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I had no idea who this guy was, but it was the second time I had seen him on the streets of NYC with that Graflex camera. I regretted not getting his photo the first time. I wouldn't make that same mistake twice. I never spoke to him - I'm inherently shy by nature - but I did a Google search when I got home and found out who he is. He's been doing street photography in New York for longer than I've been alive. If you're not familiar with his work, you should check him out. If I see him again I'll try and work up the nerve to chat with him.
One of the keys to shooting Epic Landscape Photography is exalting the photograph's soul via golden ratio compositions, thusly wedding the photographic art to the divine proportion by which life itself was designed and exalted.
Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Number Ratio Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography Composition Studies!
instagram.com/goldennumberratio
www.facebook.com/goldennumberratio/
Greetings flickr friends! I am working on several books on "epic photography," and I recently finished a related one titled: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean . Message me on facebook for a free review copy!
www.facebook.com/goldennumberratio/
The Golden Ratio also informs the design of the golden revolver on all the swimsuits and lingerie, as well as the 45surf logo!
The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Dr. E’s Golden Ratio Principle: The golden ratio exalts beauty because the number is a characteristic of the mathematically and physically most efficient manners of growth and distribution, on both evolutionary and purely physical levels. The golden ratio ensures that the proportions and structure of that which came before provide the proportions and structure of that which comes after. Robust, ordered growth is naturally associated with health and beauty, and thus we evolved to perceive the golden ratio harmonies as inherently beautiful, as we saw and felt their presence in all vital growth and life—in the salient features and proportions of humans and nature alike, from the distribution of our facial features and bones to the arrangements of petals, leaves, and sunflowers seeds. As ratios between Fibonacci Numbers offer the closest whole-number approximations to the golden ratio, and as seeds, cells, leaves, bones, and other physical entities appear in whole numbers, the Fibonacci Numbers oft appear in nature’s elements as “growth’s numbers.” From the dawn of time, humanity sought to salute their gods in art and temples exalting the same proportion by which all their vital sustenance and they themselves had been created—the golden ratio.
Ansel Adams is not only my favorite photographer, but he is one of the greatest photographers and artists of all time. And just like great artists including Michelangelo, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Botticelli, and Picasso, Ansel used the golden ratio and divine proportions in his epic art.
Not so long ago I discovered golden regions in many of his famous public domain his 8x10 aspect ratio photographs. I call these golden harmony regions "regions of golden action" or "ROGA"S, as seen here:
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1812448512351066.107374...
And too, I created some videos highlighting Ansel's use of the golden harmonies. Enjoy!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGnxOAhK3os
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFlzAaBgsDI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3eJ86Ej1TY
More golden ratio and epic photography composition books soon! Best wishes for the Holiday Season! Dr. Elliot McGucken :)
The Lich utilizes some forty CMF Spooky Boy cape pieces that are intertwined with Lego string. Notably however, nothing is actually tied down on the figure! The felt like texture of the capes (specifically their undersides) cause them to inherently stick to one another, which along with the string looped between them, causes them to merge into one durable "piece".
The Lich will be on public display at Brickworld Chicago 2017
Leica M2
Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 Nokton II MC (yellow filter)
Fomapan 100 in Clayton F76 (1:9 @ 68 deg for 7 min)
-- We have a phrase -- 'Molly do it' -- which interpreted means the dog does it her own way, on her own terms. If she wasn't such an inherently good animal, we wouldn't let her get away with so much, but here she doesn't want to climb the rise with me; instead off in her own direction. Mary tells me there was some carrion on the side of the road. The ominous sky in the background is fitting, given that context.
Negative emotions, like physical pain, are not inherently bad. They are simply messengers for something else that is not right. If you learn how to listen to and address emotions you can create drastic change in your state of being, and consequently your life. Emotions can be shifted. Even strong, long-standing triggers can be undone. I often trigger myself purposely so I can find more things to heal. It's not really a big deal once you get used to it. The more of your negative emotional triggers you address, the lighter and more level you will feel. Life flows more simply and easily with less self-sabotage. You find fewer excuses to hold yourself back.
"Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
I was born with the wrong sign
In the wrong house
With the wrong ascendancy
I took the wrong road
That led to the wrong tendencies
I was in the wrong place at the wrong time
For the wrong reason and the wrong rhyme
On the wrong day of the wrong week
I used the wrong method with the wrong technique
Wrong
Wrong
There's something wrong with me chemically
Something wrong with me inherently
The wrong mix in the wrong genes
I reached the wrong ends by the wrong means
It was the wrong plan
In the wrong hands
With the wrong theory for the wrong man
The wrong lies, on the wrong vibes
The wrong questions with the wrong replies
Wrong
Wrong
I was marching to the wrong drum
With the wrong scum
Pissing out the wrong energy
Using all the wrong lines
And the wrong signs
With the wrong intensity
I was on the wrong page of the wrong book
With the wrong rendition of the wrong hook
Made the wrong move, every wrong night
With the wrong tune played 'til it sounded right, yeah
Wrong
Wrong
Too long
Wrong
Too long
Wrong
Too long
Wrong
Too long
Wrong
Too long
I was born with the wrong sign (wrong)
In the wrong house
With the wrong ascendancy (too long)
I took the wrong road (wrong)
That led to the wrong tendencies (too long)
I was in the wrong place at the wrong time (wrong)
For the wrong reason and the wrong rhyme (too long)
On the wrong day of the wrong week (wrong)
I used the wrong method with the wrong technique
Wrong"...
Depeche Mode / Wrong...
This shot was taken one second before this shot. I used NIK Software HDR EFEX PRO on this one to pull out more detail "through" the mist. The shot was inherently difficult as the Sun was rising to the East which posed a challenge from this vista. There was so much mist in the air from the heavy surf. Light scattered all about.
The peak of the swells began at approximately 1:00am. This shot was taken at 8:02:12am. McWay Fall drops 80 feet to the shore. I would estimate the break to the right topped out at about 120 feet. It was a brief and rare occasion this time of year.
Exposure 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture f/11.0
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 400
See: www.flickr.com/photos/stevefretz/51592877175/in/dateposte...
In On Photography Susan Sontag says that photos are inherently dishonest because they don't show context.
I agree - but picture-taking is still a fun thing to do.
Please forgive me for revisiting this saga so soon. For the thoughts of that witnessed moment in time which planted a seed for a story, still remains, still ticklingly entices my imagination..
And I think most of us know what a bugger an inkling like that can be...!
And the Chatwick in me had a yearning, actually no, a compelling, need to appease, so to tell the same story in a bit different take on the observed actions of the young lad I called the Hugger Mugger… had to be forthcoming post haste …
And So we Have.....
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Importance of paper mache Princesses
Lucidity of Providence
I first noticed the lass whom I came to call the paper mache princess, as she slithered and swished about in the quite devastatingly pretty gown she was so winningly wearing along her youthful, but yet well appointed figure.
The gown was dyed the shade of fresh spring lavender, the satiny material, probably soft as a new borne downy chick, freshly shimmering and glistening as she stunningly exhibited it whilst wriggled in from the serving room.
My fancy was tickled by this, for my Sister had once worn a very similar dress , and I carried quite pleasant memories of the fun we had had shared that particular evening…..
But I only noticed this new lass’s apparel briefly though, for once I had her properly in my sights, her adorning jewels(rhinestone?) totally commanded my full and undivided attention.
For, see in my humbled opinion, it was silly for one so obviously saturnine, so quite gullibly young, to be wearing such shimmering sparklers! Though to truthfully admit, I had no real issues along those lines!
The sparkling jewels consisted of a thin silver plated necklace, matching dangling earrings and a thin bracelet worn around her satin gloved clad wrist.. , all were set with the fiery brilliance of (rhinestone?) diamonds.
Twas a pity someone darkly moody like that would be in possession of jewels so pretty.. She obviously had no inkling or care about em, in my observation of her, she probably could care less that she was wearing them, and probably had whined miserably about putting them on!
A hallowed mockery of all that is truly feminine.
An aloof paper mache princess who deserved to look more of a pauper in me own personal opinion...!
And that thought, I found to be quite enticingly entertaining on a personal level! Admittedly though, at that time, I was finding a great deal of my surroundings to being quite vexing.
But there was also a reason for my interests, for I will have to admit to possessing a bit of a rascally bird like, Magpie keen, interest in all things shiny!
And my curiosities had already been at peek height due to several other observations I had made upon my first arrival at the wedding reception: Including one subject in particular!
First off, the wedding was definitely upscale, and the wealthy Bride had chosen a rather unique venue for her reception.
Located in a rather daringly wrong side of the tracks area. The place was the site of an old brick, eel tinning factory that someone had cunningly restored and was princely offering as a uniquely posh reception venue for those rich enough to pay out the nose for something out of the ordinary. To me it looked like someone had extravagantly decorated up an old slummy red brick alleyway.
And as to why I was there..?
Well my friends, that’d be another whole tale in the tellin....
So, only tellin one tale at a time then......
Anyhows, there I was, dressed up in my best, and starting to do a bit of visually opportunistic prowling about amongst the well heeled guests who were making merry in the venues’ rather dubious surroundings…. When I saw him...
Him, the laddie, a young male of about 13, scampering happily about at the reception hall .
Something about his mannerisms drew my mind to him, so I discreetly asked around.
I soon found out he was the son of a single mother, both the bride’s sister and maid of Honour. So he was pretty much being left to himself, which explained things a bit.
The lad was also obviously across the threshold of young puberty: as was witnessed by some of his antics, not only with the touchy teasing of the younger girls present, but also in the way he was treating certain poshly dressed adult females, especially in sneaking up and giving his darling grandmother hugs from behind.
She though, thought it was cute and just laughed, and squealed happily, “look another drive by hugging”, or “thanks for the warm hugging honey, just lovely”, encouraging to no end the youth to keep his voyeuristic advances up.
But the grandmother was a short lady, his size, and I knew what was going on, even if the silly twit didn’t have a bloody clue.
The Lads arms, as he hugged his grandmother’s warm figure before running off, were brushing just under her perk breasts, molded nicely by the tight fitted mother of the bride gown she was attired in.
I also knew that , along with copping a titillating feel, he was also enjoying the tingling sensation from the slick thicke material of the lengthy, swishing gown the rather youngish ,stylish grandmother was wearing…
I watched, the lad as he performed this trick several times, holding onto the warm sweaty figure of his still perky, grandmother, before I would finally admit to the fact, I was jealous!
Jealous, for she was wearing some rather pretty jewelry of diamonds, real ones too judging by the fiery pinpricks of flashes they was giving off. Grandad must have spent a bloody mint on them.. For an Anniversary or an apology? There laid the rub..
And I would have given anything for a closer gawk at the ladies finer points, if one gets my drift, eh ?
Nudge, nudge... as they say...
It was while watching the lad yet again going and performing his hugger mugger routine from a bar stool, that my I first laid my eyes on the young paper mache princess in the lavender gown and wearing her own set of diamonds( rhinestone?). I don’t know when she had entered the reception’s proverbial stage, but she was one of the last lot to be leaving the room where the food service was laid out.
She was all of 16 years old, probably bitter sweet, and most definitely, caustically, immature!
She was with a second girl, 14 years I would guess, possibly a younger sister, clad in a thin dress of red silk that poured out dancingly below a matching jacket of velvet. She was wearing a glistening set of, faux?, pearls, and a (rhinestone?) brooch on her jacket, the bauble shaped like a colourful humming bird set with coloured gemstones.
They both stopped at the doorway, watching the dance floor with a peaking interest .
The live band had started up, and a group was upon the floor, swishing and swirling about in a quite pretty display of both colour and glitter that was being caught up in the dim incandescent lighting of the olde re-imagined factory.
I allowed my interest to follow this action for a bit, before curiously allowing my eyes to again seek out the pair of lasses.. Sneaking in close by the bar for a better, keener look over as I did so.
When I found them I saw that they had been joined by the huggy strap of a lad. He was standing close to them, and I caught him gingerly sliding his hand up behind the paper mache princess , chubby fingers tentatively rubbing along the waistline of the slick lavender gown being worn so winningly by the vixen of a sixteen year old.
She giggled and turned to him, her eyes giving an “oh, its you” look to the lad. Oblivious to the look, he started talking the pair up, and I saw them both shake their heads no at whatever he must have been suggesting.
Both girls petite earrings’ swaying in the light as their heads moved side to side . The Paper Mache Princess’s inset diamonds of her earrings sparkling madly, while her smaller friends bobbling earrings of Faux pearl gleamed a glistening pure white.
The pair turned dismissively back to the dance floor, and he stared them down from behind their glimmery sleek dresses for a few seconds, before he walked away, head bent down like something of an admonished puppy!
I felt sorry for the young git, red faced, as he was walking away,.
Then I suddenly realized that his course was taking him right past me.
Not sure why at the time, but suddenly I wanted to capture this lad’s attention. For I was Bored and feeling peevishly mused to try and do something to quell those copious desires I had been mulling..!
So I played it by ear... Something which in my profession that I tend to do a lot of!
Now, since, sleight of hand and misdirection are a couple of me talents, I reached into my pocket , thoughtfully fingering one of my ever-present coins of the realm.
As the lad , sad head down, sauntered droopily by me, I caught his attention by dropping a penny.
He obligingly retrieved it for me, and as he handed it back, I turned down my wrist, then took my hand to his ear, appearing to change the penny into a twenty pee piece… Which I handed the coin to the amazed lad for keeps. Thereby also gaining his full and undivided attention.
“Want to see another?” I asked, and he shook his head yes eagerly. I pulled out an also ever-present deck of cards, and had him ruffle them up a bit. Talking it up to him as I did.
The simple card trick would allow me to banter and hopefully my words would thus stoke the id of his sexually driven impulses whilst the ego thoughts in the lad’s head where following the cards. With my intents to flaring up the lad’s super – located in the deep recesses of his mind were certain male thoughts are often guiltily , forcibly, kept alone to themselves.
