Sheldon Straker | SouthCoastToday.com

Sheldon Straker | SouthCoastToday.com

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Learning about light!

Light - something that makes things visible or affords illumination: All colors depend on light.

I decided to do some self portraits today to improve my understanding of light, lighting and mood in photography. I had fun and moved one step closer to becoming a better photographer. These photos were taken by me, for me but I am happy to share them with you!

Lighting is key in photography, but nowhere is it more evident than in portraiture. I thought that it would be easy to shoot myself - boy was I wrong. I am satisfied with the results of the first try and am now more motivated to try again.

Mystery

Looked at but cannot be seen - it is beneath form;
Listened to but cannot be heard - it is beneath sound;
Held but cannot be touched - it is beneath feeling;
These depthless things evade definition,
And blend into a single mystery.

In its rising there is no light,
In its falling there is no darkness,
A continuous thread beyond description,
Lining what can not occur;
Its form formless,
Its image nothing,
Its name silence;
Follow it, it has no back,
Meet it, it has no face.

Attend the present to deal with the past;
Thus you grasp the continuity of the Way,
Which is its essence.

-LaoTze-

An Artist's Evolution

It's been a while since I have posted on my blog and a whole lot has happened. First of all, I entered and was accepted into a home design exhibit at a local gallery (Artworks!). I submitted 8 pieces which were all accepted and 4 were hung. The others are expected to rotate as the exhibit runs through July 17th. This was a tremendous accomplishment as I had never exhibited before and it felt great to have my work displayed along with more accomplished artists who work in various media - tapestry, painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, woodwork etc. So far so good but I am really hoping that the exposure leads to some sales in the future and allows me to participate in more exhibits and grow as an artist.

I am now adding portraiture to my repertoire of photographic skills and have created a small studio in the basement - lights and back drop. Lighting is very intriguing and I look forward to exploring the creation of great portraits through the use of strategically positioned lighting.

Here are the pieces in the show -

Experience

Experience is a riverbed,
Its source hidden, forever flowing:
Its entrance, the root of the world,
The Way moves within it:
Draw upon it; it will not run dry.

-LaoTze-

Mi Familia!

My parents came to visit yesterday (all the way from Barbados) and will be staying with us for a few weeks. It is great to see them and see that they are doing well. After the experience that we had this past weekend (see last post) I value this visit more than ever. First of all I get to share great meals with my parents and wife (my mum will cook Bajan food and does so very well). Today she made breadfruit and dolphin (the fish not the mammal) - delicious!!!

Seeing my family again reinforces my determination to see them more often and hopefully we will be able to make a trip to Barbados for Christmas this year... Here's hoping.

Neighbor

Neighbor - a person who lives near another; a person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward his or her fellow humans: to be a neighbor to someone in distress.

Last summer, after a long, exhaustive and invariably interesting search my wife and I closed on our first home and moved in. We were fortunate to be welcomed to the neighborhood by a friendly older lady from next door.

During the past year we have said hi to our friendly neighbor on many occasions and have had the opportunity to be helpful a few times.

Last night was different. It was around 9:30pm when we heard the door bell ring. A bit annoyed (we hardly ever get unexpected visitors) I proceeded to the door wondering "what now?". I was surprised to see our friend from next door standing on our porch sobbing. We invited her in and began to try and determine what was wrong and what we could do to help. Before I go on, I need to fill you in on a few things. Firstly, our neighbor is a widow - she lost her husband to cancer about 31/2 years ago after being with him from the age of 16 - I would say she was about 68 years old presently. Secondly, she is Portuguese and her English is very poor. Thirdly, my wife and I speak nothing but English. Finally, we never knew her name. In a whole year, we never took the time or had the opportunity to exchange names - good lord!

