagle at the window.
He had his chin on the sill and he peacefully watched me walk by. I thought, Awwwww. But I didn't take my camera out (being so recently victimized by the mean camera thief, and also not having all my stuff replaced yet, I have tended to not take out my camera as often as I used to. I am still paranoid that someone will take what I do have, and then I will really be despondent and hopeless).
I rounded the corner, and my inner muse kept nagging at me to go back and take that photo, because I would regret letting it pass by.
I was nearly to the next corner, but I decided that my muse was right, and so I turned around.
As I walked back, I thought all about how cute this photo would be. I used to have a Beagle and he was so smart and sweet. This would be the best photo. I was remembering how sweetly he was basking in the sun on the window sill, watching me go by, docile and peaceful.
I got to the location and he was still there, thank goodness. Still peacefull basking. I pulled out my camera, and he immediately reared up and began to bark at me.
He barked the bark of a threatened dog in need of protecting his territory. I snapped and I went on my way.
It was a completely different photo than what I had imagined. But then, c'est la vie, n'est pas?
He had his chin on the sill and he peacefully watched me walk by. I thought, Awwwww. But I didn't take my camera out (being so recently victimized by the mean camera thief, and also not having all my stuff replaced yet, I have tended to not take out my camera as often as I used to. I am still paranoid that someone will take what I do have, and then I will really be despondent and hopeless).
I rounded the corner, and my inner muse kept nagging at me to go back and take that photo, because I would regret letting it pass by.
I was nearly to the next corner, but I decided that my muse was right, and so I turned around.
As I walked back, I thought all about how cute this photo would be. I used to have a Beagle and he was so smart and sweet. This would be the best photo. I was remembering how sweetly he was basking in the sun on the window sill, watching me go by, docile and peaceful.
I got to the location and he was still there, thank goodness. Still peacefull basking. I pulled out my camera, and he immediately reared up and began to bark at me.
He barked the bark of a threatened dog in need of protecting his territory. I snapped and I went on my way.
It was a completely different photo than what I had imagined. But then, c'est la vie, n'est pas?
Friday, July 07, 2006
Non-Existent Words that People Use Anyway
Would this woodie go quicker than present day cars? Did you know that there is no such word as "quicker"?
It does not exist. You won't find it in the dictionary.
There is quick, quickly, quicken, but there is no "quicker."
It's probably Ogden Nash's fault, because, a little while ago, he wrote:
Candy
is dandy
But liquor
is quicker.
He was just bending the rules to be funny. Or "funner"?
What other words are there that we use as if they were real words when they really aren't? Can you think of any?
Just curious!
It does not exist. You won't find it in the dictionary.
There is quick, quickly, quicken, but there is no "quicker."
It's probably Ogden Nash's fault, because, a little while ago, he wrote:
Candy
is dandy
But liquor
is quicker.
He was just bending the rules to be funny. Or "funner"?
What other words are there that we use as if they were real words when they really aren't? Can you think of any?
Just curious!
Monday, July 03, 2006
What Lies Within
What is your interpretation of this Ralph Waldo Emerson quote? I mean, yes, it's pretty simple, in many ways, but what is your personal take, and what kind of person meaning do you attach to it? And/or, what do you think he meant by it? Feel free to wax philosophic!
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Where Does One Get Itty Bitty Blindfolds and Who Would Be Dexterous Enough to Put Them on Ants?
The latest research (did we pay for this with our tax dollars by the way? Just curious), is that ants count their steps, and that is how they know how far to go to find their homes (after they leave mine with whatever it is that was so important).
That sounded pretty bizarre to me, imagining the ants counting, two million, thirty-five thousand, and...drat, I forgot where I was!
But it gets better. It seems that there have been many theories over the years, here are some:
"One is that they do it like honeybees and remember visual cues, but experiments revealed ants can navigate in the dark and even blindfolded."
I just want to know who blindfolded a bunch of ants, and how they did it!
"Next, the researchers performed a little cosmetic surgery.
They glued stilt-like extensions to the legs of some ants to lengthen stride. The researchers shortened other ants' stride length by cutting off the critters' feet and lower legs, reducing their legs to stumps."