The first trick was an easy one that had him picking his own card from a group laid out on the bar. It was as I went through the motions, and watching his focus on the cards, I mentioned how pretty I had thought some of the dresses worn by the girls here were.
That opened him up royally...
I soon had him chatting away, eating out of my hand as I told him a subtly suggestive story of my youth, centering around the true enough episode where I had danced with my sister who had been wearing a dress very similar to the one worn by the paper mache princess....
A tid bit of a description that I knew would send his little pubescent desiring mind whirling .
I then, also with casual finesse, asked him quite a few questions about himself, about the reception, and particularly centered around finding out a bit more about the paper mache princess.
He readily came out with the fact that the paper mache princess, the one I had truthfully said was dressed like me sister had been , was nothing more than his cousin. He also volunteered tid bits about her that led me to believe that she could be a bit fey, but liked to pretend and daydream.
He also chimed in that he liked to play games like hide an seek with her and her friend’s, when she allowed him to!
Not playing now I asked? Seeing a light opening up at the end of a certain tunnel of my thoughts.
No he said, she said that she did not want to get dirty, her friend either.. Too interested in acting like proper ladies, dancing and watching, he added sadly..
“Quite boring.. he also added quite drearily ..”
That was all I needed to hear! So, agreeing with the boring part, I drew him close in the confidence of a co-conspirator.
Tells you what kiddo, let me explain how we used to play tag games when I was your cousins age.
I bet she will change her mind to play this version with you today! ( Actually, I know she would have no choice but to play his game once we were done with her!)
Really, he said, his eyes wandering and latching onto the two swaying young vixens, looking them up and down as I spoke.
Certainty ‘Mon garçon’ I said, and began to explain, taking certain inventive liberties with the details to ensure capturing this young man’s burgeoning lusting fantasies !!
I explained that as lads we would play tag by having the crooks steal something, then the person who was robbed would chase us like a copper until we either got away, or placed in “prison”
Cops and robbers see.. ever hear of the game.?
He nodded his head assuredly that of course he knew the game..!
I could also see I had grasped a craving interest within him, so I then happily continued on
“Now, the girls in our group would sometimes dress up and wear ‘cheap’ play jewelry, like your cousin and her friend over there. “ I lied convincingly.
He turned to watch the pair of proper appearing princess wanna-bees, both with eye appealing resplendence in their gowns, jewels and fine frills..
“Then us boys would sneak up and try to distract them, so we could teasingly come away with some of their play jewels without them catching on to what we were on about.
Then we would point out their loss after a bit, and the girls would give chase to us trying get them jewels back !”
He smiles, liking the idea.
I could see he was chewing on my words while still Drooling over the two pretty young lasses and their shiny frocks and ample shimmering jewels.... rather convenient having the real thing in sight when telling my stories I devilishly thought.
I had captivated his interest, and could see that he was earnestly watching his cousin ( whose necklace I should mention, was quite invigoratingly rippling small sparkles of fire around her throat as she was swaying to the music.)
I began with renewed relish, allowing the seed I had planted to grow, by explaining in detail how to draw his pretty lass of a cousin into the “Game”!
Both his and mine!
Using as an example, a story on how I had played this same game I was proposing on, while dancing with me own lavender gown wearing sister for reference. Actually it was a true enough story, only the young lass I had played it out on had not been me sister, and the gown, which most definitely had been soft as a new borne downy chick, had been of a shiny ripe peach colour!
I explained in simple detail how to approach his cousin, and what words would work best in convincing her that a dance was in order.
Then once they were into the dance, I explained in easy detail, the next steps to be taken to ensure his cousin would be a player for the next phase of the game, namely the catchy, touchy, tag part of it.
I could see the laddie was doing quite well, grasping the rudimentary idea of it all. And as he shook his head vigorously yes when I asked if ready. I gently pushed his back, propelling his quite noticeably Horney figure loose towards his innocent victim.
Go get em tiger....
I watched with growing anticipation as the lad moved in, eagerly approached his victim, then again sliding a hand on along her waist, successfully prying and fully capturing his cousins attention away from the dance floor. He started talking affably and I could see her dart a look back to the dancers,then to her 14 year old friend, then finally back to her cousin. Her jewels nicely sparkling in the low lights as she carried out this performance.
Then, bless the faux pearl laden pixie, for as I watched, the paper mache princess’s young friend most advantageously helped out our cause. Chirpily chiming in her two cents worth. saying something excitedly as she tugged at the cousins dress whilst pointing to the lad and the dance floor!
And ‘Bob’s your uncle!’ a few minutes later the pair of them were on that polished wooden dance floor, looking exceptionally cute as a couple, as they danced to a romantic slow tune whose name has since slipped my mind. The young darlings mimicked the adults around them by embracing closely against one another.
I waited and watched with baited breath, so many things could go wrong, and there was no good reason they shouldn’t. I began to think my ideas had been quite folly. Draining my drink, I made my plans for a quick get away to avoid any attention and have to answer rather awkward questions if things went awry.
But they didn’t!
As he had been directed, he bided his time, no hurry.
I watched with baited breath as finally his hand cunningly started the process of snaking up along the back of her sensuous dress, a bit quick perhaps, but maybe his partner was feeling his hormones actively running wild and was responding in kind.
For she had no issues dancing close, and no notice of the shenanigans of the creeping male fingers nimbly reaching up her back. I could see that her own gloved hands were firmly grasping her dance partners waist. The diamonds on her thin bracelet merrily winking back at me!
She seemed so happy, her eyes closed shut as she was into what ever fantasies young sixteen year old paper mache princesses, wearing pretty gowns and flashy jewels, have going on!
But I was also fairly certain that those fantasies of hers did not dwell any where’s near the reality of what was being played out on her in real life at that moment!
I looked around, Nor were any of the adults paying the pair any heed..
Even the Sixteen year old’s young Faux pearl wearing pixie of a friend was watching something away from the dance floor, her own fingers idly playing with the shimmery rhinestone brooch on her velvet jacket as she, with no shyness, was ogling a bloke in a tux snogging with one of the bridesmaids in a secluded corner!
I perked up, setting my empty glass down, casually picking out a handful of pub nuts from a jar at my elbow, I thought, this trick may actually bloody work!!
His fingers finally reached the victim’s primed objective, the one I had suggested, namely the thin gem studded necklace. The pretty jewels that laid flickering around the high, glossy neckline of his victims gown. That fiery necklace had been dangling and moving about with an easy sliding fluidity along down the smooth satin of its’ wearers gown, making it a fairly easy pluck for any amateur’s game!
The gem stones were set in a finely woven silvery chain, there should be no telltale snagging, no matter how jerky the chubby fingers were in making the attempt the lift them!
Obviously I had been thinking this through as I had been carefully watching my pretty paper mache princess. And just as obviously I was now vicariously living those day dreams through the lads antics!
So it was with an unabashed delight, that I watched as his fingers glided along the pretty baubles chain till the necklaces hook in eye clasp was located, and pulled up ever so lightly!
He did fumble a bit with the clasp,( his first time after all) but I saw him carefully peeking over her shoulder for a better look, and using one hand he managed to delicately unhook the two ends on his second attempt.
The fraternal twin ends lay loose there, glimmering for a few seconds, as they hung freely unclasped down her back. His fingers slipped back over her shoulder and slyly lifted a sparkly end up.
He then methodically began to slide the long necklace up along the front of his dance partners rich, lubricious, satin gown! It was easily slipped away, slither inly over her shoulders’ satin sleeve and free fell down behind her back where it dangled for a few precious seconds in his chubby fingers, before the lad secreted the shimmering thing of beauty into his pocket ..
I released my breath not realizing I had been holding it.. He had gotten away with it, pretty as one pleases. His fantasizing, gorgeously dressed cousin, hadn’t a bloody clue as to what had just transpired as she and her glittery necklace were naughtily being parted!
And just as important, no one else had noticed my little hugger mugger in action either!
His victim still had her eyes blissfully closed, and was leaning her head back in what can be best described as dreamy happiness.
Her earrings and bracelet sparkled on, as noticeable in their positions, as the place her necklace had been, now was not!
Her male partners eyes were wide, and darting around. I was worried that he may end up alarming the girl, so I rose, and managed to catch his gaze, and smiled giving a thumbs up. This made him grin, and settling down a bit, grasped his partner close and twirled on.
I smiled, feeling rather excited meself, for watching the lad in action had been like reliving the somewhat similar, long past, incident that I had used as an example, lying to him that I had played the game on me sister!
^^^^^^
Well , they finally finished the dance, it seemed like an eternity, but it was thrilling to try and catch glimpses of the cousins’ now bare neckline!
Finally they broke apart and he walked off with her to the opposite edge of the dance area from where they had started. I held my breath again, but he seemed to inherently realize that as part of the game, he didn’t want her suspicions raised by being quick to leave. God bless his natural budding adult male like deviousness!
When he finally left her and came over , he was grinning ear to ear like some Cheshire Cat.
“Well done lad, you played that brilliantly! Fun Like I said it would be” I praised and questioned?
He nodded , quite pleased with himself, and that pleasure was evident in more places than just his face!!
He most definitely was getting a “titillating feel” for the playing the game. A feeling I could very well understand from me own personal experiences!
I turned him around to face his cousin, his back now to me.
The young paper mache princess was back to aloofly standing, watching, on the outer rim of the dance floor. As we watched, we saw her young friend returning, regaining a position up alongside her
I gripped my hand upon the lads shoulder, speaking into his ear as he conveniently faced away from me..
I explained that he needed to go up and do next ..
Sneak up and hug his cousin from behind( I could tell he liked that!) , then as you tickle her a bit, say something like “now catch the tickle thief” , and then, see that door just off the loo?
He turned his head over to where I was pointing.
I knew that the door was an exit, leading upstairs, then outside to a small park.
“Break away before she can catch you,, and RUN! through that door, then out into the park .”
I turned him back around to face me , I wanted to really drive home the last bit…
I was smiling mischievously in his eyes, which brightened up as he warmed up to the ideas I was planting.
“Then in the woods you can hide and touch tag as she tries to get her necklace back!”, and I tapped his pocket with my free hand, jingling the contents.
“But remember laddie, the trick is not to show her what you took. Make her chase you, and if she finally catches you, make her search you for it, or have her cry Uncle before handing it over!”
“And as she is so occupied, try for an earring or bracelet to keep the game on. Or if her friends is close enough then snatch…..”
But I stopped, I could see all too well in his wide eyed glazed over look, that he had caught onto the gigs gist, and there was no need to say more with out risking my hugger mugger to become too prematurely excited before playing it out.
I looked up over his head to make sure the stage was still set…
I suddenly stiffened....
Ere now, look lad, I think your game is beginning, she is noticing the loss.
We both looked, the young friend of the sixteen-year-old was pointing to the paper mache princess’s bare throat. No need to hear the question.
Then as We both gawked ,the cousins gloved hand shot immediately up to her throat ,fruitlessly feeling around as her face contorted up in a horrifying gasp.
“Now lad I said turning him back around so he was facing the dance floor., quickly toddle up behind and give your cousin that hug to start it off! That’s a good lad!”
“I guarantee you she is going to play into your game now.” I said, sending the words off after him as he scurried stiffly off.
He was definitely carrying off with him a quite “hard” vested interest in the game at hand.
He approached the pair, both of whom were now looking about their feet for the missing necklace.
I saw him readily grasp, then pull up his Cousin into a slippery hug..
She jumped a bit ,alarmed!
But no blaming the sullen looking lass. Worries about her missing necklace combined with someone unexpectantly grasping her from behind, then feeling something hard being pressed up against her, would cause a bit of inherent distress for any poshly attired damsel!
Startled as she was, she stood stiffly in her fast waning shock, as her male cousin whispered into a bejeweled ear, then letting her go, the lad dashed off towards the exit as planned.
The two girls looked at each other questioningly, the pixy was holding her faux pearled necklace, the cousin a hand to her bare throat. They then stared at the fleeing cousin, before, in a shimmering, swishing, fluttering, flurry, taking off after the escaping lad.
I turned away and watched as he disappeared through the exit door by the loo.
The female cousin and her similarity dressed young friend, were following almost upon the lad’s heels, gowns whirling , and they too slipped through the closing door. I, probably for the last time, admired her taunting bracelet, as it flashed and sparkled, while she gripped to hold open the closing exit door..
All three had now disappeared from the venue without anyone a noticing.
I believe free booze, and the length of drinking time that the adult guests had been imbibing played a rather big part in that the trio of escapees were not paid any heed!
Babes in the woods, going beyond the security of the pale. I thought, making my way through the thronging crowd of merry guests .
I headed out towards the main exit located on the opposite side of the building from the restrooms.
Just before taking my permanent leave I looked around the venue again. The dim lighted red brick lined walls of the old ell tinning factory did indeed resemble an olde alleyway. And one can just imagine the types of mischief that would be going on in olde alleyways!
Reaching the outer walk I forced meslf to meander on till I had safely gained some distance, stopping as I came up to a patch of woods.
Where, next to an ancient Wytch Elm tree with its grotesquely reaching branches, started a thin path leading off amongst the trees towards the other side of the olde eel tinning factories building..
I stood there, and after checking around me, Pulled a chrome flask from a vest pocket.
I took a good long swig of ginger brandy in celebration of the moment!
“The path less travelled today mate! .”
Replacing the flask, I reached a hand in my suit coats pocket for me pipe and tobacco, .
Feeling as I did the now cold hardness of the quite genuine, quite expensive, diamond necklace that I had so quite easily lifted from the youths jacket pocket ( pickpocketing - another of my skills)
As I packed my pipe and then cupped my fingers as I struck a match to get it going, I allowed my mind a quick remembrance….
I played out how pretty that young lass had been in her peach satin gown. We both had been around 14 years, socially awkward as youths that age can be.. She had suggested the dancing, and I was amazed at the feel of her in my arms. Never had I felt anything so warm, so incredibly soft. And how sparkling her necklace had been. As we danced, and as I secretly admired her necklace, I remember meself subtly lifting the pretty thing up from her throat. Then it had suddenly unclasped, and I found meself pulling it off from around her throat and stuffing it in a pocket. She had had no clue, and I and me mates had used it’s loss to tease her before giving it back.
