fallen flower

Waterpainting in waiting

Jeff, Susan, Julia and Jake

Though this is not great a photo--I should have used the flash--and though it doesn't capture any of these good looking folks at their best, it so nicely captures a happy family moment that it's worth remembering and sharing.

Jeff and Susan. And Juli. And my hand.

reflection of girls and clouds in water

For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

James 4:14

The Grooviness of Aviary Netting

What do you get when you take

ADHD

plus

a camera

plus

a slow-moving "birds of prey" show

plus

aviary netting with an interesting pattern

plus

digital photo software?

Answer: Grooviness.

the narrow path

So much better than the self-portrait below. But it's too late to delete that one, drat it all.

Wonderwall

So...let's talk photo ethics for a second. Okay, time's up.

Yes, I do take photos of strangers such as the two dudes above. How brazen I am about it turns almost entirely on my intuition--my gut feelings--rather than how well the situation meets an established pre-articulated code of photo ethics. My intuitions may, in fact, unconsciously respond to an ethic, but I've never thought through what it might be, exactly. My former practice used to be to ask virtually anyone I took a picture of whether I had their permission to do so, and I also gave them permission to delete the photos if they didn't like them. Now I just shoot and click. I may ask someone permission, but that's because I want them to pose for me. And then I'll let them delete the photo if they don't like it.

What's interesting (to me) about this photo is that this photo ranks right near the top, if not at the top, of the discomfort I felt while taking it. I sensed a real sense of intimacy between these two young men. (Father and son? Brothers? Friends?) Best as I can tell, they weren't speaking but I sensed it was a moment designed to be private, alone, away from it all, and my lens was an intrusion, albeit one to which they were oblivious.

Put differently, insofar this photo captures a sense of intimacy, it's done its job.

So dudes, thanks for the photo. Hope you don't mind.

Bees shortage? Yeah, I don't think so.

Not here, anyway.

Just (a) Curious portrait

Self-portrait

Put the camera on a self-timer. A tricky shot.

Desperate for You

Continues the theme below. This photo, too, is untouched. Scroll down to see the place from a few yards back.

(Not a reflection but seen through a sheet of water.)

The Crying Divine

Every great once in a while, I know why I've taken up photography as a hobby. I took this photo a few months ago (in late May) and have wanted to post it ever since but couldn't do so because I also wanted to keep it my own.

My wife once asked whether Tchaikovsky was saddened by connecting his "Pas de Deux" with the Nutcracker Suite. Her point, which I used to tease her about, was something like this: he can present it only once to the world, and once written it stands as a standard by which his other works are compared. To borrow my father-in-law's vernacular, I think Juli wondered whether old Petey T. feared he had "peaked too early."

I don't want to take this too far (too late), but I do quite like this photo. I knew as soon as I took it (before I took it, actually) that it somehow fit me. Fundamentally. It captures some of what I strive to capture in my photography--and that is to express how I view the world. I didn't dare alter it--so it's presented here in its original form, imperfections and all.

My buddy Stephen took the photo below of me below on his iPhone when I was taking the photo above. He did so to show me how silly I look taking photos of weird stuff. I quite like this photo, too. Ironically, it nicely reveals how "seeing" is a kind of skill. Because there's not an obvious translation from the little face in the photo below--as seen from Stephen's perspective--to the face above. And it's kind of nice being that translator. I'm very happy doing that translation. It's where I'm most lost in the best sense of the word.



And here is another photo of the scene, much closer. Untouched photo.

branches

Stephen reflected twice--with two iconic gestures.

Once in a statue, once in water.

Mother with Child

Presumably. Could be Aunt with niece. Or MUCH older sister with baby sister. Or adult stranger with infant snatched from a local nursery. I don't know. But it's a happy photo. And that's what I'm all about: happy happy. Happy happy photos.

Yeah, that's right.

Taken (natch) at full-paced walk. That's how I do.

Bee!!

That felt good. We were overdue.

Un-Moored

Here's what came to mind when I thought of this title and smirked, quite pleased at myownself for such cleverness:

"Why I Am So Clever" --- Chapter Title from Nietzsche's Ecce Homo

Other chapter titles from the same book include:

"Why I Am So Wise"

and

"Why I Write Such Good Books"

and

"Why I Am A Destiny"

Sadly, you will not find this title in the book:

"Why I Write Ironic Chapter Titles For Good Ol' Fashioned Joshing Fun"

That you don't find.

Caption please

From Timekeeper: "Hey, is that the most recent 'Flies Illustrated'?"

From Andy:

"Don't think of me as a creepy guy reading over your shoulder... Think of me as the wind... in the willows..."

"Son, please get off that frog's lap and come back here to read with me."

"Excuse me Mr. Frog - didn't I see you and your 'little friend' there on a funny billboard in NYC recently??"

From Technoprairie:

"I can't believe he's reading Lord of the Flies to someone that young!"

From Justcurious:

"Psst! Hey, pal! I'm just trying to decide what to order here and, well, maybe you want to cover the little guy's ears, but is it true what they say? You know, the whole 'tastes like chicken' thing?

drink and hands