Just where is Peta anyway???
"The ants on stilts took the right number of steps, but because of their increased stride length, marched past their goal. Stump-legged ants, meanwhile, fell short of the goal."
I am just imagining all these ants, their "feet and lower legs" cut off, unable to get home again. This is truly heart-breaking. And then those ants on stilts.
Who answered the ad to put stilts on ant legs anyway? What was the going rate for that task and what kind of people showed up to apply for the job? And what about all those ants on stilts who marched right past their home?
At least I know where they are, they are marching into my kitchen! Ants on stilts!
That sounded pretty bizarre to me, imagining the ants counting, two million, thirty-five thousand, and...drat, I forgot where I was!
But it gets better. It seems that there have been many theories over the years, here are some:
"One is that they do it like honeybees and remember visual cues, but experiments revealed ants can navigate in the dark and even blindfolded."
I just want to know who blindfolded a bunch of ants, and how they did it!
"Next, the researchers performed a little cosmetic surgery.
They glued stilt-like extensions to the legs of some ants to lengthen stride. The researchers shortened other ants' stride length by cutting off the critters' feet and lower legs, reducing their legs to stumps."
Just where is Peta anyway???
"The ants on stilts took the right number of steps, but because of their increased stride length, marched past their goal. Stump-legged ants, meanwhile, fell short of the goal."
I am just imagining all these ants, their "feet and lower legs" cut off, unable to get home again. This is truly heart-breaking. And then those ants on stilts.
Who answered the ad to put stilts on ant legs anyway? What was the going rate for that task and what kind of people showed up to apply for the job? And what about all those ants on stilts who marched right past their home?
At least I know where they are, they are marching into my kitchen! Ants on stilts!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Died Tragically While Rescuing His Family From the Deck of a Sinking Battleship
I often see little snippets of films. It's because I will haul some laundry in front of the TV, and just turn it on. I find things like sorting laundry to be tedious, so I like the distraction, and sometimes the little snippet is pretty interesting. Sometimes it's just a bunch of commercials for equipment guaranteed to, at last, get one totally in shape in just 15 minutes a day, and it folds down compactly to store under the bed, too!
Recently I was matching up socks and saw the end of "The Royal Tannenbaums." There is a visit to the grave and it is revealed what has been inscribed on the marker, "Died Tragically While Rescuing His Family From the Deck of a Sinking Battleship."
It is a comic moment that is also tinged with pathos. How many of us lead very ordinary, very safe lives? How many of us are Walter Mittys, imagining heroic acts?
And how many of us would just like to have the sense of humor to arrange to have such a thing engraved on our own headstone, knowing that no one would actually believe it and just chalk it up to one last attempt to break away from the mundane?
What say you?
Recently I was matching up socks and saw the end of "The Royal Tannenbaums." There is a visit to the grave and it is revealed what has been inscribed on the marker, "Died Tragically While Rescuing His Family From the Deck of a Sinking Battleship."
It is a comic moment that is also tinged with pathos. How many of us lead very ordinary, very safe lives? How many of us are Walter Mittys, imagining heroic acts?
And how many of us would just like to have the sense of humor to arrange to have such a thing engraved on our own headstone, knowing that no one would actually believe it and just chalk it up to one last attempt to break away from the mundane?
What say you?
Friday, June 16, 2006
Happiness and Gratitude!
I went into my flickr files to find one of my favorite macro shots, one to portray the sense of gratitude and joy that I feel, knowing that soon I will be back to taking photos like this and whatever else moves me.
For those who are waiting for me to do their family photos, just hold on a bit longer. For those who are taking the photog class, I will demonstrate primarily with your equipment and the ability to demonstrate (with my own stuff) ought to expand along with your ability to comprehend. For the rest of you, watch out, because soon I will be back in the game.
I feel like I am anticipating Christmas, birth, a wedding, a trip to Europe, or all of the above, or whatever is exciting, and taking too long to get here.