It had been a most satisfying newly acquired feeling for me at that age.... Which I had gambled would be the same feelings my young hugger mugger lad would also feel.
With a wry smile I wondered what my hugger mugger lad’s reaction would be as he would finally was made to give back the necklace. And what the overall reaction of the group would be when instead of the paper mache princess’s pricey diamonds in his pocket, he finds the small bits of pub nuts I had switched out with the necklace.
What I would have given to be able to witness that moment in time I thought , as I threw away the match and began puffing smoke from the lit pipe. I imagined what the three youths puzzled, gasping expressions would be like..!
Indeed, whose game had they been playing at?
I wondered if anybody would ever figure it out, or would it remain a mystery?
After a few puffs I looked in the direction of the park.. where I imagined the three were have gleeful adventures, for a bit anyways., and hopefully no further mis adventures...
I gave another long , thoughtful pull at me pipe...
Now, Just down that path would be that very park where at that very moment, a young lady clad in sleek lavender satin and sporting the remains of her dazzling collection of expensively brite sparkling diamonds ,was running about willy nilly in the woods.
Her eye catching gown and glistening, baiting jewels unsuspectingly openly exposed to the wilds outside, and fully unprotected by any observable means...
Not to mention there is also a spare, herself fetchingly attired in red silk and velvet. Herself wearing spiffen faux pearls and a glistening rhinestone hummingbird brooch!
It could very well be like taking away the proverbial candy from silken clad Babes...
Hmmm, a rather treasure trove of an opportunity indeed!
After a few minutes ponderings, I finally Let out an exasperated puff of smoke, as I regrettably shook my head NO..., no teasing my recently bestowed acte of providence, not by this Bloke.... and certainly not this evening !!
One in hand, I scolded meself ..
So, let it be Cheerio, I thought nodding down the side path of the woods towards the park in a solemn’ fare thee well’ salute..
And walking out into the glooming twilight of the evening, strode down the side walk to disappear into the misty aire..
Taking the smoking pipe from me mouth, I began Whistling the tune ...
‘Who put “Bella in the Wytch Elm”?
After all, who does not like coming up across a mystery?
“vade ad victor spolia”
Fini
I had several titles in mind for this picture but could not decide. I am sure some of you have a great title for it. Anyway, butterflies are known for one biological marvel in particular: their ability to metamorphose from caterpillars into beautiful, brightly colored, winged creatures. But monarch butterflies possess another mind-boggling skill that receives less acclaim: Without any guidance, these insects inherently know how, when and where to migrate across continents—and it takes four generations to make the yearlong trek. On the other side, the carpenter bee most often encountered in the eastern United States. It is often mistaken for a large bumblebee species, as they are similar in size and coloring.
It's a "way of life"? No idea where things take me, everytime. Take this pink turban I bought last week, with my wife. She knows deep down, I'm attracted to anything inherently feminine. I was knocked out by the lovely "bow" on this turban -- never seen one like that! Jacqueline HAD to have it, to try it on... Anything to enhance my sense of feminity...
Some days just don’t go as planned… As those who have photographed the snow fighters know all too well, the “plan” is nothing more than a wild guess as to what will actually happen. For photographers, it all comes down to adaptability and perseverance.
The morning started early. The plan was for a spreader set (SPMW 4031) and the rotary set (SPMW 207) to head east from Colfax around sunrise. The duo would primarily work between Switch 9 and Truckee, clearing heavy amounts of snow along the Donner Pass Route. After a delayed start from Colfax, both units were headed up the hill around 9am. Since the rotaries worked the week prior, the hope was for a quick trip to Truckee. With that knowledge, my friends and I grabbed a couple quick shots and then headed towards the top of the mountain.
As we waited and listened to radio traffic, it was notable that the pace was slower than expected. The rotaries were making slow progress through Shed 10 and on the approach to Cisco. Fortunately, we had plenty of daylight to work with… or so we thought.
As the rotaries came through Cisco, a dreaded message came over the radio. “We’re on the ground.” In the process of operations, the trailing rotary (SPMW 211) derailed. Hours of radio traffic and decision making ensued as snow crews worked to the mitigate the situation.
Eventually, the decision was made to set out the SPMW 211 until a heavy crane could be brought up the mountain. The 211 was set out at the derailment site and the SPMW 207 continued east. By now, it was dusk and the opportunity to capture any daylight photos of the rotary were quickly fading.
As cold and disappointed as I was, perseverance would not let me call it a day. Myself and a couple other railroad photographers headed towards Soda Springs to attempt night photographs. Night photography is inherently challenging, especially in the snow. We had no idea if we would be able to capture anything compelling.
After a couple hours of waiting, the faint whistle of the SPMW 207 could be heard piercing through the cold snowy night. As the headlight rounded the corner, the iconic clunking sound of the rotary blades rang out through the forest. With a mountain of snow ahead, the SPMW 207 slowly rolled through Soda Springs on its way to Truckee. While the day may have not gone as planned, adaptability and perseverance allowed me to experience an incredible night of mountain railroading.
SPMW 207 — Rotaries — Soda Springs, California
March 12th, 2023
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The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. The first examples reached the Western Front before the Sopwith Camel. Although it had a much better overall performance than the Camel, problems with its Hispano-Suiza engine, particularly the geared-output H-S 8B-powered early versions, meant that there was a chronic shortage of S.E.5s until well into 1918 and fewer squadrons were equipped with the S.E.5 than with the Sopwith fighter. Together with the Camel, the S.E.5 was instrumental in regaining allied air superiority in mid-1917 and maintaining it for the rest of the war, ensuring there was no repetition of "Bloody April" 1917 when losses in the Royal Flying Corps were much heavier than in the Luftstreitkräfte. The S.E.5 (Scout Experimental 5) was designed by Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden of the Royal Aircraft Factory in Farnborough. It was built around the new 150 hp (112 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8 a V8 engine that, while providing excellent performance, was initially underdeveloped and unreliable. The first of three prototypes flew on 22 November 1916. The first two prototypes were lost in crashes (the first killing the chief test pilot at the Royal Aircraft Factory, Major F. W. Goodden on 28 January 1917) due to a weakness in their wing design. The third prototype underwent modification before production commenced; the S.E.5 was known in service as an exceptionally strong aircraft which could be dived at very high speed – the squarer wings also gave much improved lateral control at low airspeeds. Like the other significant Royal Aircraft Factory aircraft of the war (B.E.2, F.E.2 and R.E.8) the S.E.5 was inherently stable, making it an excellent gunnery platform, but it was also quite manoeverable. It was one of the fastest aircraft of the war at 138 mph (222 km/h), equal at least in speed to the SPAD S.XIII and faster than any standard German type of the period.
While the S.E.5 was not as agile and effective in a tight dogfight as the Camel it was much easier and safer to fly, particularly for novice pilots. The S.E.5 had one synchronised .303-inch Vickers machine gun to the Camel's two, but it also had a wing-mounted Lewis gun on a Foster mounting, which enabled the pilot to fire at an enemy aircraft from below as well as providing two guns firing forward. This was much appreciated by the pilots of the first S.E.5 squadrons as the new hydraulic-link "C.C." synchronising gear for the Vickers was unreliable at first. The Vickers gun was mounted on the forward left dorsal surface of the fuselage with the breech inside the cockpit, at a slight upwards angle. The cockpit was set amidships, making it difficult to see over the long front fuselage, but otherwise visibility was good. Perhaps its greatest advantage over the Camel was its superior performance at altitude, making it a much better match for the Fokker D.VII when that fighter arrived at the front.Only 77 original S.E.5 aircraft were built before production settled on the improved S.E.5a. The initial models of the S.E.5a differed from late production examples of the S.E.5 only in the type of engine installed – a geared 200 hp Hispano-Suiza 8b, often turning a large clockwise-rotation four-bladed propeller, replacing the 150 hp H.S. 8A model. In total 5,265 S.E.5s were built by six manufacturers: Austin Motors (1,650), Air Navigation and Engineering Company (560), Curtiss , Martinsyde (258), the Royal Aircraft Factory (200), Vickers (2,164) and Wolseley Motors Limited (431). A few were converted to two-seat trainers and there were plans for Curtiss to build 1,000 S.E.5s in the United States but only one was completed before the end of the war. At first, airframe construction outstripped the very limited supply of French-built Hispano-Suiza engines and squadrons earmarked to receive the new fighter had to soldier on with Airco DH 5s and Nieuport 24s until early 1918. The troublesome geared "-8b" model was prone to have serious gear reduction system problems, sometimes with the propeller (and even the entire gearbox on a very few occasions) separating from the engine and airframe in flight, a problem shared with the similarly-powered Sopwith Dolphin. The introduction of the 200 hp (149 kW) Wolseley Viper, a high-compression, direct-drive version of the Hispano-Suiza 8a made under licence by Wolseley Motors Limited, solved the S.E.5a's engine problems and was adopted as the standard powerplant. About 38 of the late-production Austin-built S.E.5as were assigned to the American Expeditionary Force, with the 25th Aero Squadron getting its aircraft (mostly armed only with the fuselage-mounted Vickers gun) at the very end of the war. The S.E.5 entered service with No. 56 Squadron RFC in March 1917, although the squadron did not deploy to the Western Front until the following month. Everyone was suspicious of the large "greenhouse" windscreens fitted to the first production models. These were designed to protect the pilot in his unusually high seating position, which was in turn intended to improve vision over the upper wing. The squadron did not fly its first patrol with the S.E.5 until 22 April, by which time, on the insistence of Major Blomfield, 56 squadron's commanding officer, all aircraft had been fitted with small rectangular screens of conventional design. The problem of the high seating position was solved by simply lowering it, pilots in any case preferring a more conventional (and comfortable) seating position. No complaints seem to have been made about the view from the cockpit, in fact this was often cited as one of the strong points of the type. While pilots, some of whom were initially disappointed with the S.E.5, quickly came to appreciate its strength and fine flying qualities, it was universally held to be underpowered, and the more powerful S.E.5a began to replace the S.E.5 in June. At this time 56 Squadron was still the only unit flying the new fighter; in fact it was the only operational unit to be fully equipped with the initial 150 hp S.E.5 – all other S.E.5 squadrons officially used the 200 hp S.E.5a from the outset – although a few S.E.5s were issued to other squadrons due to an acute shortage of the S.E.5a. This shortage resulted in a very slow initial buildup of new S.E.5a squadrons, and lasted well into 1918. Once the Wolseley Viper-powered model became plentiful many more units re-equipped, until by the end of the war the type was employed by 21 British Empire squadrons as well as two U.S. units. Many of the top Allied aces flew this fighter, including Billy Bishop, Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor, Edward Mannock and James McCudden. Legendary British ace Albert Ball was initially disparaging of the S.E.5, but in the end claimed 11 of his 44 victories flying it. McCudden wrote of the S.E.5 "It was very fine to be in a machine that was faster than the Huns, and to know that one could run away just as things got too hot."
A mural outside the former US embassy in Tehran, suspicious of negotiations with a warmonger power used to enforce its rule by war and collective punishment.
Some quotes from Moorhead Kennedy, senior US diplomat taken hostage in Iran, from his book "The Ayatollah in the Cathedral":
"We lack the maturity to understand another point of view, to cooperate and develop consensus. Our difficulty in growing up impairs both our view and our management of foreign affairs."
"I felt caught up in the euphoria of the Revolution, of people not only free of the oppression of the Shah, but after decades of enforced Westernization, free to be Iranians again, and to make all things new."
"A month before our release, as we began to realize that the end of our captivity was in sight and to think back on what it all meant, a Marine roommate suddenly asked: "Say, supposed we were guards and they were the hostages - would we have treated them as well as they treated us?" What we recognized was that we were probably not inherently any better than they, and as capable as anyone else, of the greatest wrongs."
"Our analyses of overseas problems are too often based on abstraction - what the problem should be, rather than what it really is. We indulge ourselves in the luxury of seeing what we want to see and denying what we do not want to see."
"Given our belief in America's God-given destiny, it was easy to assume that what was right for us was right for everyone."
"A retired teacher berated us for condoning the conduct of our captors. Barry Rosen [another of the American hostages] replied, 'We are not making excuses for them, but there is reason to think that the Iranians have had a social revolution of great profundity. It was clearly one of the most broad-range revolutions of the twentieth century.'
"Our experience was [indeed] a side product of a social revolution of 'great profundity.' It induced in a number of us an equally profound psychological revolution. Even in captivity, I had begun to wonder by what means a similar and overdue revolution might be induced in the thinking of our fellow Americans."
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It's bizarre to conceive the idea that in a media-saturated world the accidents of nature can be far more compelling than a plethora of digital tropes that relay our perceptions and idiosyncrasies back to us, fuelled by the potency of fiscal gain.
The gradual movement towards a ubiquitous new media and the consequent alteration of our perceptions via a matrix of representations would, surely render the natural world redundant, unable to stimulate our senses when digital environments are so addictive and enforced.
But, when the sunlight dances across Loch Ainort like a crazed spotlight as high winds blow clouds across the sky, that alters the shafts of light, you are reminded that new media removes us from our natural environment and its curiosities and aesthetics.
Anonymity is removed and an intrinsic attachment to the actual world is sensed that encourages our natural, mental state of contemplation, curiosity, emotional engagement and spiritual renewal. Time is not perceived to be our creation, it's a natural occurrence that we inherently comprehend.
Solipsism is shelved for a more rational, emotionally liberating and mature approach. Wisdom is not encouraged by dependency on machines, it is about using resources in moderated ways; a pragmatic comprehension of the advantages and limitations of our creativity.
Simon, October 2024
De KMSKA Collectie - Het Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen
Zeven eeuwen kunst: van Vlaamse primitieven tot expressionisten.
Wereldberoemde meesters.
