Enso Drool - by Apophis

After a long lay off, I'm back. I did my first painting in well over a year today.  All that chat in the past few weeks about my art, circles and the Enso symbol got me inspired on the way home this evening and I had to create this piece.  This piece "Enso Drool" is acrylic paint and sumi ink on canvas board 18" x 24".  Hopefully, you can see the evolution of the piece from the photos.  Can't wait for it to dry so that I can spray seal it and display it!

Wandering

What is the difference between assent and denial?
What is the difference between beautiful and ugly?
What is the difference between fearsome and afraid?

The people are merry as if at a magnificent party
Or playing in the park at springtime,
But I am tranquil and wandering,
Like a newborn before it learns to smile,
Alone, with no true home.

The people have enough and to spare,
Where I have nothing,
And my heart is foolish,
Muddled and cloudy.

The people are bright and certain,
Where I am dim and confused;
The people are clever and wise,
Where I am dull and ignorant;
Aimless as a wave drifting over the sea,
Attached to nothing.

The people are busy with purpose,
Where I am impractical and rough;
I do not share the peoples' cares
But I am fed at nature's breast.

-LaoTze-

Cool find at Flea Market!

After working late last night I had to pop into work early this morning and on the way back home I took the long route.  I happened to pass by a flea market that was just opening and on a whim, decided to stop in and see if they had any old cameras for sale.  As luck would have it, there was one vendor with an old Agfa camera for sale for, wait for it, WAIT FOR IT - $5.  Yep, $5!  I feel like I stole something.  I paid the lady what she asked and came home and cleaned it up.  This camera seems to date back to somewhere between the 1930s and 1950s.  Photos and info at Camerapedia.org seems to suggest that this is an Agfa Billy.  It takes 120mm film and still seems to work.  I doubt that it would take good pics but it is a nice display item.  Anyway, here are a few pics -

Installation Service

This past Sunday was a busy day both from a personal and photographic stand point.  The day started with a trip into Boston for Dim Sum!  It was sweet!  The food and company were good and I had lots of opportunities to take photos both candid and posed.  This post is really about the evening portion of the day.

I was hired to photograph the installation ceremony of Pastor Pajibo Kyne at the Union Street Baptist Church in New Bedford, MA.  It was a most interesting experience.  The congregation showed such appreciation for this new minister it was incredible.  They presented him with gifts including a bible, a hymnal and a fabulous hand made robe.  Those of you who know me know that I am not a son of the church but I was moved by the service and the ceremony.  It felt good to be in an atmosphere where positive vibes were being directed at one family, specifically Pastor Kyne.  He had an air of regalness about him which led me to believe that he will be an excellent leader and influence on the members of this church.  Best of luck Pastor Kyne and congratulations! Thank you Union Street Baptist!

The Eye of the Beholder

I had an interesting experience today that boosted my confidence as an artist.  I was having a chat with a coworker and friend about art, particularly a series that I had done several months ago centered around glass marbles - I've Lost My Marbles.  He really liked them because the he was able to relate to the circular nature of the subject.  We chatted further and he indicated that he saw the circle as a source of inspiration and wanted to have a piece of art centered around circles to hang in his office.  I showed him a painting that I had done last year (my first piece of art) that was really themed around circles - Circle Layers and he really liked it.  I was shocked at his response.  This piece has been hanging in our spare bedroom for over a year now and before that leaning against a wall in our old apartment.  I was really proud of it when I first created it but as my art evolved I didn't like it as much.  Seeing the response to the piece made me realize the truth about art being in the eye of the beholder.  I create because I am inspired but I also destroy because of my perfectionist nature - I don't physically destroy but I undervalue my creations by judging them too harshly.  For others, who perhaps wish they could create or are touched by my creations my purpose is fulfilled.  I create for them, not for myself.  As an artist it is my job to create and to present - finding the right eyes is the mission of every creation; to be appreciated by the right person/people.  For this lesson I am grateful and move forward with confidence that my creations will find an audience, some day, eventually!  Thanks Keith!

Tools

Thirty spokes meet at a nave;
Because of the hole we may use the wheel.
Clay is molded into a vessel;
Because of the hollow we may use the cup.
Walls are built around a hearth;
Because of the doors we may use the house.
Thus tools come from what exists,
But use from what does not.

-LaoTze-

Now and Then!

