Albert Moy

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Since the late 1980’s, I have taken photographs of sorts as an amateur of photographer, using film and later digital. From Old Comiskey Park in Chicago to Niagara Falls to the unexpected, photography is a marvel that I find very fascinating. Although that I have no formal training in photography, I have utilized my urge to learn more about photography by picking up on new concepts in photography by reading up on the masters of photography including Ansel Adams, Alfred Stieglitz, Elizabeth “Lee” Miller, Henri-Cartier Bresson, Harry Callahan, Art Sinsabaugh, Josef Sudek, A. Aubrey Bodine, and Kenneth Josephson.

 

I would get inspiration from the works of the great master painters including Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Auguste-Pierre Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, M. C. Escher, and Piet Mondrian. I also look at works by Gertrude Abercrombie, Gerhard Richter, and Elena Madden.

 

From my experience in photography, I have always leave my thematic options open. I have practiced everything from architectural photography, black and white photography, nature photography, surrealist photography, and the unexpected. Although I have always thought of surrealism, I would consider this as a touch of irony. Some of my examples of irony would include:

 

• A wintertime evergreen with snow, where a polar bear would hide.

• Street cracks that would form a heart.

• My self portrait with masquerade masks as witnesses.

 

In order to do the most out of my time as a photographer, I recommend the following advice:

 

• Always have patience if you are practicing the craft of photography. In this “Instant-This and Instant-That” world, people would not be patient to look, stop and smell the roses, or notice the patterns and/or uniqueness.

• Have an eye for detail for photography. As an Programmer Analyst with a Master of Science Degree in Computer Science, I should know that.

• Be very observant. Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra once said “You can see a lot just by observing.” There are certain situations that you do not see every day. Period!

• Visit art museums and art fairs. You will certainly learn a lot from the masters.

• Take every factor into account. Little things mean a lot, although I was told that I have taken things too literally.

• Learning is a lifelong process. Read about the past masters as well as the new concepts. The thing about learning about past masters is that everybody needs to learn about history for two reasons.

o We would not repeat the bad aspects.

o We would repeat and/or improve on the good aspects.

• Try to experience as many themes as you can, according to your instincts.

• A cliché that is still true. “Practice. Practice. Practice.”

• Always believe in your abilities and work.

 

For the time being as a photographer, I will always draw inspiration from my observations.

 

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There are many reasons why the name of the photo archive is “The Flying Joule”. The same goes with the logo “The Flying Joule”, a hummingbird with a yellow scripted “J” on its chest while carrying a diamond.

 

Gardeners, birdwatchers, and nature lovers often use the term called “The Flying Jewel”, meaning hummingbird. Many years ago, there was a hummingbird in my mother’s flower garden in Chicago. Hummingbirds live in the Western Hemisphere, especially the tropical areas of the Western Hemisphere. A hummingbird flying in Chicago in the wild is a rare occurrence. The logo features the Broad-Billed Hummingbird, Cynanthus latirostris.

 

A diamond is the hardest gemstone known, if not the hardest natural material. A gemstone would have another name: Jewel. Throughout the geologic history of the earth, high temperature and pressure caused diamonds to crystallize inside the earth’s upper mantle, the layer between the crust (the earth’s outermost shell) and the outer core. Later, volcanic activity would force these diamonds to the earth’s surface.

 

Speaking of heat, in the 1840’s, four scientists were working on the discovery of the law of energy conservation. The four scientists were: Julius von Mayer, a German physician and physicist; Herman von Helmholtz, a German physicist, William Thomson (Queen Victoria would later knight him as Lord Kelvin), a British physicist; and James Prescott Joule, a British physicist. According to the law of energy conservation, the energy consumed in one form would reappear in another form, without losing energy. Joule would come up with Joule’s law, stating the relationship between mechanical energy and heat energy. This relationship is now known as the mechanical equivalent of heat. Later, Joule’s subsequent experiments would come up with precise measurements of heat, paving the way for other scientists to come up with more precise measurements of heat. In 1894, the unit of work and energy would be named joule, in honor of James Prescott Joule.

 

The abbreviation J would signify the measuring unit of work and energy, in regards of chemistry, physics and thermodynamics.

 

A homonym is one of at least two words with the same spelling and same pronunciation but different meaning. The words jewel and joule have the same pronunciations and different spellings and different meanings; therefore, jewel and joule are not homonyms. A homophone is one of at least two words with the same pronunciations but different spelling and different meaning. Therefore, jewel and joule are homophones. Indeed, this is a play on words.

 

It is known that hummingbirds lay the smallest bird eggs, as small as 0.4 by 0.3 inches (11 by 8 millimeters) and as large as 0.8 by 0.5 inches (20 by 12 millimeters). Although it is not known if hummingbird eggs have a gold colored eggshell, the egg in logo is gold, signifying the gold standard, the color of excellence.

 

Hummingbirds usually exhibit bright colored and glossy plumage. That is why hummingbirds are known as “flying jewels”. The border around the egg in the logo is emerald green.

 

Speaking of emeralds, what is the hummingbird carrying? Yes, the hummingbird is carrying a diamond, a jewel. But, hummingbirds’ legs are very short, very small, and very stubby. Therefore, hummingbirds do not carry objects. Well, this is surrealism, another story for another time.

 

I hope that you enjoy the story of “The Flying Joule”. Enjoy the artistry and artwork that is now residing in “The Flying Joule” Photo Archive.

 

Albert P. Moy