KWAAD
De strijd tussen goed en kwaad. Dat is de plot van het christelijke verhaal sinds Adam en Eva. Duivelachtige figuren zijn de personificatie van het kwaad. Ze zijn de vijanden van het geloof en verleiden ons tot het nemen van slechte beslissingen.
De vele Bijbelse verhalen over goed en kwaad bieden kunstenaars volop inspiratie. (…) Engelen vallen, net als mensen, en veranderen in monsterlijke duivels.
De strijd tussen goed en kwaad is nog steeds actueel in de kunst. Maar wie of wat is het kwaad? Komt het kwaad van buitenaf, of zijn wij van nature slecht?
Tobias Verhaecht (1561-1631)
Jan Brueghel I (1568-1625)
Toren van Babel
Volgens een Bijbels verhaal bouwen de inwoners van Babel samen een toren. Ze spreken allemaal dezelfde taal. Het nieuwe bouwwerk moet tot aan de hemel reiken. Zo hopen ze zich te beschermen tegen een nieuwe overstroming. Maar God is niet blij met hen hoogmoed. Als straf laat hij alle mensen een andere taal spreken en verspreid heij ze over de hele aarde.
Bron : info panelen in het museum en naast het kunstwerk
‘De 10’ is een avontuurlijke ontdekkingsreis door het museum voor kinderen en hun familie.
Waarom staan al die bevreemdende beelden in het museum? Kunstenaar en operaregisseur Christophe Coppens creëerde tien verrassende installaties en sculpturen, geïnspireerd door opmerkelijke details uit schilderijen. Ze staan doorheen het hele museum, gewoon tussen de collectie. Vind jij het bijbehorende detail in het schilderij? Laat je verbeelding helemaal de vrije loop.
Bron: kmska.be/nl/de-10
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The Collection of KMSKA - Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
Seven centuries of art: from Flemish Primitives to Expressionists.
World-renowned masters.
EVIL
The battle between good and evil. That has been the plot of the Christian story since Adam and Eve. Devil-like figures are the personification of evil. They are the enemies of faith, seducing us into making bad decisions.
The Bible’s many stories about good and evil provide inspiration in abundance for artists. (…) Angels fall as well as people and turn into monstrous devils.
The struggle between good and evil is still topical in art. But who or what is evil? Does evil come from outside, or are we inherently evil?
Tobias Verhaecht (1561-1631)
Jan Brueghel I (1568-1625)
Tower of Babel
According to a biblical story, the inhabitants of Babel build a tower together. They all speak the same language. The new structure is intended to reach the heavens. This way, they hope to protect themselves from another flood. But God is not pleased with their arrogance. As punishment, he makes all the people speak a different language and scatters them across the earth.
Source: information panels in the museum and next to the artwork
‘The 10’ is an adventurous journey of discovery through the museum for children and their families.
Why are all these strange sculptures in the museum? Artist and opera director Christophe Coppens has created ten surprising installations and sculptures, inspired by remarkable details from paintings. They are placed throughout the museum, just amongst the collection. Can you find the corresponding detail in the painting? Let your imagination run wild.
Source: kmska.be/en/event/10
Hugger Mugger
Apologies in advance to anyone who peruses this and comes away with thinking that it reads like the plot of yet another badly directed flick. Real life can appear to be played out that way in the sometimes!
That bit being said...
Unescapable Boredom has always been a trigger for some of my most peevish muses, and sometimes that has landed me in quite hot water !
And whilst dwelling in my Unescapable boredom on this particular evening….
I had noticed the youth, a typical 13 year old male, with typical, shall we say yearnings, scampering happily about at the reception hall which was our lot to be in on that late night.
And this particular lad’s activities were quite interesting from my admittedly cynical standing point of observation...
But first, please allow me to explain one’s self and reason for being in that posh venu .
I was one of several fellow professors at the university whom had been invited to the son of a female colleague’s nuptials ( in other wards, no close relationship to the groom, whom I only had bloody met, once... can anyone say free gift for the gits?!).
He was marrying a rather affluent young Lass he had hitched up with from Wrexham way, and it was in that city, several hours away, that the couple decided to tie the knot, dragging his family, and us I might add, all along with him to travel there.
Now Wrexham is a nice enough place to visit, but preferring not to waste the whole weekend away from the stone cottage ,its quiet gardens, me pipe, and a snifter of fine old brandy, I had only booked in for an overnighter...
So it twas, that on an early, misting Saturday Morn, our entourage left for the long trog to make it in time for the noon wedding.
We arrived in the city of Wrexham with twenty minutes to spare, and began our pleasant wind along the old Girl’s nostalgic neighborhoods.
There are quite a few fine old churches in Wrexham, and the one where the nuptual ceremonies was to be held was, in my personal opinion, the finest.
The wedding was upscale smashing, starting with the rather gothic Blackstone church decorated like it was a set up for some fancy magazine photo shoot for an even more posh magazine.
The bride, once she made her appearance, continued on with the opulence, wearing a high priced designers rhinestone decked, white satin number, while the girls in her bridal wore matching rhinestoned inlayed gowns by the same designer, all formed fit in flowy blood red satin, ‘cept the maid of honour, a stunning red head whose matching gown was of a bewitching midnight black! The groomsmen wore jet black tuxes, the groom wore a white tux and tails, looking like Fred Astaire complete with top hat and cane( but sans rhinestones ) … and indeed there was a bit of a movie like ambiance hanging over the whole affaire!
The reception venue was held at a fancy hall that had been repurposed from an old eel tinning factory. A most interesting venue, with no taint of its former occupant. And with all its most opulent trappings, looked like a stark continuation of the posh photo shoot from the church , set up in an alleyway like ambiance!
So I guess the affair overall was a nice enough bit of eye candy for those of us “privileged” enough to be invited. I must add, I personally did not feel privileged, but judging by the openly blurted remarks of a gaggling trio of someone’s elderly maiden aunties( not mine thank Lord) we all were supposed to feel that way for being there!
Privileged was not a verb I was going to choose!
Especially seeing that only 4 of us from the group invited from the university made the trip ( the others successfully coming up with valid excuses, the lucky prigs!) I was feeling more of being on an isolated island in the stream of gaily dressed guests!
So outside us four, and the bride’s parents, we were complete strangers to everyone else. Including the son of my colleague, the groom, whom I had only met once on a golf outing some few years back. And pretty much the four of us found ourselves alone and ignored… !!
Then as the evening wore on, there was no pretty much about it,being stranded alone I dare say!
For I found myself completely alone! Due to two of our group taking early leave ( The devils decided not to spend the night) and the fourth had taken up with a young man she had met ( I would say cougar if I was not a proper gentleman and actually rather fond of the lass meself!) ….
So I was sitting there, at an empty table, and soon the boredom began it’s subtle creeping..
I had not been guiling enough to plan a quick excuse to exit, nor so lucky to find someone dance with , so I made my way off the island and waded over to the bar and took up a solitary vigil on a padded stool. The watered down drinks were free, so after about 5 old fashions I was feeling pretty good actually, but even though I was enjoying meself in that aspect, I was still a wee bit bored, and therefore started peevishly musing…
And it was during my boredom tinged thoughts when I again caught sight of the lad…
I of course had seen him earlier when we first arrived and was busy getting drinks for my group from the bar. His mother was the satin gowned maid of honour to her bride sister, and he had been latched onto her at the waist of her midnight black bridesmaid’s attire , hanging on joyfully as she was in conversation with the best man.
I soon found out that the lad’s Maid of Honour mother was single. But though very pretty, she was no older than some of my students !
But at that time my attention was pulled away anyways’ by a plate of Hors d'oeuvre’s being passed around and as I ate and mingled with my colleagues, I continued to watch the lad and his antics from the corner of my eye.
Then dinner was announced, and as We made way to our seating, the lad totally escaped my mind… till now..
And now, here I was, observing the lad’s promiscuous antics again
Taking sips of my current old fashion, I had been watching with mesmerized interest, the Bride’s Mother. She was a rather attractive lady, young for her age, who was wearing a rather fetching gown of sleek blue ruffling satin that flowed jauntily along her figure, swishing and swaying in a most delightful manner.
She was wearing a rather pricey ensemble of fine jewelery, including a short gold herringbone necklace set with a large fiery diamond at its’ centre, flanked by four glittery smaller stones. I found the whole package enticing enough that I was pondering over the dos or don’ts of asking for a dance...for she appeared not to be attached to any male courtesan.
It was as I was watching that I again saw the thirteen year old lad, sneaking up from behind a table and hug his grandmother, who leaned down to reciprocate...( the lady was petitely short, so she didn’t have far to bend) the diamonds in her swaying necklace rippling with pinpricks of expensive fire!
So he was still at it I thought…
Now, when I had seen him darting about earlier, while hor d'oeuvres were being served after finally being shaken loose by his mother, he had preformed this hugging antic on his and his grandmother several times, and once each on his Bride Aunt and Maid of Honour Mother!
Now this lad was also obviously across the threshold of young puberty: as was witnessed by his actions, in the way he was sneaking up and giving those graspy hugs of his, the fingers digging into the shiny satiny gown of his targeted female.
They all though it cute enough, especially the gullible Grandmother, who thought it was “precious” and just laughed, and squealed happily, “look another drive by hugging”, or “thanks for the hug honey, it was needed”, encouraging to no end the youth to keep his voyeuristic advances up, for he attempted this several more times as I stood watching from the sidelines … Though his Grandmother was the only female not to fend off repeated attempts!
But, and damn me own eyes, I had noticed that far more was going on than just a bit of runaway hugging !! The little miscreant was also Copping a feel!
The Lads arms, as he hugged his grandmother’s warm figure before running off, were noticeably brushing just under her perk breasts, molded nicely by the tight fitted ‘mother of the bride” gown she was attired in.
I also knew that , along with copping a feel, he was had also enjoying the tingling sensation from the slick satin material of the long, swishing gown the rather youngish ,stylish grandmother was wearing…
Perhaps I was jealous ?
It was as I watched him repeat this performance again and again , that my mind was taken off asking anyone to dance, and my attention started to follow the lad to see what he was all on about, to confirm my hypothesis if you will.
I soon saw that he was now turning his attentions upon a different source for his promiscuous behavior.
The youngest of the bridesmaids by far was the 15 year old sister of the bride. A rather immature teenager at that. Looking like some Disney princess in her red satin gown and rhinestone necklace and earrings that matched that of the rest of her fellow, though much older, lady bridesmaids. But she certainly was not acting like a proper princess as she now whisked about playing at cops and robbers with my 13 year old mischievous lad.
Said Lad, whose fingers were doing more touching than just tagging the fancy dress of his fetchingly attired playmate.
So, ordering yet a another old fashion( my seventh for those keeping tabs), I watched the pair, Not really being a voyeur in my defense, for my professional interest does lay in the realm of the study of human nature, though as a criminologist this was a thin argument at best for applying it to the situation today..
Soon the girl was pulled away to join the bridal party whom had started swishing about on the dance floor, and the lad, looking glumly on, and with all his “victims” out of reach on said dance floor, eventually headed off, and the direction he took was going to lead him straight past me I perkily noticed
I looked up over the top of his head to the dance floor, rather envious that I was not able to participate!
I spied the young 15 year old bridesmaid dancing, she seemed to be enjoying herself. I also caught site of her necklace as it was caught up in the lights, it glittered , sparkling madly in the dim lights, as were the rhinestones on her dress. I looked around, all the bridesmaids opulent rhinestones were sparkling. The Grandmother was also sparkling about on the floor, dancing with some spiff in a tailored suit!
Despite of my misery at being there, I felt something stirring up inside of me.
Not surprisingly ( to me) a rather mischievous thought came into my head propelled by a combination of the resplendent bridesmaids dancing on the floor, the attractive glittering of rhinestones, the approaching lad, and the fact that I was really quite blasé about the whole affair ,being stuck there and all! Of course, I was probably a wee bit more drunk than sober by that period in time...
My thought was in the direction of doing a quick, possibly amusing study, on channeling this approaching Lads spirited passions by broadening his horizons! In simple terms, Tune the lad in on expanding his conquests through an adults apparent permission, then turn him loose to give “drive by hugging’s” amongst the flock of dressed up bridesmaids may be most amusing... Like an amorous puppy scurrying in amongst a group of shiny feathered clucking chickens!
So while I eyed the approaching lad, I nonchalantly put my hand into a jacket pocket fumbling for a selection of ever present coins.
Now my Grandfather had been a magician of sorts, and I had been weaned on watching his slight of hand tricks with coins. As a young man I had leaned a few of them meself, ( as a way to meet the fairer sex of course) as well as a slew of card tricks, and always had a few props with me.
So as the lad sauntered by me, I caught his attention by dropping a penny. He obligingly retrieved it for me, and as he handed it back, I turned down my wrist, then took my hand to his ear appearing to change the penny into a twenty pee piece… Which I handed the coin to the amazed lad for keeps. Thereby also gaining his full and undivided attention.
“Want to see another?” I asked, and he shook his head eagerly. I pulled out a deck of cards, and had him ruffle them up a bit. Talking it up him as I did.
The simple card trick would allow me to banter and stoke the id of his sexually driven impulses whilst the ego thoughts in the lad’s head where following the cards. With my intents to stocking up the super.
The first trick was an easy one that had him picking his own card from a group laid out on the bar. It was as I went through the motions, and watching his focus on the cards, I mentioned his Grandmother asking if he thought she looked pretty. I knew I was firing up the lad, and after I set him loose, planned on watching him take off like an exploding rocket to give her another hug before he started branching out.
I than showed him a second trick. Talking about hugging and how all girls liked to received them...like his grandmother,……. like the girls in the red gowns I added after a dramatic pause for effect. I saw his eyes quickly dart over to the dance floor, than quickly back at the cards as I finished up my trick
By then the bridal party , blissfully unawares that they were being primed for a series of hugs, was leaving the floor and I saw that the young brides maid was standing off to the side watching the departing dancers…..
And that gave my inspiration a new course totally...