My how the years have passed. My wife scanned and converted an old image of me as a baby and I spent close to an hour working on it in Photoshop. Reflecting on this old photo I recognize the person I have become. Everyday I try to learn something new and grow a bit more as a person, a human being, a citizen of the world... It is challenging, with all of the distractions and differing perspectives, to remain focused on what is truly important but as this journey continues it does get easier to say "no that is not my way" and be confident in the person that you are, the person that you have become. I grew up!

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-

Film vs Digital

I am not a big fan of film, not because I don't think that the quality is good but because it is expensive and time consuming to process. Unfortunately, I don't have a dark room to develop my own film and quite frankly, I don't think I ever would.  I am a product of the digital age and with my instant gratification obsession, don't see film being a regular part of my photography.  My apologies to all of the purists out there.  I do agree that film produces a level of detail that my current 12.3 MP digital SLR can't.  However, I will say that the development of images either via film or digitally is where alot of the art lays in my style of photography and when I take/send my film to be processed, a large degree of control over the final product is lost.  With digital, I can do my own development.  This is not to say that you can't post process scanned images from film negatives but if you are going to go to all of this trouble what's the point?

The images in the attached gallery were post processed from scanned film images developed at a local 1hr photo lab.  Yes, I know that the best quality processing would not occur at a 1 hr lab but unless you are footing the bill for the processing  - shhhhhhh!

The reason for these shots was to see how my photographic skills were coming along - composition, exposure etc.  Well, the results weren't as bad as I had thought.  I had to work hard on the digital files to get them to look decent but over all they didn't suck too bad.  The prints were terrible!  The use of the pop-up flash on the Minolta Maxxum 5 I used over exposed most of the images but that was reasonably easy to fix in PS.  I have a shoot coming up and will probably take the film camera along just to see how the images compare to the digital images on the Nikon.  I have to give it up to the pioneers of photography who shot on film exclusively and to the techies who were able to make digital a reality.  Why?  I don't think that I would be into photography to this degree, if at all, if I had to shoot on film alone.   From film camera use I can appreciate the patience one must possess in order to choose the right shot at the right moment.  I need more of that in my approach.  Shot selection is important - however, I would rather delete an unwanted or unnecessary image than miss a great shot because I wanted to conserve film.  Give me my 8GB SDCH card please!

Getting Back In Shape - Project Fitness!

Boy, this H1N1 virus got me scared!  Really though, the truth is I am sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.  With the approaching change in seasons and the accompanying flu season, I know it is time to get back in shape.  Not only do I want to avoid the annual flu but this year's comes packed with the swine flu to boot.  No thanks!  I am making a conscious effort to get my body and mind in good physical condition to avoid getting the flu or at least to shorten the duration if I do succumb.  This means working out, eating right, sleeping right and taking the right vitamins!  It seems inevitable that the outbreak will be severe this winter since so many factors favor the spread of illness this season - high stress, poor diets, poor health, not to mention people's failure to practice simple personal hygiene such as washing their hands after using the rest room - GROSS!!!

My climb back up the hill of fitness started a few weeks ago but today I am documenting it and will do my best to stay the course.  If I fall off I will have this written commitment to refer to and hopefully renew my desire to succeed.  Fitness is a way of life and to be successful at it you have to commit to a life style change.  I have always been fortunate in that my body responds quickly to exercise but I have noticed that my cardio has been a bit weak of late - lifting is fine but I hate cardio - so working on this will be challenging.  Who's with me on project fitness?!  Anyone?

Here are some photos from today's workout - messing with the camera and trying to get the shots right kept me working out longer than planned  - I will be sore tomorrow but that's ok!  I tried to use a long exposure to record my lift using a flash frequency of 1hrz at 1/8 power and then went to 2 flashes at 1/6.5 power.  Of course I had to replenish my electrolytes after the workout - Is it in you?  Stay healthy!

Made for Walkin'

Ever had a favorite shirt, pair of jeans, hat etc.?  Well, I have favorite shoes.  My Dr. Marten's boots are the most comfortable shoes I own (Brown & Black).  The sole is made from a resilient but flexible rubber-like material that makes standing or walking in them easy on the knees, legs and back.  I have had them for years and usually break them out of the closet when it starts to get cold. They aren't insulated but with warm socks they keep my feet warm and dry even in the snow. Why am I going on about my shoes?  Look at the pictures and stop asking questions!