It has been an interesting journey as I have experienced various ways of being, from the initial shock and loss, and how much it felt like something important had been amputated from my soul, to the ways of getting around it:
sorting photos, going through and uploading the ancestral photos that my sister copied with a digital point and shoot, seeing what my p&s could do, trying various devices (close-up filters, telextenders, etc.), and generally getting out of my own way to keep the creative juices flowing, in little streams, around the massive dam of the missing equipment.
I am OVERWHELMED and AMAZED at the generosity of others. It is such a healing balm for the wounds I suffered at the greed of a thief.
You people have so restored my faith in humankind, for this, and for many other misdeeds commited, not just against myself, but against all people. I know that sounds like a political speech or something, but I mean it. I can get bogged down with how much hate and violence there is in the world, but hey, there are still kind and generous people everywhere. That makes me happy to know this.
THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!
I am most humbly and gratefully indebted to so many of you. I will find a way to thank you each in a meaningful way.
I can't say thank you enough. While I am still rather paranoid about the thieves amongst us, I feel like the sun is starting to shine again. I feel like soon I can come out and play again, only with a new appreciation for what I can do and an immense gratitude for the ability to do it, and for the tools that make it possible.
Thank you with all of my heart!
For those who are waiting for me to do their family photos, just hold on a bit longer. For those who are taking the photog class, I will demonstrate primarily with your equipment and the ability to demonstrate (with my own stuff) ought to expand along with your ability to comprehend. For the rest of you, watch out, because soon I will be back in the game.
I feel like I am anticipating Christmas, birth, a wedding, a trip to Europe, or all of the above, or whatever is exciting, and taking too long to get here.
It has been an interesting journey as I have experienced various ways of being, from the initial shock and loss, and how much it felt like something important had been amputated from my soul, to the ways of getting around it:
sorting photos, going through and uploading the ancestral photos that my sister copied with a digital point and shoot, seeing what my p&s could do, trying various devices (close-up filters, telextenders, etc.), and generally getting out of my own way to keep the creative juices flowing, in little streams, around the massive dam of the missing equipment.
I am OVERWHELMED and AMAZED at the generosity of others. It is such a healing balm for the wounds I suffered at the greed of a thief.
You people have so restored my faith in humankind, for this, and for many other misdeeds commited, not just against myself, but against all people. I know that sounds like a political speech or something, but I mean it. I can get bogged down with how much hate and violence there is in the world, but hey, there are still kind and generous people everywhere. That makes me happy to know this.
THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!
I am most humbly and gratefully indebted to so many of you. I will find a way to thank you each in a meaningful way.
I can't say thank you enough. While I am still rather paranoid about the thieves amongst us, I feel like the sun is starting to shine again. I feel like soon I can come out and play again, only with a new appreciation for what I can do and an immense gratitude for the ability to do it, and for the tools that make it possible.
Thank you with all of my heart!
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Teaching Photog Class Soon
Starts the end of the month. Haven't taught photography in a while. I will begin, at first session, by assessing student levels and what they want to learn. It's a really casual class, obviously.
Was starting to think, though, of a way to share the class with any online friends.
Any suggestions?
Was starting to think, though, of a way to share the class with any online friends.
Any suggestions?
Monday, June 12, 2006
My Grandma Was a Photographer!
Last night we uploaded the photos that my sister took while staying at our mom's. She took a bunch of photos of old photos, so the quality was not always good (faded, wrinkled photos, etc.)
In this photo, my grandmother is taking a portrait of my mom, the little girl sitting in the chair.
My grandmother has the marcelled bob of a flapper, and the newly shorter skirts. She kneels to get a good shot of my mother, in her bob haircut, seated in the rattan chair. This was taken somewhere in southern CA, possibly in Santa Monica or Long Beach, where they had been living at the time.
The date on this would be around 1925-27.
What I discovered, as I looked through the hundreds of photos that my sister copied, was that there were a considerable number of good photographs. Typically, the photos that people have of their ancestors are stitled, posed, lined up in bright sun, etc. But my sister found many, many wonderful photos of people riding in model-Ts, playing on the beach in swimsuits to their knees, etc.