I knew I lit a fire in the back of his mind about dancing, hugging, and such! So I went a step further, mentioning how wonderful it was dancing, almost like a long continuous hug. I could tell by the way he stiffened that my words were quite well received by this promiscuous lad.
He quite obviously was “rising” to the bait, and appeared more than eager to listen to me. I turned him around and pointed out the young brides maid, suggesting he should dance with the lass…
Like a puppet on my string , he obediently went off and I watched as he approached the lass, and talking to her, she took control and led him off to the dance floor.
The pair did make a cute couple and it was rather entertaining to watch the two of them acting like young adults. She was by far more graceful at it, but in her partners boyish fumbling’s, I noticed a rather strategic placing of his hands and chest that could not have been mere accidental. At one point she reached around and moved his latched hand from around her waist to a less compressing spot on her upper back.
All in all it was a quite satisfying observation of young hormones in action, and I was quite satisfied thus far with the results of my “experiment” when the dance ended. I fully expected him to toddle off to find his Grandmother, or Mother to do a bit of “Drive by Hugging” and having quite enough of that to fill my day, rose to bid my adieu and congratulations to the happy couple before heading out into the wilderness outside to find a friendly pub.
So I was both rather shocked, and a little bemused, when as the dance ended the lad came back towards me, dragging along his pretty partner like some panting puppy with a bone. ( and yes, there was a very good reason for thinking up that analogy, but please get your mind from that gutter)!
He wanted me to show her a trick…. And how could I resist, as they both looked up at me all wide eyed and expecting me to work some miracles !
I smiled at her, her eyes large with excitement, glittery like her long earrings swaying freely from her ears, bouncing off her cherubs cheeks.
I reached again into my pockets, and pulled out a penny. I took up the lass’s gloved hand and appeared to place the penny onto her palm, curling her fingers over it before she could have a proper look. I told her to hold it tight now. And as she did, she looked down upon it, her free hand plying with the shimmering rhinestones of her necklace. As all sets of eyes were glued on the clenched hand,except my own, I was idly looking the necklace over, and noticed that chain of her necklace was clasped around her throat by a simple hook in eye, but at the time did not think it of any significance to it.
I said something about needing a wand, and reaching back, pulled the straw from my drink. They both giggled at my impromptu choice, as I took the straw and tapped it on the back of her hand holding the “Penny” I told her to open her hand and she did, both gasping that the “penny” had turned into a shiny fifty pence piece. I told her to keep it, her face beaming .
“Here miss,” I said, “let me see that hand again?” She gave it to me and as I pulled two more pennies from my pocket.
I Laid the penny on the backside of her hand and had the lad hold open his palm under neath, after apparently placing a penny into it also. I than brushed my hand along the young Miss’s making the penny vanish.
I told them to look in the boys hand ,had him open his fingers and there was not a penny, but another fifty pence coin, which I let the lad keep as they both gasped over the magical transformation!
The pair were quite keen for more after that, so I began to show them some tricks with playing cards, keeping them both spellbound. It was passing the dreary time by I will admit, having a chance to amaze the young urchin and the princess with my simple tricks!
But the opportunity to be excited by my tricks led to other things, and the girl took her leave shyly and headed off hurriedly to the loo in a swishing of her long gown.
As I watched her scamper off, I again eyed the lad, who also seemed keen on also scampering off after her.
The little hugger mugger I thought as he made to dart away. But in that second , with those words in me head, I had a most epiphany like flash of brilliance( at least to me) inspired by that thought as it travelled down an avenue of my mind that had caused me to take note of how loosely a rhinestone necklace was being held up around the departing young lass’s neck and at the same instant I saw the girls prying the lad’s hand from her waist and placing it just under….. said necklace’s clasp !
It all put me in mind of a trick I had once heard of performed by magician Harry Kellar....!
I quickly grasped the lad by the shoulder before he took flight.
“Ere now, how would you like to play a magic trick on the lass yonder?” I asked as I directed his attention to the girl who was just at that second disappearing down the hallway leading to the girls’ loo?
He nodded exuberantly!
I than conspiratorially explained a slight of hand trick he could help me pull off on his very own.
He had rather caught onto the idea as I explained to him in simple terms, making is sound far easier than it would/should be.
I gave him a gentle push ..” Go get em tiger!” I said with unbridled encouragement.
And so, with a rather lustfully smouldering fuse lit, making any additional need of persuasion moot, off he scurried!
I watched with growing anticipation as the lad approached the hall way, waiting and eagerly watching.
The young bridesmaid ,reappeared, and upon her approach, the laddie moved in behind her, placing a hand on the young bridesmaid’s sleek back, grabbing at her attention, and started talking with a pointed affably.
In a few minutes the pair of them were on the wooden dance floor, once again looking exceptionally cute as a couple, as they danced to a rather preferable romantic slow tune whose name has slipped my mind, so focused was I on my mischievous endeavor being carried out !
The young darlings mimicked the adults around them, and embraced closely against one another.
I looked around, Nor were any of the said adults paying the pair any heed..
I had directed him to try and slip off the girl’s necklace as the first part of a trick to play on her. But I was really figuring that he would bumble it and get caught out, which would be an amusing thing to witness...
He pulled her in closer, an she fell all in for it… maybe she was experiencing the same female feelings as his partner, for her eyes were also tightly closed. With his partner so engrossed, my lad easily reached over a satin clad shoulder, then moved his fingers to the back of her neck, where he gently pulled at her rhinestone necklaces silver chain and it’s quite easy opening clasp.
He fumbled a bit with said clasp, but I saw him peeking over her shoulder for a better look, and he managed to studiously slip out the hook on his second attempt.
He then carefully began to pull it up along the front of his dance partners blood red satin gown, then over her shoulders’ sleeve and down her back where it dangled for a few precious seconds
As they sparkled away down her back I began to feel a prickling myself as I perked up, this may actually bloody work!!
I watch as he then, quite unnoticed, secreted the necklace into a side pocket of his suits’ jacket pocket as I had instructed him to do.
I released my breath not realizing I had been holding it.. He had gotten away with it, and his prettily dressed partner hadn’t a bloody clue as to what had just transpired with her departing necklace, and no one else had either.
They finished the dance, it seemed like an eternity, but it was thrilling to try and catch glimpses of the cousins’ now bare neckline He had pulled off the first part of the trick without being caught out.
I had figured he would get his hands caught in the till, which is the show I had been expecting to watch play out on the hapless lad.
It would have been amusing in and of itself if he had been caught red handed, but this new game would be almost as fun.
Finally they broke apart and he walked off with her. I held my breath again, but he seemed to inherently realize that as part of the “trick”, he didn’t want her suspicions raised by being quick to leave. God bless his natural budding adult male like deviousness!
He had done it, but I wasn’t through with him yet. The game, and watching it being played out, had been all far too exciting for me also, and there was the encore to pull off !
He brought his innocent victim over , grinning ear to ear.
Well done I said to him, as the girl looked at me, a bit confused as to what well done was on about.
“Another Trick my lass?”, I asked, and she shook her head happily.
I lifted up the girls gloved hand, palm up, and placed a penny onto it, keeping my hand on her palm..
I then told the lass to close her eyes, and winked at the lad, who smiled back knowingly, as she obediently did so.
I motioned him to hand me the necklace, and he did so. With the quickness of a dip, I lifted the penny and replaced it with her necklace.
I took the straw and tapped it along her throat , she giggled at that, than tapped it on her palm, telling her to open her eyes.
She did so and the went wide with astonishment as she saw a rhinestone necklace dangling there. Her hand went to her throat, discovering the “cupboard was now bare!”, she gasped as she realized the necklace was her own!
I had her hold up the necklace and had the lad reclasp it for her, her eyes wide with the belief of an innocent who thought she was witnessing real magic. She gave me a hug, and I shook the lads hand with a wink before sending them off…a pub somewhere was still calling, and I wanted to go and follow its enticing voice.
I thoughtfully watched the young couple whisk of weaving amongst the crowd till they were lost from my sight, my mind half taking in once again the swishing of a most delightful gown as I mulled it all over while watching.
That had been easy enough trick, quite well played I thought, like in a movie.
My mind drifted onto various movies I had seen, and one in particular jumped out. ( read on and see if at the end you can guess which movie?)
As the movie flashed across my mind I looked in the direction the lass had gone, lucky for the young lady her necklace had not been real, for if I was a rogue of that thieving nature like the actor from that movie, well I could have easily rearranged the sequence of things and have walked off pretty as you please with diamonds in me pocket.
I chuckled at the thought as it popped itself in me mind , for I had not been thinking anything of the sort as I had orchestrated the trick, and would not have if I hadn’t thought about the movie! Besides, ladies that young never wear the real thing anyways, not unlike actress’s, and .....stylish grandmother’s !
For said Grandmother was once again in my line of vision, her back to me, as she merrily was chatting away with one of the prune face spinster Aunties! I tipped my head in her direction, for it was time to finally, happily , vacate the premises.
Then as I rose to leave, my last remaining ( cougar) chum from the original group, joined up with me. her “friend” had deserted her for his school mates. I regained my seat as she took the vacant one next to me, ordered her a drink, and a refill for me..
I decided to stay and hold the fort with the lass for a bit before shoving off.
We sat and drank for about 15 minutes, and as my chum was chatting away merrily about her conquest that evening. I found my eyes lazily drifting over the dancers out on the floor. It was still quite a show,, a mixture of flowing, colourful evening gowns and flickering jewels contrasted by formal suits and severe black tuxes.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw the Brides mother, the young Grandmother, who had managed to squirm her way from the severe Auntie. Her blue gown shimmery under the lights, rings on her fingers dancing with glittery flickers. Amusingly enough she was now dancing with her grandson, the same huggy lad who I had done a bit of magic for, and who had been my most willing accomplice for a trick played out upon the young bride’s maid.
I had been watching the pair with causal awareness when “Blimey!” suddenly something I observed forced me to snap out of my reverie and sat straight up in my seat..
“What’s up? “my friend asked me with curiosity.
“Nothing really” I said, as my eyes confirmed what I had seen was real.
Better “eeflay ethay emisespray” was what I was in fact thinking, and the sooner the better my mind added...
I turned towards my mate, “you know, I really feel like a proper drink and not this watered down tosh. Lets say we take a stroll towards our hotel and try to find a nice friendly pub on the way?”
“Capital “ she said jumping at the chance to leave squeezing my arm,” Ive had it with this scene too lad!”, and as I looked in her eyes I saw her look towards a table off to the side where the young man who had caught and discarded her fancy, was perched with another, younger, lady- one of the bridesmaids.
We went to the exit, and as I helped her on with her faux mink wrap I looked over her shoulder for the grandmother and my touchy lad. They were still dancing. And the thorny issue that had me fleeing into the night, was still , well, an issue !! It looked like I was going to just make it out before....
My mind was a mass of whirling thoughts as we walked out of the venue an onto the smoggy street. I suggested we continue to walk, I needed the time to clear my head for a proper think...
We strolled off, arm in arm ( her idea). I was vaguely aware of my friends fancy party dress whipping along my leg as it fell swaying in the light breeze from beneath her Faux mink. But my churning mind was not properly appreciating the experience, for it twas entirely back at the reception.........
And here we have reached the end of Part one ( of two)
I have spent the past few weeks working on a wall quilt made on antique linen, dyed with plant material. It's been a labor of love. There's something inherently healing in piecing bits of fabric together. They become stronger at the seams. The piece measures 20" x 36" and hangs on our wall. Seeing it brings me immense joy and satisfaction.
I'm in a park with a frisbee golf course. Although I stood well to the side I did get hit by one and another close call. Now frisbee's are not inherently dangerous but still.......I've retreated to where I feel safe. A couple were playing and landed one pretty close to where I am now. The woman tersely insisted I'm OK, while her boyfriend was super apologetic. What happened to the unconditional bond of sisterhood?
Ironic that I'm on the streets so often, seeing so many people pass me by, yet not necessarily meeting anyone in these travels. Frequent visitors will obviously note the absence of faces in my photographs... Rather, its mostly inanimate objects void of users. I'm inherently an introvert and you could probably fairly quickly psychoanalyze that down to something, probably something that my parents did or didn't do. But that's not how I look at it.
To me, my photographs are interesting in the sense that they are of what I see, my mind's eye perspective, yet also not necessarily what I pay attention to when I do not have my camera with me. Because, ironically, I am a people watcher without my camera, fascinated by what people are doing, where they are going, and why. But put the lens in front of my eyes and I start looking at things differently. Likely, if I started taking photographs of people the way I take pictures of inanimate objects, poking and prodding a lens at them, I'd be arrested. Hmmm... that could be fun...
So, this rambling on is mostly my inner thoughts as I contemplate what I take photographs of and why. I'm sensing that I will soon need to challenge myself, as the same things don't please me as they used to. And it probably involves photographing people. Because that would be the biggest challenge. But that's exciting, as I know it means something new. So, well, let's see what happens.
For now, just the nameless and the faceless...
1982 was a really wet winter and local rivers were at peak flows when I took this shot of the 70, caboose 24 and Burro crane 9 working to keep debris from accumulating on the upstream side of the trestle over the Cosumnes River floodplain. This looks like about the peak flow level for this storm on the Cosumnes River given there are no higher water marks visible, meaning the water has yet to recede, but it could also mean the water could go even higher! The average daily flow on January 5th was 17,400 cfs as measured at the Michigan Bar gauge several miles upstream - and that's the average flow over the 24 hours between midnight on the 4th and midnight on the 5th, meaning the actual flow at the time the photograph was taken could have been substantially greater.
This was captured with that slide film that could be used to make slides and prints. It was used in movie production, but is inherently unstable so over the years it aged poorly becoming mostly a pink image. With the magic of scanning software (I use Silverfast), I was able to mostly correct for the off-color. It's not great, but it's better than not having an image at all.