Indulgence

Straighten yourself and you will not stand steady;
Display yourself and you will not be clearly seen;
Justify yourself and you will not be respected;
Promote yourself and you will not be believed;
Pride yourself and you will not endure.

These behaviours are wasteful, indulgent,
And so they attract disfavour;
Harmony avoids them.

-LaoTze-

Touch

Today I had the idea of recording the importance of touch as a demonstration of affection in relationships and once again our three cats became a part of the shoot.  If you know anything about cats, you know that they do not take direction well.  Actually, I believe that they are genetically programmed to do the complete opposite of what you want them to when it matters.  Anyway on to the topic.

I have always wondered how cats came to live amongst humans.  Some pets have a very specific purpose and you can see what led to them being incorporated into families; dogs offer protection, aid in hunting and farming; birds could indicate the presence of toxins in the air and perhaps could alert one to the presence of a stranger.  Cats present a bit of a puzzle - keep rats and mice away.  Maybe, but dogs could do that.  Why would humans chose to domesticate cats?  I would venture to guess low maintenance companionship.  In our household our cats are a part of our family whose purpose is to produce stuff to cleanup - just kidding!  They provide low maintenance companionship and love.  All they want in return, apart from food, water and shelter, is to be touched.  Asha likes to be touched and held, while Jessie and Simba need the occasional petting but require proximity - they always need to be near you if you are at home.  Jessie is always right next to or a few feet away from Vernell and the same is true of Simba with me.

Studies suggest that petting a cat can reduce stress in humans but it must do something for them as well as they crave touch so much.  Asha goes so far as to "auto-pet" on your leg or arm if you stop petting her too soon.  Touch is important to us all - if you love someone or something, show it!

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-

Selective Coloring

The wife and I went on a city walk in Providence Rhode Island today and I was able to capture some shots that made for interesting Photoshop post production experiments.  I used a lot of selective coloring in this series and was most proud of one result in particular.  This manipulation took quite a while to complete but it was worth it - I think that the result makes the photo come alive and makes for some creative interpretation.  The approach I used to create this effect was simple; I converted the image to monochrome and then used to the history brush tool to reinsert the colors where I wanted.  I used extreme magnification to avoid "coloring" too far outside the lines.

The next example is use of selective color to draw attention to the subject of the image. In this case the guy sleeping on the park bench.  Here I used B&W conversion on the image and selected the area around the subject to leave colored with a feathered effect that radiates from the center of the subject.

In this final example, I turned the sliders down on all the colors in Camera RAW except for the blue and aqua and voila!  The sky and reflections in the windows remain colored while everything else is pretty much monochrome - there are a few areas where blue color cast can be seen around the fountain but for the most part this technique works!

Hypocrisy

When the Way is forgotten
Duty and justice appear;
Then knowledge and wisdom are born
Along with hypocrisy.

When harmonious relationships dissolve
Then respect and devotion arise;
When a nation falls to chaos
Then loyalty and patriotism are born.

-LaoTze-

Morning Coffee!

This morning Vernell made me a double shot of espresso - yum!  The foam in the cup was such a nice color I snapped these photos to share.

Coffee like wine, can stimulate many senses.  Sight, taste, feel, smell and sound are all involved to one degree or another.  But the stimulation doesn't end there - it wakes you up.  Nothing like a strong espresso to get you going in the morning! Caffeine baby!

High Speed Flash Bee Photo

I know that I have featured bees before but today I used a high speed flash to freeze the wings of this subject in flight. How fast do their wings move you ask - between 200 - 230 beats per second. That is fast! We apparently blink up to 5 times per second and the honey bee is doing that 40 times over with its wings! My flash was working with a shutter speed of 1/4000sec (50mm @ f/6.3) to catch this shot, which was the only usable shot out of about 30 that I took. Not only do honey bees beat their wings exceedingly fast but their flight pattern is very random making photographing them very challenging.

I like this shot because you can see the definition in the wings fully spread (click image to full view). What is my fascination with bees? None at all - there just happen to be around and are willing subjects for my camera. Actually, I have grown to appreciate them as an integral part of the circle of life. I have enjoyed three crops of plumbs this season and I am sure that the bees had something to do with that. Thanks little guys!