We also discovered that the photos that our grandmother took were, pretty much without exception, well composed, creative, and compellingly wonderful. (The photos she was in were never quite as good!)
What a delight to discover that my beloved grandmother, who was capable of sewing anything that I could conjure in my mind and sketch on paper, was also a gifted photographer.
It makes me feel as if some of her is in me, and that perhaps, she watches me and takes some joy in watching me compose creative photographs.
What a wonderful discovery!
In this photo, my grandmother is taking a portrait of my mom, the little girl sitting in the chair.
My grandmother has the marcelled bob of a flapper, and the newly shorter skirts. She kneels to get a good shot of my mother, in her bob haircut, seated in the rattan chair. This was taken somewhere in southern CA, possibly in Santa Monica or Long Beach, where they had been living at the time.
The date on this would be around 1925-27.
What I discovered, as I looked through the hundreds of photos that my sister copied, was that there were a considerable number of good photographs. Typically, the photos that people have of their ancestors are stitled, posed, lined up in bright sun, etc. But my sister found many, many wonderful photos of people riding in model-Ts, playing on the beach in swimsuits to their knees, etc.
We also discovered that the photos that our grandmother took were, pretty much without exception, well composed, creative, and compellingly wonderful. (The photos she was in were never quite as good!)
What a delight to discover that my beloved grandmother, who was capable of sewing anything that I could conjure in my mind and sketch on paper, was also a gifted photographer.
It makes me feel as if some of her is in me, and that perhaps, she watches me and takes some joy in watching me compose creative photographs.
What a wonderful discovery!
Friday, June 09, 2006
Politics, as Usual...
About a week ago, I wrote to my senators about an item about which they were about to vote. It was an issue of great import to me. When I got to Barbara Boxer's (aka Sachez) site, there was a form for those of us wishing to communicate with her about such issues.
In order to send one's commentaries to her, one was REQUIRED to choose a topic for the commentary from among the ones that she listed.
There were quite a few topics, and I scrolled through them at least three times in an attempt to see if any of the topics listed was related in any way at all to my commentary, and none of them was even remotely related.
My topic was related to families, and her topics were the war, immigration, civil rights, illegal aliens, taxes, etc. None of her choices fit.
I tried to send my topic as "other" or with no topic chosen, but the commentary would not send until a topic was chosen.
So, I just chose the very first topic which was the "War in Iraq." I wrote my commentary and I even apologized for choosing the first topic on her list, randomly, in order to be able to send my commentary. I explained that I wasn't writing to that topic, but another that did not fit into any of her categories.
I just got a reply from Senator Boxer today.
She writes, "Thank you for sharing your views on the War in Iraq." Then there are several paragraphs which elaborate on her personal opinions on this topic.
I suppose I should not be surprised in the least, but it is as if I got to the end of the yellow brick road and discovered that the wizard is just a little man behind a curtain.
So, she has all of her commentaries already written, to go with each of her topics, and when her constituents write her, she just has the hired help fire off the form response to match the topic.
So good to know that our elected officials actually want to know what we think about things.
In order to send one's commentaries to her, one was REQUIRED to choose a topic for the commentary from among the ones that she listed.
There were quite a few topics, and I scrolled through them at least three times in an attempt to see if any of the topics listed was related in any way at all to my commentary, and none of them was even remotely related.
My topic was related to families, and her topics were the war, immigration, civil rights, illegal aliens, taxes, etc. None of her choices fit.
I tried to send my topic as "other" or with no topic chosen, but the commentary would not send until a topic was chosen.
So, I just chose the very first topic which was the "War in Iraq." I wrote my commentary and I even apologized for choosing the first topic on her list, randomly, in order to be able to send my commentary. I explained that I wasn't writing to that topic, but another that did not fit into any of her categories.
I just got a reply from Senator Boxer today.
She writes, "Thank you for sharing your views on the War in Iraq." Then there are several paragraphs which elaborate on her personal opinions on this topic.
I suppose I should not be surprised in the least, but it is as if I got to the end of the yellow brick road and discovered that the wizard is just a little man behind a curtain.