During the early weeks of the Second Eastern European War, Yugoslavia was extremely confident that its M-72A Zmeys had enough baseline protection to trounce the under-performing Bulgarians. Whether this was an honest assessment or simply bloodlust speaking to an inherently pugilistic command structure is hard to say; nevertheless, reality quickly played its hand once the war matured. Indeed, the proliferation of advanced anti-tank munitions into the region via covert operatives from the West--and opportunistic lords of war more generally--meant Yugoslavia's mainstay tank found it increasingly difficult to survive in a condensed battlespace. Many of these lessons were translated into a dedicated M-72 variant meant for urban combat, but the issue of what to do with the rest of the tank fleet lingered.
The resulting answer was quite simple: Throw more armor on the the thing. Belgrade earnestly began strapping more advanced explosive reactive armor (ERA) to roughly two-thirds of the tank's hull, thereby increasing the opportunity to defeat penetration in critical areas during frontal assaults. Likewise, the ERA blocks mounted to the turret's glacis were enlarged to offer slightly more protective surface, as well as altering the blocks' angle to enhance passive deflection of smaller calibers of incoming projectiles. What's more, a helmet of non-explosive reactive armor (NERA) was added to the turret to negate top-attack munitions. Although weight and profile concerns limited how much could be applied to the turret's dome, thereby limiting the actual protection, crews have been granted a higher degree of confidence. More or less, the psychological armor has been doubled along with the physical.
Smaller alterations include a reconfigured bustle; a more powerful, fuel-efficient engine; more compact electronics; and installation of a newer generation of laser detection system. This last item alerts the crew when their tank has been painted by a laser designator, thereby triggering the automatic discharge of smoke grenades and, when enabled, slaving of the turret to aim at the offending light source. Although the B-model of the Zmey has yet to be used in conventional battle, Belgrade is once again confident that its dragons will win the day unmolested.
Once again, thanks to Evan for the decal work!
2011 LAMBORGHINI SESTO ELEMENTO FE
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City
April 27, 1961
Mr. Chairman, ladies, and gentlemen:
I appreciate very much your generous invitation to be here tonight.
You bear heavy responsibilities these days and an article I read some time ago reminded me of how particularly heavily the burdens of present-day events bear upon your profession.
You may remember that in 1851 the New York Herald Tribune under the sponsorship and publishing of Horace Greeley, employed as its London correspondent an obscure journalist by the name of Karl Marx.
We are told that foreign correspondent Marx, stone broke, and with a family ill and undernourished, constantly appealed to Greeley and managing editor Charles Dana for an increase in his munificent salary of $5 per installment, a salary which he and Engels ungratefully labeled as the “lousiest petty bourgeois cheating.”
But when all his financial appeals were refused, Marx looked around for other means of livelihood and fame, eventually terminating his relationship with the Tribune and devoting his talents full time to the cause that would bequeath the world the seeds of Leninism, Stalinism, revolution and the cold war.
If only this capitalistic New York newspaper had treated him more kindly; if only Marx had remained a foreign correspondent, history might have been different. And I hope all publishers will bear this lesson in mind the next time they receive a poverty-stricken appeal for a small increase in the expense account from an obscure newspaperman.
I have selected as the title of my remarks tonight “The President and the Press.” Some may suggest that this would be more naturally worded “The President Versus the Press.” But those are not my sentiments tonight.
It is true, however, that when a well-known diplomat from another country demanded recently that our State Department repudiate certain newspaper attacks on his colleague it was unnecessary for us to reply that this Administration was not responsible for the press, for the press had already made it clear that it was not responsible for this Administration.
Nevertheless, my purpose here tonight is not to deliver the usual assault on the so-called one-party press. On the contrary, in recent months I have rarely heard any complaints about political bias in the press except from a few Republicans. Nor is it my purpose tonight to discuss or defend the televising of Presidential press conferences. I think it is highly beneficial to have some 20,000,000 Americans regularly sit in on these conferences to observe, if I may say so, the incisive, the intelligent and the courteous qualities displayed by your Washington correspondents.
Nor, finally, are these remarks intended to examine the proper degree of privacy which the press should allow to any President and his family.
If in the last few months your White House reporters and photographers have been attending church services with regularity, that has surely done them no harm.
On the other hand, I realize that your staff and wire service photographers may be complaining that they do not enjoy the same green privileges at the local golf courses that they once did.
It is true that my predecessor did not object as I do to pictures of one's golfing skill in action. But neither on the other hand did he ever bean a Secret Service man.
My topic tonight is a more sober one of concern to publishers as well as editors.
I want to talk about our common responsibilities in the face of a common danger. The events of recent weeks may have helped to illuminate that challenge for some; but the dimensions of its threat have loomed large on the horizon for many years. Whatever our hopes may be for the future–for reducing this threat or living with it–there is no escaping either the gravity or the totality of its challenge to our survival and to our security–a challenge that confronts us in unaccustomed ways in every sphere of human activity.
This deadly challenge imposes upon our society two requirements of direct concern both to the press and to the President–two requirements that may seem almost contradictory in tone, but which must be reconciled and fulfilled if we are to meet this national peril. I refer, first, to the need for a far greater public information; and, second, to the need for far greater official secrecy.
The very word “secrecy” is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment. That I do not intend to permit to the extent that it is in my control. And no official of my Administration, whether his rank is high or low, civilian or military, should interpret my words here tonight as an excuse to censor the news, to stifle dissent, to cover up our mistakes or to withhold from the press and the public the facts they deserve to know.
But I do ask every publisher, every editor, and every newsman in the nation to reexamine his own standards, and to recognize the nature of our country's peril. In time of war, the government and the press have customarily joined in an effort based largely on self-discipline, to prevent unauthorized disclosures to the enemy. In time of “clear and present danger,” the courts have held that even the privileged rights of the First Amendment must yield to the public's need for national security.
Today no war has been declared–and however fierce the struggle may be, it may never be declared in the traditional fashion. Our way of life is under attack. Those who make themselves our enemy are advancing around the globe. The survival of our friends is in danger. And yet no war has been declared, no borders have been crossed by marching troops, no missiles have been fired.
If the press is awaiting a declaration of war before it imposes the self-discipline of combat conditions, then I can only say that no war ever posed a greater threat to our security. If you are awaiting a finding of “clear and present danger,” then I can only say that the danger has never been more clear and its presence has never been more imminent.
It requires a change in outlook, a change in tactics, a change in missions–by the government, by the people, by every businessman or labor leader, and by every newspaper. For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence–on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations.
Its preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed. It conducts the Cold War, in short, with a war-time discipline no democracy would ever hope or wish to match.
Nevertheless, every democracy recognizes the necessary restraints of national security–and the question remains whether those restraints need to be more strictly observed if we are to oppose this kind of attack as well as outright invasion.
For the facts of the matter are that this nation's foes have openly boasted of acquiring through our newspapers information they would otherwise hire agents to acquire through theft, bribery or espionage; that details of this nation's covert preparations to counter the enemy's covert operations have been available to every newspaper reader, friend and foe alike; that the size, the strength, the location and the nature of our forces and weapons, and our plans and strategy for their use, have all been pinpointed in the press and other news media to a degree sufficient to satisfy any foreign power; and that, in at least in one case, the publication of details concerning a secret mechanism whereby satellites were followed required its alteration at the expense of considerable time and money.
The newspapers which printed these stories were loyal, patriotic, responsible and well-meaning. Had we been engaged in open warfare, they undoubtedly would not have published such items. But in the absence of open warfare, they recognized only the tests of journalism and not the tests of national security. And my question tonight is whether additional tests should not now be adopted.
The question is for you alone to answer. No public official should answer it for you. No governmental plan should impose its restraints against your will. But I would be failing in my duty to the nation, in considering all of the responsibilities that we now bear and all of the means at hand to meet those responsibilities, if I did not commend this problem to your attention, and urge its thoughtful consideration.
On many earlier occasions, I have said–and your newspapers have constantly said–that these are times that appeal to every citizen's sense of sacrifice and self-discipline. They call out to every citizen to weigh his rights and comforts against his obligations to the common good. I cannot now believe that those citizens who serve in the newspaper business consider themselves exempt from that appeal.
I have no intention of establishing a new Office of War Information to govern the flow of news. I am not suggesting any new forms of censorship or any new types of security classifications. I have no easy answer to the dilemma that I have posed, and would not seek to impose it if I had one. But I am asking the members of the newspaper profession and the industry in this country to reexamine their own responsibilities, to consider the degree and the nature of the present danger, and to heed the duty of self-restraint which that danger imposes upon us all.
Every newspaper now asks itself, with respect to every story: “Is it news?” All I suggest is that you add the question: “Is it in the interest of the national security?” And I hope that every group in America–unions and businessmen and public officials at every level– will ask the same question of their endeavors, and subject their actions to the same exacting tests.
And should the press of America consider and recommend the voluntary assumption of specific new steps or machinery, I can assure you that we will cooperate whole-heartedly with those recommendations.
Perhaps there will be no recommendations. Perhaps there is no answer to the dilemma faced by a free and open society in a cold and secret war. In times of peace, any discussion of this subject, and any action that results, are both painful and without precedent. But this is a time of peace and peril which knows no precedent in history.
It is the unprecedented nature of this challenge that also gives rise to your second obligation–an obligation which I share. And that is our obligation to inform and alert the American people–to make certain that they possess all the facts that they need, and understand them as well–the perils, the prospects, the purposes of our program and the choices that we face.
No President should fear public scrutiny of his program. For from that scrutiny comes understanding; and from that understanding comes support or opposition. And both are necessary. I am not asking your newspapers to support the Administration, but I am asking your help in the tremendous task of informing and alerting the American people. For I have complete confidence in the response and dedication of our citizens whenever they are fully informed.
I not only could not stifle controversy among your readers–I welcome it. This Administration intends to be candid about its errors; for as a wise man once said: “An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.” We intend to accept full responsibility for our errors; and we expect you to point them out when we miss them.
Without debate, without criticism, no Administration and no country can succeed–and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian lawmaker Solon decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy. And that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment– the only business in America specifically protected by the Constitution- -not primarily to amuse and entertain, not to emphasize the trivial and the sentimental, not to simply “give the public what it wants”–but to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and our opportunities, to indicate our crises and our choices, to lead, mold, educate and sometimes even anger public opinion.
This means greater coverage and analysis of international news–for it is no longer far away and foreign but close at hand and local. It means greater attention to improved understanding of the news as well as improved transmission. And it means, finally, that government at all levels, must meet its obligation to provide you with the fullest possible information outside the narrowest limits of national security–and we intend to do it.
It was early in the Seventeenth Century that Francis Bacon remarked on three recent inventions already transforming the world: the compass, gunpowder and the printing press. Now the links between the nations first forged by the compass have made us all citizens of the world, the hopes and threats of one becoming the hopes and threats of us all. In that one world's efforts to live together, the evolution of gunpowder to its ultimate limit has warned mankind of the terrible consequences of failure.
And so it is to the printing press–to the recorder of man's deeds, the keeper of his conscience, the courier of his news–that we look for strength and assistance, confident that with your help man will be what he was born to be: free and independent.
Happy to have finally finished this one up - very happy with how it turned out!
This is a MOC of Marendar, I wanted to make an imposing, dangerous looking figure, but not something that is inherently good or evil. I intend to submit this if/when the Marendar contest is run. Hoping to canonize it!
I took inspiration from several sources. Baterra for one, as Marendar is essentially a Super-Baterra, I wanted to evoke a sense of similarity. Also took inspiration from E.M.M.I, from Metroid Dread. I had this MOC 80% done before that game was announced though, so most similarities are coincidental.
Came across a photo the other day from my youth. Shot with a 110 film camera, the grainy print showed a model rocket sitting on the launchpad in the backyard. So many memories came flooding back as is so often the case when old photos surface. Model rocketry was just one of my hobby-related pursuits of childhood. Looking back now, it seems unfathomable that little kids were turned loose with miniature ballistic missiles. They were model rockets, but definitely not toys. And it occurs to me now how the entire hobby centered on the approximate five second flight time after blast off. All the time and expense of acquiring and building the models, and chasing them down after parachute landings carried them far away, some never to be seen again after the launch button was pressed. But oh how exciting was that five seconds!
My youth seemed centered not just on model rockets but on all sorts of scaled down versions of real live. Model planes, cars, railroads, etc. I especially enjoyed imagining myself scaled down to model size and interacting with the things I had constructed. Model railroads in particular because they conveyed the feeling of little towns alongside the tracks. I think I enjoyed that aspect as much or more as the trains. Sparked a great deal of imagination which to me is a primary propellant for creativity. Still that way today although model building has long since fallen to the wayside.
I believe photography has channeled some off that energy for me in adulthood. Except now I create little worlds by searching out slices of real life rather them assembling them from kits. Same principle, different approach. I still shape everything I see, and present it as I see and feel it (or more often as I imagine it should be or feel).
Was out recently on a dreary autumn day shooting with a 'Lens Baby' Edge lens. Not a big fan of novelty lenses, but this was loaned to me and I'm always eager to experiment with new gear. The 'Lens Baby' system is designed around a creative blur that leaves only part of the image in focus. Very tricky to get the hang of, and inherently limiting as a result. I suppose like anything, practice makes perfect. There was something almost spiritual about using this lens. It reminded me of scrying in a way. Looking through the distortion in my viewfinder caused me to see my world differently. And walking along the boundary of an old cemetery made the effect even more unsettling. I eventually had to switch back to a normal lens, but not before capturing this eerie image. I could easily imagine this miniaturized cemetery alongside the tracks of my childhood model railway. And me standing in the midst of it.
There is something inherently beautiful about watching a matched set of Budd stainless steel cars coiling around a gentle curve at speed, particularly from the vantage point of a dome. A little bit of drama in the sky? Even better!
Seen here east of Foleyet, Ontario aboard VIA Rail's eastbound "Canadian" on February 27, 2002.
First Snowfall
We’ve just received our first snowfall of the season, and I’d like to do something special, something I’ve never done before. This snowflake image is being released into the “Public Domain”. This snowflake goes out to the world, for any purpose anyone wishes. It’ll be a fun experiment to see where it ends up!