So, back to what happened... After a bit of probing, through her sobs she explained that she was missing her husband and was very lonely. She said that she had no companionship and really missed her husband. Of course this instantly broke our hearts and must have been particularly hard for my wife as her father passed away 5 years ago on 6/10 and her mother is all alone - in another country, no less. Our thoughts ran immediately to our families so many miles away from us and how we should appreciate them more and visit more often. As we continued to console our neighbor she said that she wished she could die - she admitted that she was on medication for depression and that tonight it didn't seem to be working. We asked her if she would like us to call someone for her - we knew that she had adult children, at least one of whom lived near by. She refused, saying it was ok. It seemed as though she thought that she was going to be a bother to them and didn't want to call. This was such a sad situation. We take so much for granted it is unbelievable. After sitting and talking for a while when she had composed herself she decided to go home - we offered her to stay as long as she wished but she said that she would go as the medication was beginning to make her feel sleepy (again all of this was based on our interpretation of her poor English so may not all be entirely accurate although I did feel like I was understanding most of what she was trying to convey). Before she left I made sure to ask her name and to provide her with ours. I walked her to her door and said good night. On my return, my wife and I promised to check in on her in the morning, which we did, and to invite her over and pay her a visit at least weekly, which we will do.

We get so busy and self absorbed that we miss the truly valuable moments and opportunities to have a positive impact on the lives of others. We also make bold assumptions about how people feel or how they are coping with life. I must say that last night was a valuable lesson that I will never forget. Being a good neighbor isn't about keeping up with the Joneses and the Smiths but about being there to offer a helping hand, a kind word, a pleasant smile.

In this fast paced, impersonal world, the challenge is to cease the opportunity to peak over the fence or cross the street and say hi to the people around you. You never know when you may have to knock on their door for help.

Complete

Nature is complete because it does not serve itself.

The sage places himself after and finds himself before,
Ignores his desire and finds himself content.

He is complete because he does not serve himself.

-LaoTze-

Freedom

Philosophically, freedom is defined as "the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination".

On the 65th anniversary of D-Day I watched the leaders of the United States, Canada, France and Great Britain speak about the enormous sacrifice that the allied soldiers made to ensure that we would be able to exercise many of the freedoms we enjoy today.

To those brave soldiers I say thanks! Thanks for having the courage to do what was necessary; to continue to press forward even though you knew that the chance of even making it onto the beach was slim to none; for having the courage to overcome fear and the instinct for self preservation to carry out the mission. The brave men who stormed the beach at Normandy on that fateful day were superhuman. They were the sons of farmers, businessmen and the like from previously normal lives who rose to meet the call of their nations to fight for the cause of freedom. Let's remember their bravery and sacrifice with reverence and honor their spirits by acknowledging what they fought and died for; bask in the glory of sweet freedom and never, ever forget the cost.

I am free...

Self

Both praise and blame cause concern,
For they bring people hope and fear.
The object of hope and fear is the self -
For, without self, to whom may fortune and disaster occur?

Therefore,
Who distinguishes himself from the world may be given the world,
But who regards himself as the world may accept the world.

-LaoTze-

Power

Power is defined as " the possession of control or command over others; authority; ascendancy: power over men's minds."

Do we surrender power to others because we are unable to realize that we can be the masters of our own destiny? Is it fear of failure; insecurity; lack of imagination or some other self imposed limitation that is the root? I say it is time to take the power back and resurrect our self confidence and conviction. To do this we must recognize that we have the power to shape our own destiny, future and ultimately the quality of our lives. If we leave it to others to decide we will never be happy. "Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; none but ourselves can save our lives..." - Bob Marley!

I am in the process of a mental emancipation and I feel great! Every day I feel better about myself, my life, my art, the world... I feel less vulnerable and more able to take on whatever this life has to throw at me. Bring it! The power of self is in effect -

The Way

The Way that can be experienced is not true;
The world that can be constructed is not true.
The Way manifests all that happens and may happen;
The world represents all that exists and may exist.

To experience without intention is to sense the world;
To experience with intention is to anticipate the world.
These two experiences are indistinguishable;
Their construction differs but their effect is the same.

Beyond the gate of experience flows the Way,
Which is ever greater and more subtle than the world.

-LaoTze-