So, she has all of her commentaries already written, to go with each of her topics, and when her constituents write her, she just has the hired help fire off the form response to match the topic.
So good to know that our elected officials actually want to know what we think about things.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
The Internet as a great source of entertainment...(or Duck X-Ray Reveals Alien Head)
Maybe we should call it the Enternet, or Intertainment.
I was looking up the filter size for a particular lens that I need to replace, eventually, and somehow found the pathway to some bizarre hoaxes and well, whatever. In any case, I came across this:
Duck X-Ray Reveals Alien Head
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2006/06/01/238983-duck-x-ray-reveals-alien-head
I admit that I clicked on it, and immediately started laughing the moment I saw the picture.
In today's world, we all need a good laugh at least once a day. That was mine.
We are also entertained by the hollywood, gossipy, petty, shallow magazine that I accidentally subscribed to.
It all began when we ordered a pair of shoes for a teen boy whose mother recently died. They say no good deed goes unpunished.
Just as I was clicking on the "send order" button, I saw, too late, that the box was checked that we would receive a free subscription to Star magazine. Agggghhhh!
Oh well, it has been entertaining to keep up on the petty details of the lives of people we don't know and don't care about. The writing and the photos reveal more about the writers and photo editors of the subjects, anyway.
So, we have that source of entertainment until the free subscription, thankfully, runs out, at which time we will likely be bombarded with special deals on renewal along with subscriptions to national enquirer and whatever that one is in the supermarket that always has peoples' (or aliens') heads pasted onto the bodies of sumo wrestlers.
Which leads us back to the alien head found in the duck. Have you had your laugh today?
I was looking up the filter size for a particular lens that I need to replace, eventually, and somehow found the pathway to some bizarre hoaxes and well, whatever. In any case, I came across this:
Duck X-Ray Reveals Alien Head
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2006/06/01/238983-duck-x-ray-reveals-alien-head
I admit that I clicked on it, and immediately started laughing the moment I saw the picture.
In today's world, we all need a good laugh at least once a day. That was mine.
We are also entertained by the hollywood, gossipy, petty, shallow magazine that I accidentally subscribed to.
It all began when we ordered a pair of shoes for a teen boy whose mother recently died. They say no good deed goes unpunished.
Just as I was clicking on the "send order" button, I saw, too late, that the box was checked that we would receive a free subscription to Star magazine. Agggghhhh!
Oh well, it has been entertaining to keep up on the petty details of the lives of people we don't know and don't care about. The writing and the photos reveal more about the writers and photo editors of the subjects, anyway.
So, we have that source of entertainment until the free subscription, thankfully, runs out, at which time we will likely be bombarded with special deals on renewal along with subscriptions to national enquirer and whatever that one is in the supermarket that always has peoples' (or aliens') heads pasted onto the bodies of sumo wrestlers.
Which leads us back to the alien head found in the duck. Have you had your laugh today?
Monday, June 05, 2006
Film or Digital?
I was a dyed in the wool film fanatic until I tried digital SLR. I still see the value of film. It has a certain warmth and depth that is not always captured with digital. It's like the difference between listening to a vinyl record and a CD. But the differences are subtle.
Film has a certain, um, sense of permanence, in that every image that you take is on a negative and/or a print. You can hold that in your hand, hold it up to the light, and say, "Ah yes, here is the photo that I took of Uncle Bob doing the Marenga." The only things that can make that image go away would be: fading over time, fire or flood, or having the negative fall out of a box on the freeway while you are moving.
Digital images need to be backed up on the computer, on CDs, on an external hard drive, made into prints on paper that doesn't fade too rapidly, etc. And when one is shooting digital, one is making more images than one can possibly have the time to back-up adequately! I often have the sense that my digital images are not much more permanent than my thoughts. And often enough, I have lost images one way or another, through computer melt-downs, through corrupted files, and theft. I have easily lost far more digital images than film.
But all of these points, and more, have been argued by many. Here is my own take, as a lover of film and manual cameras, and the victim of the theft of my digital SLR.