“Public Domain” means I give up all rights to the image. You are not required to credit me (though I’d like it if you would!), you can use the image for any commercial or non-commercial purpose what-so-ever. You can make and sell prints, put it on a coffee mug, or anything you can imagine. This is the only time I have ever placed an image in the public domain. Have fun with it!
This particular snowflake has plenty of detail and symmetry, making it an iconic symbol of winter. Very few snowflakes would rival this one in visual balance: radiating textures and complexity sealed within a much more simple outer shape. Many of these internal details are bubbles trapped in the ice, which happens when the top and bottom “edge” of a snowflake grow faster than the inner portion of the crystal. Whatever sticks out the farthest grows the fastest, which applies on many size scales for a snowflake – it’s also the reason why branches grow from each corner of a smaller hexagon shape.
You can see this hexagon shape in the center. This little “gem” is what remains of a pair of tiny hexagons that were connected by a center column, looking initially like a barbell. At warmer temperatures, snowflakes will grow into columns instead of plates, but if the temperature then drops, plates grow from either side of the column to get this shape… then the race is on! If one small hexagon grows faster than the other, its footprint would stick out farther than its rival. Once this happens, the larger hexagon will grow rapidly and leave the competition at the same size without access to more building blocks (water vapour) to grow. As the winning side grows outward, branches form and we get the classic snowflake shape with the right stable conditions.
A snowflake can “split” into new rival plates as well, which happens when a cavity in the ice grows large enough to encompass the entire end of a growing branch. This is all the same physics at play, and what allows for bubbles to form in the ice. Once the tip of a branch is split, they may continue to grow outward together for a time, but one side will always win over the other. This creates tiny “shelves” that can be seen where the largest side-branches in the snowflake appear. If you look closely, you can even see the top shelf casting a shadow on the underlying ice.
Amazingly complex structures form from simple water molecules attaching themselves together with the right conditions. Even two snowflakes growing in the same part of the same cloud will inherently be different, as even the tiniest change in humidity and temperature can make a big difference; these small changes echo out through the entire crystal as growth continues, amplifying the earlier history of the snowflake. If conditions are unstable, you often get very unbalanced / asymmetrical crystals – and this is by far the most common type of snowflake. To find well balanced and symmetrical snowflakes like this is not easy, but well worth the effort. And even by the time it lands in my home-made black mitten to be photographed, it has already started to evaporate back into thin air.
Such is the magic of winter.
Key Hole Flutter Gateway
metal, 2020
— Jim Gallucci.
Decatur (Winnona Park), Georgia, USA.
31 October 2020.
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▶ The arch stands on the site of a previously removed sculpture: Iliana.
▶ One in the Decatur Artway public art project: "An Artful Opportunity in the City of Decatur."
▶ A closer view: here.
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▶ "Jim Gallucci, a graduate of LeMoyne College (BA, English 1973) and Syracuse University (BFA, Art 1974 and MFA, Sculpture 1976), has been a sculptor for over 30 years. He has worked as an art instructor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of Alabama at Huntsville. He was also an Exhibit Designer for the North Carolina Zoological Park in Asheboro, NC.
Presently, he works full time designing and fabricating sculpture in his Greensboro studio assisted by a staff of 6. Most of the works are commissions for public, corporate, and residential spaces around the country.
Gallucci's most recent sculptures have utilized the element of doors and gateways. He says, 'Gates have been found throughout the history of Western Civilization as not only utilitarian architectural elements, but as symbols in art and literature. This symbolism arises from the paradox that the gate inherently possesses. A gate may be opened or closed; a way of passage or obstruction; a means of confinement or release. I use the format of gates and doors in my sculpture in order to give the public access to my art. This interaction is an 'entry' for the public to embrace art.' ”
****************
▶ Photo by Yours For Good Fermentables.com.
— Follow on Facebook: YoursForGoodFermentables.
— Follow on Instagram: @tcizauskas.
▶ For a larger image, type 'L' (without the quotation marks).
▶ Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10 II.
— Lens: Olympus M.14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II R
— Olympus WCON-P-01 Wide Converter (11 mm focal length)
— Edit: Photoshop Elements, Nik.
▶ Commercial use requires explicit permission, as per Creative Commons.
The 458 was the car that revealed just how fun an automatic car could be. Sure, the mid-engined V8 Ferrari will forever be the default for Naples-retired corporate moguls but the standard isn't inherently "basic". That red painted piece of work is blue-chip for a reason: it gets the job done. Go fast, check. Turn heads, check. Sound lovely, check. Be moderately practical, eh, check. The 458 leaves little to be desired. For those concerned about jumping on the bandwagon of mid-level Ferrari fandom, don't be. It's a nice place to be.
One of the keys to shooting Epic Landscape Photography is exalting the photograph's soul via golden ratio compositions, thusly wedding the photographic art to the divine proportion by which life itself was designed and exalted.
Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Number Ratio Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography Composition Studies!
instagram.com/goldennumberratio
www.facebook.com/goldennumberratio/
Greetings flickr friends! I am working on several books on "epic photography," and I recently finished a related one titled: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean . Message me on facebook for a free review copy!
www.facebook.com/goldennumberratio/
The Golden Ratio also informs the design of the golden revolver on all the swimsuits and lingerie, as well as the 45surf logo!
The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Dr. E’s Golden Ratio Principle: The golden ratio exalts beauty because the number is a characteristic of the mathematically and physically most efficient manners of growth and distribution, on both evolutionary and purely physical levels. The golden ratio ensures that the proportions and structure of that which came before provide the proportions and structure of that which comes after. Robust, ordered growth is naturally associated with health and beauty, and thus we evolved to perceive the golden ratio harmonies as inherently beautiful, as we saw and felt their presence in all vital growth and life—in the salient features and proportions of humans and nature alike, from the distribution of our facial features and bones to the arrangements of petals, leaves, and sunflowers seeds. As ratios between Fibonacci Numbers offer the closest whole-number approximations to the golden ratio, and as seeds, cells, leaves, bones, and other physical entities appear in whole numbers, the Fibonacci Numbers oft appear in nature’s elements as “growth’s numbers.” From the dawn of time, humanity sought to salute their gods in art and temples exalting the same proportion by which all their vital sustenance and they themselves had been created—the golden ratio.
Ansel Adams is not only my favorite photographer, but he is one of the greatest photographers and artists of all time. And just like great artists including Michelangelo, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Botticelli, and Picasso, Ansel used the golden ratio and divine proportions in his epic art.
Not so long ago I discovered golden regions in many of his famous public domain his 8x10 aspect ratio photographs. I call these golden harmony regions "regions of golden action" or "ROGA"S, as seen here:
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1812448512351066.107374...
And too, I created some videos highlighting Ansel's use of the golden harmonies. Enjoy!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGnxOAhK3os
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFlzAaBgsDI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3eJ86Ej1TY
More golden ratio and epic photography composition books soon! Best wishes for the Holiday Season! Dr. Elliot McGucken :)
An inherently inquisitive nature is a characteristic of many species, no less so the Timber Wolf. But reservation and caution are also just as apparent as this male gazes out from behind this small tree. How I would love to be able to photograph these great creatures on a day like today, after a big snow. Their location, however, would be less than optimally accessible after the weather of the last two days. Besides, I have to tend to my vocation today rather than my avocation. A shivering cold snow won't keep these cunning canines from their daily routine. They were built for this kind of weather. I will have to be content to photography some of our local birds today, as they contend with weather that will keep most humans indoors. #iLoveNature #iLoveWildlife #WildlifePhotography in #NewJersey #Nature in #NorthAmerica #TimberWolves #DrDADBooks #Canon #Wildlife Conservation
Vermessung mit grünem
Laser Licht
innen Architektur
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grüne Augenfarbe verstärkt
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Photopedia
Das Wort ist ein zusammengesetzter Begriff aus (englisch) thin & insulate (deutsch: dünn & dämmen). Das Material wurde erstmals 1979 auf den Markt gebracht.
3M
When insulation really performs, it's never too cold.
extrem wärmende Mütze mit Innen-Futter
An innovative, animal-free alternative, this loose-fill insulation mimics natural feathers when dry, and, when wet, preserves warmth better than down.
Der Hersteller gibt an, dass – bei gleicher Stoffdicke – Thinsulate ein- bis zweimal so gut dämme wie Gänsedaunen.
■
PS
Thinsulate wird auch im Dachinnenbezug des jüngsten Porsche Boxster verwendet. Diese Zusatzschicht soll nicht nur den Wärmeverlust, sondern auch den Lärmpegel im Fahrzeug um 50 % verringern.
3M™ Thinsulate™ Flame Resistant Insulation incorporates inherently flameresistant fibers. It’s specifically developed to provide warmth for garments that are designed for momentary exposure to unplanned or accidental flames, heat, or electric arcs.
I have this discussion often.
Most of the time, I argue that no one format is superior to the other. That they are merely different tools in the tool belt.
Thing is, I keep looking at my medium format shots, and they're better. Messed with my theory something fierce.
And while the difference is obvious to most, it took me a minute to realize why my medium format shots are better than my digitals.
It's not because Film is inherently superior to Digital. It's because Medium Format is inherently superior to Digital. I'd rather have my 5D to a 35mm camera any day of the week.
But hell, just talking about the size of the surface recording the image, Medium Format has any digital camera under 10k beat, hands down.
BUT HERE'S THE THING: It's different for different folks, yeah? Some folks like what digital gives 'em. Some folks will only use large format. Some folks live and die by the shots their Lomos give 'em.
So my question for you: what is it about the format you prefer that you love? What really plugs you in?
(p.s. my book on relationships, which you can help fund HERE, is gonna be shot on medium format. mmmmmm)
Beautiful Golden Ratio Swimsuit Bikini Model Goddess! Helen of Troy! Pretty Athletic Woman!
The golden gun is designed with proportions of the golden ratio! Learn more here:
facebook.com/goldennumberratio
instagram.com/goldennumberratio
Would you like to see the whole set? Comment below and let me know!
Follow me!
I am working on several books on "epic photography," and I recently finished a related one titled: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean . Message me on facebook for a free review copy!
www.facebook.com/goldennumberratio/
The Golden Ratio also informs the design of the golden revolver on all the swimsuits and lingerie, as well as the 45surf logo!
The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Dr. E’s Golden Ratio Principle: The golden ratio exalts beauty because the number is a characteristic of the mathematically and physically most efficient manners of growth and distribution, on both evolutionary and purely physical levels. The golden ratio ensures that the proportions and structure of that which came before provide the proportions and structure of that which comes after. Robust, ordered growth is naturally associated with health and beauty, and thus we evolved to perceive the golden ratio harmonies as inherently beautiful, as we saw and felt their presence in all vital growth and life—in the salient features and proportions of humans and nature alike, from the distribution of our facial features and bones to the arrangements of petals, leaves, and sunflowers seeds. As ratios between Fibonacci Numbers offer the closest whole-number approximations to the golden ratio, and as seeds, cells, leaves, bones, and other physical entities appear in whole numbers, the Fibonacci Numbers oft appear in nature’s elements as “growth’s numbers.” From the dawn of time, humanity sought to salute their gods in art and temples exalting the same proportion by which all their vital sustenance and they themselves had been created—the golden ratio.
Exalt in the glorious golden ratio! facebook.com/goldennumberratio
2018 has come to an end, and rather than making one big collage of everything from 2018, I thought it would be more interesting to feature the different types or categories of builds and posts I have made over the year, as they are inherently quite different, both in the building process as well as in how they are percieved (I think anyway). I would also be happy for any feedback concerning the different types of builds, so hopefully 2019 can be even better :)
First up is the Element Experimentation builds!
I only started these a bit into the latter half of the year, but I've enjoyed them immensely! The original idea was to take newly received pieces and make something out of them, whether I had received them intentionally or not. Sort of like a challenge on how to use pieces - like many others have done. Lately it has developed more into some type of experimental proof of concept builds though, and more than being about testing new pieces it has tended to be a bit more about experimenting with how to create representations of different things - most of the time nature related.
For me as a builder the great thing about building these types of builds is that it is rather low commitment, in the way that you can sneak in an interesting build while working on something bigger, as and when you want. Since the builds are generally small and tend to focus on just a couple of elements, it doesn't take too many pieces, although the techniques featured have often been rather bit intensive. It's a nice way to let your creativity flow without feeling the need to make it fit into a proper build in order to showcase it.
When it comes to how these are received, from the feedback I have gotten it seems this series has been rather popular. Of course, I can only speculate as to why that is, but I am at least hoping that these have been either an inspiration that leads builders to create other techniques, or in some cases techniques that can be used by themselves in proper builds. These builds have lead to a number of tutorials as well.
I have gotten quite a few questions about how I keep coming up with new techniques and odd usages of pieces. I think there are a number of factors to it. I think we can all train our creativity by keeping on testing new things, both deliberately or when inspiration strikes. Very often I get an idea for something when I am building something else, usually while working on a bigger build, and I then have a choice: do I focus on what I'm doing and keep going with my build, or do I interupt what I'm doing to pursue this idea?
Earlier I have thought that it's good to be focused, and not get sidetracked, and if you are on a deadline with limited time that is of course what you should do. However, if you want to come up with new ideas you need to follow inspiration where it takes you and try out your ideas as and when they come. If I leave an idea for later, 9 times out of 10 I will never pursue it, that's just how it seems to work out for me. So, I have determined that unless I really don't have time, I will try things out when I think of them.