About a week ago, I got out an old, refurbished manual SLR and loaded it with B&W film. I decided that without my D-SLR, I would return to my roots and shoot film and choose my settings manually. I expected some kind of glorious epiphany, some kind of back-to-the-land kind of simple joy.
While it has been an interesting experience (the smell of film was a fond memory, and I enjoyed the winding of the film around the spool, and then there is that wonderful click that occurs with the mirror), it has also felt like returning to a horse and buggy. While that may be fun, and a kind of novelty when on vacation, it doesn't fit in so well with our present-day lifestyles.
I found myself taking fewer and fewer photos because the joy of seeing what I had just taken, and trying again until I got it the way I wanted it was entirely missing. I was less experimental, relying upon tried and true (from several decades of photographing) compositions, lighting, etc. I was inclined to be more conservative because I couldn't take the risks I could with digital. I had only a set number of exposures on the roll of film, and would need to pay for every one of them when I got to the end of the roll.
It feels like I am simply sketching some ideas, and then, filing them away. With the digital SLR, the idea was there, and then there was the execution of the idea, and the immediate feedback, and the response, "Oh, that won't do at all! Delete that and try it this way," or, "Hey, look at how that one turned out, that is not what I expected, but I like it! Let me try pushing the envelope a bit more in that direction and see how that looks."
With the D-SLR, when I approached my subject, the camera and my eye experienced a kind of merging and they became a team. There was the seeing, the adjusting, the capturing, the editing, etc.
It seems that with digital SLR, my eye and my mind are working in a different, more creative, more energetic way. There is more synergy and more serendipity. There is more exploration, and more enthusiasm for risk.
So, what do you think? Do you prefer digital or film, and why?
Film has a certain, um, sense of permanence, in that every image that you take is on a negative and/or a print. You can hold that in your hand, hold it up to the light, and say, "Ah yes, here is the photo that I took of Uncle Bob doing the Marenga." The only things that can make that image go away would be: fading over time, fire or flood, or having the negative fall out of a box on the freeway while you are moving.
Digital images need to be backed up on the computer, on CDs, on an external hard drive, made into prints on paper that doesn't fade too rapidly, etc. And when one is shooting digital, one is making more images than one can possibly have the time to back-up adequately! I often have the sense that my digital images are not much more permanent than my thoughts. And often enough, I have lost images one way or another, through computer melt-downs, through corrupted files, and theft. I have easily lost far more digital images than film.
But all of these points, and more, have been argued by many. Here is my own take, as a lover of film and manual cameras, and the victim of the theft of my digital SLR.
About a week ago, I got out an old, refurbished manual SLR and loaded it with B&W film. I decided that without my D-SLR, I would return to my roots and shoot film and choose my settings manually. I expected some kind of glorious epiphany, some kind of back-to-the-land kind of simple joy.
While it has been an interesting experience (the smell of film was a fond memory, and I enjoyed the winding of the film around the spool, and then there is that wonderful click that occurs with the mirror), it has also felt like returning to a horse and buggy. While that may be fun, and a kind of novelty when on vacation, it doesn't fit in so well with our present-day lifestyles.
I found myself taking fewer and fewer photos because the joy of seeing what I had just taken, and trying again until I got it the way I wanted it was entirely missing. I was less experimental, relying upon tried and true (from several decades of photographing) compositions, lighting, etc. I was inclined to be more conservative because I couldn't take the risks I could with digital. I had only a set number of exposures on the roll of film, and would need to pay for every one of them when I got to the end of the roll.
It feels like I am simply sketching some ideas, and then, filing them away. With the digital SLR, the idea was there, and then there was the execution of the idea, and the immediate feedback, and the response, "Oh, that won't do at all! Delete that and try it this way," or, "Hey, look at how that one turned out, that is not what I expected, but I like it! Let me try pushing the envelope a bit more in that direction and see how that looks."
With the D-SLR, when I approached my subject, the camera and my eye experienced a kind of merging and they became a team. There was the seeing, the adjusting, the capturing, the editing, etc.
It seems that with digital SLR, my eye and my mind are working in a different, more creative, more energetic way. There is more synergy and more serendipity. There is more exploration, and more enthusiasm for risk.
So, what do you think? Do you prefer digital or film, and why?
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Man Buys His Own Stolen Camera on Ebay
Huh?
I will admit to having had that fantasy in the last week.
Man buys his own stolen camera on eBay.
submitted by ThisGeek 152 days ago (via http://today.reuters.co.uk/new...)
A German businessman whose camera was stolen was relieved to find the same model for sale on eBay. When it arrived after he bought it however, he discovered it was his OWN, stolen camera!
I will admit to having had that fantasy in the last week.
Man buys his own stolen camera on eBay.
submitted by ThisGeek 152 days ago (via http://today.reuters.co.uk/new...)
A German businessman whose camera was stolen was relieved to find the same model for sale on eBay. When it arrived after he bought it however, he discovered it was his OWN, stolen camera!
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Camera flips
Tonight we looked at the promotional DVD that we got from the hot air balloon people. It pretty much showed the usual aspects of the usual ride. In some ways it was good to see it, and in some ways, it was really sad, because I saw the things that I photographed, and how I photographed them.
There are many people in the world who have had their cameras stolen, and along with them, their photos, their precious memories, their ways of seeing life, an experience, an event, the world, etc.
Perhaps there is a special torture place for those who steal people's film and memory cards.
Going without my SLR this long is way harder than I thought it would be.
Keeping on keeping on....
There are many people in the world who have had their cameras stolen, and along with them, their photos, their precious memories, their ways of seeing life, an experience, an event, the world, etc.
Perhaps there is a special torture place for those who steal people's film and memory cards.
Going without my SLR this long is way harder than I thought it would be.
Keeping on keeping on....
Thursday, May 25, 2006
ANTZZZZZ
Huh?
Ants have invaded my office. It all began with one or two ant spottings, one crossing behind the keyboard, and then one on the light. (Yes, the light, go figure). Today, as I was typing, they were congregating behind my back. I turned around and, (insert PSYCHO muisc here), there they were, a big black stream across the window sill, down the wall, and all over the chair. The Horror!
I've been battling them all day, their bodies are strewn over the window sill, and yet, they keep coming to the battlefield.
I want to know why. But even more so, I want to know why, if ants are so smart, and if they communicate with each other so well, why do they not communicate that the window sill and wall of my office is a death trap, strewn with their comrades that came before them? Why do they not retreat in terror? Why do they still keep coming, to their fateful demise? Why?
Ants have invaded my office. It all began with one or two ant spottings, one crossing behind the keyboard, and then one on the light. (Yes, the light, go figure). Today, as I was typing, they were congregating behind my back. I turned around and, (insert PSYCHO muisc here), there they were, a big black stream across the window sill, down the wall, and all over the chair. The Horror!
I've been battling them all day, their bodies are strewn over the window sill, and yet, they keep coming to the battlefield.
I want to know why. But even more so, I want to know why, if ants are so smart, and if they communicate with each other so well, why do they not communicate that the window sill and wall of my office is a death trap, strewn with their comrades that came before them? Why do they not retreat in terror? Why do they still keep coming, to their fateful demise? Why?
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Seeing Without a Camera
I got this in an email this morning:
"This is a tragedy, it may take awhile but I'm sure we can all pull together to help you. In the meantime use your 'eye' to analyze subjects, see deeper. Often when I'm on trips and can't play music I listen with a composers ear to know the parts, to find the hidden harmonies and rhythms.You will photograph soon, but you didn't lose the joy of seeing the beauty."
Thank you for that. As I was listing the "Silver Lining" aspects (see below), I was kind of trying to say this. I think that the musical metaphor helps, not only to explain it to others, but to myself as well.
We do, sometimes, have to stop creating, and we need to be quietly observing. Our eyes, our ears are more sensitive when we are quiet and paying attention. The muse sometimes needs to regroup.
Thanks for putting it so well.
"This is a tragedy, it may take awhile but I'm sure we can all pull together to help you. In the meantime use your 'eye' to analyze subjects, see deeper. Often when I'm on trips and can't play music I listen with a composers ear to know the parts, to find the hidden harmonies and rhythms.You will photograph soon, but you didn't lose the joy of seeing the beauty."
Thank you for that. As I was listing the "Silver Lining" aspects (see below), I was kind of trying to say this. I think that the musical metaphor helps, not only to explain it to others, but to myself as well.
We do, sometimes, have to stop creating, and we need to be quietly observing. Our eyes, our ears are more sensitive when we are quiet and paying attention. The muse sometimes needs to regroup.
Thanks for putting it so well.
Cell Phone Wars
Huh?
Early this morning, Mark and I were sitting in a doctor's office. Mark HAS to work, pretty much all of the time, except for Sundays, and I was grateful to have him be there, since I was a little nervous (lifelong, fair, blue-eyed, former surfer, California Girl finally goes in for her first skin cancer screening, EVer while experiencing a turn in luck!). He was on his cell conducting his work. He wasn't being super loud or annoying or anything, but an older couple, across the room was. Mark was concentrating on his work, so he didn't notice them, but the rest of us did. The couple was complaining loudly and vocally, rudely, and with great disdain. They said things like: "Some people just can't set their personal lives aside for a few moments!" "He just wants everyone to think he's really important." "He is just such a bigshot that he has to be chatting on his phone right now." etc. And they were glaring at us.
Ordinarily, I might have passed Mark a note to take it out to the hallway, because he was disturbing other people. And if they had asked me nicely for him to do that, I would have but:
a-I was so grateful to have him be there, as my support, that I didn't want him to leave, and I knew that he would have to be working at the same time. and...
b-they were being so rude about it that I didn't feel like doing the polite thing. I didn't want to be intimidated by their loud, rude remarks.
(And besides, I just had $2500. of camera equipment that took decades to acquire stolen. Don't mess with me!)
So, I just watched them having their loud and nasty hissy fits. It seemed like they were enjoying themselves as they tried to outdo each other in rudeness.
Then Mark finished his call. Put away his phone, picked up PEOPLE magazine, and I heard a phone ring.
Then I saw Rude Dude, fumble around in his pockets and pull out his phone. He then had a loud, and very personal conversation that went on until we got called by the nurse.
I did manage to catch his eye just before that happened, and I gave him a friendly little glare.
Oh, and I was declared skin cancer free. YAY!!!
Early this morning, Mark and I were sitting in a doctor's office. Mark HAS to work, pretty much all of the time, except for Sundays, and I was grateful to have him be there, since I was a little nervous (lifelong, fair, blue-eyed, former surfer, California Girl finally goes in for her first skin cancer screening, EVer while experiencing a turn in luck!). He was on his cell conducting his work. He wasn't being super loud or annoying or anything, but an older couple, across the room was. Mark was concentrating on his work, so he didn't notice them, but the rest of us did. The couple was complaining loudly and vocally, rudely, and with great disdain. They said things like: "Some people just can't set their personal lives aside for a few moments!" "He just wants everyone to think he's really important." "He is just such a bigshot that he has to be chatting on his phone right now." etc. And they were glaring at us.
Ordinarily, I might have passed Mark a note to take it out to the hallway, because he was disturbing other people. And if they had asked me nicely for him to do that, I would have but:
a-I was so grateful to have him be there, as my support, that I didn't want him to leave, and I knew that he would have to be working at the same time. and...
b-they were being so rude about it that I didn't feel like doing the polite thing. I didn't want to be intimidated by their loud, rude remarks.
(And besides, I just had $2500. of camera equipment that took decades to acquire stolen. Don't mess with me!)
So, I just watched them having their loud and nasty hissy fits. It seemed like they were enjoying themselves as they tried to outdo each other in rudeness.
Then Mark finished his call. Put away his phone, picked up PEOPLE magazine, and I heard a phone ring.
Then I saw Rude Dude, fumble around in his pockets and pull out his phone. He then had a loud, and very personal conversation that went on until we got called by the nurse.
I did manage to catch his eye just before that happened, and I gave him a friendly little glare.
Oh, and I was declared skin cancer free. YAY!!!
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