I also want to highlight that trying out new ideas is sort of a gamble with time. You might stumble upon a new great technique, though it usually takes some time to perfect it. Most times however, at least for me, a pursued idea will lead nowhere, and the time testing it out will essentially be wasted. But, unless you try something out you will never know if it will work or not. I'd estimate that for every idea that leads to something that I eventually post I try out about 5 ideas that don't work out. Of course, with experience and a larger knowledge and understanding of the different lego elements that number will hopefully be pushed down. But don't give up trying out new things just because they didn't work out. Keep at it and you'll eventually come up with something great! :D
Lastly, I will admit that while focusing on these builds my "regular building" has kind of suffered a bit and this year I haven't gotten that many proper full builds out. The question is, was it worth it? I'd like to think that it was :)
Malibu Canyons Landscape Photography! Elliot McGucken Epic Sunset Fine Art Photography
Epic Fine Art Malibu Sunset: The Golden Ratio in Dr. Elliot McGucken's Fine Art Photography
More on my golden ratio musings: facebook.com/goldennumberratio
instagram.com/goldennumberratio
Greetings all! I have been busy finishing a few books on photography, while traveling all over--to Zion and the Sierras--shooting fall colors. Please see some here: facebook.com/mcgucken
Let me know in the comments if you would like a free review copy of one of my photography books! :)
Titles include:
The Tao of Epic Landscape Photography: Exalt Fine Art with the Yin-Yang Wisdom of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching!
The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography
And I am also working on a book on photographing the goddesses! :) More goddesses soon!
Best wishes on your epic hero's odyssey!:)
The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Dr. E’s Golden Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty: The golden ratio exalts beauty because the number is a characteristic of the mathematically and physically most efficient manners of growth and distribution, on both evolutionary and purely physical levels. The golden ratio ensures that the proportions and structure of that which came before provide the proportions and structure of that which comes after, thusly providing symmetry over not only space but time, and exalting life’s foundational dynamic symmetry. Robust, ordered, symmetric growth is naturally associated with health and beauty, and thus we evolved to perceive the golden ratio harmonies as inherently beautiful, as we saw and felt their presence in all vital growth and life—in the salient features and proportions of humans and nature alike, from the distribution of our facial features and bones to the arrangements of petals, leaves, and sunflowers seeds. As ratios between Fibonacci Numbers offer the closest whole-number approximations to the golden ratio, and as seeds, cells, leaves, bones, and other physical entities appear in whole numbers, the Fibonacci Numbers oft appear in the arrangement of nature’s discrete elements as “growth’s numbers.” From the dawn of time, humanity sought to salute their gods in art and temples exalting the same proportion by which they and all their vital sustenance, as well as all the flowers and nature’s epic beauty, had been created—the golden ratio.
I don't generally go for a lot of luxury mainly because I'm inherently cheap (thanks dad!), but this was one I simply enjoyed too much. A truly custom Stratocaster, every aspect of which I got to decide. To a 30something musician, that is pure luxury. What wows me now, is realizing that this is now, at 35 years old, a vintage guitar as well. The astute will notice the drilling for a standard bridge. That was the original plan until the chance to try one of the original Wilkinson bridges happened my way. I always figured I'd go back to the original, but this thing is sooo good. In the studio, the locking features mean it simply never goes out of tune. Onstage, it's such a massive beast, it will sustain for what feels like hours. An absolute joy to play, even after all these years.
The Venice Beach Skatepark is a public skatepark located in Venice, Los Angeles, opening in late 2009.
Venice beach has been host to a number of well known skate spots throughout the history of skateboarding. From the backyard bowls to the concrete plaza covered in graffiti, the landscapes of Venice, California were integral to the development of skateboarding. Starting in the 2000s, a group of Venice locals, headed by Jesse Martinez, organized an effort to build the Venice Beach Skate Park.
In April 2020, the park was covered in sand to discourage gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic. Video of Venice Skate Park Filled With Sand by Hunter Weiss
The first skatepark in the world, Surf City, opened for business at 5140 E. Speedway in Tucson, Arizona on September 3, 1965. Patti McGee, Women's National Champion, attended the grand opening. The park had concrete ramps and was operated by Arizona Surf City Enterprises, Inc. A skatepark for skateboarders and skaters made of plywood ramps on a half-acre lot in Kelso, Washington, USA opened in April 1966. It was lighted for night use. California's first skatepark, the Carlsbad Skatepark opened on March 3, 1976. The World Skateboard Championships were held here on April 10, 1977. It operated until 1979, when it was buried intact beneath a layer of dirt for more than two decades, before being destroyed in 2005. The current Carlsbad Skatepark is in a different location. The East Coast's first skatepark, Ocean Bowl Skate Park, in Ocean City, Maryland, USA, opened the first week of June, 1976. Due to time, wear, and the current needs of skaters, the old bowl and ramp were torn down in the Fall of 1997 and the new park opened in July 1998. The Sandy Hills Skate Park, in Lansdowne, Maryland is the oldest operating municipal skate park in the United States. In 1999 the City of Hermosa Beach, California opened a small skatepark at the site of the first skateboard competition. The competition held at the Pier Avenue Junior High School (now a City museum) was organized by Dewey Weber across the street from his surf and skateboard shop. Makaha Skateboards was a sponsor of the competition. In 1987, an all wooden indoor skate park opened in Bristol, CT called CT Bike. CT Bike is where Tony Hawk made his debut when he was a young boy on his first East Coast tour.[7] Until its closing in 2022, the indoor skate park was operated by the same family who built the park despite a fire that threatening the park in 1988. As of 2022 the park is now closed for good.
In more extreme climates, parks were built indoors, often using wood or metal. By the end of the 1970s, the popularity of skateboarding had waned, and the original parks of the era began to close. A downturn in the overall skateboard market in the 1980s, coupled with high liability insurance premiums, contributed to the demise of the first wave of skateparks. Some second-generation parks, such as Upland, California's Pipeline, survived into the 1980s. However, few of the private parks of the 1970s remain, with the notable exception of Kona Skatepark in Jacksonville, Florida, United States.[8] However, many public parks of that era can still be found throughout Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand.[citation needed]
The modern skatepark designs of the Pacific Northwest can be traced back to Burnside Skatepark, a DIY "barge build" beneath the Burnside Bridge in Portland, Oregon. Skateboarders used an area populated primarily by the city's "undesirable elements" to create a skatepark, building one section at a time. The process is called "design/build" (D/B), and is a characteristic of many skateparks today. The design/build process ensures that adjacent skatepark features are harmonious and rideable, allowing skateboarders to create endless "lines" to ride among the many features.
Skate parks, related obstacles/ramps and locations designed for extreme sport utilization have made their way into the media over time, such as with the aforementioned Burnside Skatepark being included in the movie Free Willy.
Public skateparks have had a resurgence in the US, made possible by legislation such as California's 1998 law stating that skateboarding is an inherently "Hazardous Recreational Activity" (HRA), and therefore municipalities and their employees may not be held liable for claims of negligence resulting in skateboarders' injuries.
Street skating has blurred the line between skateparks and street spots. Some cities are starting to put in skate spots/plazas with features that would not have been classically designed for skateboarding, but can be skated by street skaters legally. In some instances, street spots that were not originally designed for skateboarding have been converted into sanctioned skate plazas.
There is also an emerging movement of making art and sculpture skate-able. This provides additional legal skate spots that blend well with other city art and landscape features. Skate-able art allows for the creation of thriving multi-use areas, as installations often become picturesque destinations for skaters and non-skaters alike.
Unlike organized sports, like basketball or football, skateboarding has no set arena or rules and skateparks have no standard design template. Each skatepark is designed specifically to provide unique challenges to its users. There are, however, three main categories of skatepark design: bowl, street plaza and flow parks.
Bowl parks are designed to emulate and improve upon the pool skating experience. Skaters in bowl parks can move around the park without taking their feet off the board to push. The curved walls of bowls allow skaters to ride around and across the bowl in addition to the back and forth skating you might see on a traditional half pipe. Bowls and bowl parks come in an endless variety of shapes and sizes but most bowls are between 3' and 12’ deep.
Street plaza parks are the favorite of the vast majority of skaters and they are designed to emulate and improve upon the street skating experience. Obstacles in a street plaza are styled to look like natural street terrain such as stairs, railings, planters and benches. Skaters will push off with their feet to gain momentum in a street plaza. The first public outdoor skate plaza is the Vancouver Skate Plaza, built in 2004 by New Line Skateparks.
Flow parks (or Park style) combine elements of both bowl parks and street plazas. In a well designed flow park a skater can pump around the parks curved walls such as quarter pipes, pump bumps and bowl corners without taking their feet off to push. They can use that speed to hit street obstacles such as stairs, railings and benches.
Skateparks may be privately or publicly owned. Privately owned skateparks usually have admission fees, while publicly owned skateparks are generally free. Many privately owned skateparks are indoors, usually in warehouses, roller rinks or buildings with high ceilings, especially in areas with snowy winters. Public skateparks are usually outdoors.
Skatepark construction can be divided into two major categories — prefabricated and custom built concrete. Prefabricated parks can be made of wood, plastic, sheet metal, and concrete. Most are designed and built by playground equipment manufacturers who present these parks as a cost-effective alternative to custom-designed concrete skateparks. In reality, custom built concrete skateparks can be quite cost competitive with prefabricated skate ramps.
According to an editor of Transworld Skateboarding magazine, concrete parks are now "pretty much the industry standard" as they require fewer repairs and less maintenance.
I have spent the past few weeks working on a wall quilt made on antique linen, dyed with plant material. It's been a labor of love. There's something inherently healing in piecing bits of fabric together. They become stronger at the seams. The piece measures 20" x 36" and hangs on our wall. Seeing it brings me immense joy and satisfaction.
One of the keys to shooting Epic Landscape Photography is exalting the photograph's soul via golden ratio compositions, thusly wedding the photographic art to the divine proportion by which life itself was designed and exalted.
Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Number Ratio Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography Composition Studies!
instagram.com/goldennumberratio
www.facebook.com/goldennumberratio/
Greetings flickr friends! I am working on several books on "epic photography," and I recently finished a related one titled: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean . Message me on facebook for a free review copy!
www.facebook.com/goldennumberratio/
The Golden Ratio also informs the design of the golden revolver on all the swimsuits and lingerie, as well as the 45surf logo!
The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Dr. E’s Golden Ratio Principle: The golden ratio exalts beauty because the number is a characteristic of the mathematically and physically most efficient manners of growth and distribution, on both evolutionary and purely physical levels. The golden ratio ensures that the proportions and structure of that which came before provide the proportions and structure of that which comes after. Robust, ordered growth is naturally associated with health and beauty, and thus we evolved to perceive the golden ratio harmonies as inherently beautiful, as we saw and felt their presence in all vital growth and life—in the salient features and proportions of humans and nature alike, from the distribution of our facial features and bones to the arrangements of petals, leaves, and sunflowers seeds. As ratios between Fibonacci Numbers offer the closest whole-number approximations to the golden ratio, and as seeds, cells, leaves, bones, and other physical entities appear in whole numbers, the Fibonacci Numbers oft appear in nature’s elements as “growth’s numbers.” From the dawn of time, humanity sought to salute their gods in art and temples exalting the same proportion by which all their vital sustenance and they themselves had been created—the golden ratio.
Ansel Adams is not only my favorite photographer, but he is one of the greatest photographers and artists of all time. And just like great artists including Michelangelo, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Botticelli, and Picasso, Ansel used the golden ratio and divine proportions in his epic art.
Not so long ago I discovered golden regions in many of his famous public domain his 8x10 aspect ratio photographs. I call these golden harmony regions "regions of golden action" or "ROGA"S, as seen here:
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1812448512351066.107374...
And too, I created some videos highlighting Ansel's use of the golden harmonies. Enjoy!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGnxOAhK3os
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFlzAaBgsDI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3eJ86Ej1TY
More golden ratio and epic photography composition books soon! Best wishes for the Holiday Season! Dr. Elliot McGucken :)
N579UP (ex EVA Airways B-16465) as UPS 33 to Shanghai (PVG/ZSPD) getting up and away in the warm afternoon light (even though it was quite ‘fresh’) from 16R Sydney Airport (SYD/YSSY). Love how you track a departure and something inherently gets in the way - thanks Emirates 😂
This is Queensland’s Channel Country, where flooding rains and devastating droughts are part of western Queensland life. This region is part of the arid centre of Australia. At least several thousand years have passed since the inland had a wetter climate. The landscape reflects this aridity and the contrasts can be striking.
Change and unpredictability are the main features of the climate, causing erratic swings from drought to plenty. Major rains can transform the landscape from appearing dry and dead to being lush and green in only a few days.
Plant cover varies dramatically with both land type and climate events. Frequent and severe droughts are common, normal, and expected. They are a fact of life for inland Australia and play an important role in the evolution of the landscape.
Plants of the arid lands have evolved in different ways to survive the climatic extremes and harsh conditions. Some resist drought by using little water, and others avoid it by only germinating in sustained wet times.
The gradual erosion of the gibber plains and tablelands replenishes the sand of the dunes. This process has been going on for tens of thousands of years and will continue for many more.
There is a wide variety of land uses and land users in the region. Land uses include pastoralism, petroleum exploration and production, conservation, and tourism. A major concern for land managers throughout the arid region is that these land uses do not accelerate the natural landscape processes.
The Diamantina, Cooper and Eyre Creeks dominate the Channel Country, flowing from the Northern Territory and Queensland into South Australia. These major intermittent streams and their floodplains are interlaced with dune fields, forming an enormous system of swamps, lakes, and waterholes. These streams flow less frequently further south, often not reaching Lake Eyre.
There are numerous salt lakes, including the very large Lake Frome, Callabonna, Gregory, Blanche, and Eyre. All are usually dry. Fillings of the large lakes are occasional and irregular. Some, for example the southern portion of Lake Eyre, have a heavy salt crust.
The district is extremely viable and dominated by three main land types; the "hard" country of the stony tablelands and downs; the sand dune fields of the major Simpson, Tirari, and Strzelecki Deserts; and the floodplains, channels and temporary lakes of the major river systems. Minor land types include arid ranges and salt lakes.
The stone-covered downs are gently rolling, with small slopes and well defined drainage lines. The stones are remnants of ancient soil surfaces. It is these stones on the surface, not the spare plant cover, which provide protection against soil erosion. Within this land type are other landscapes, flat or gently undulating, with little or no stone cover. This land type relies on plant cover from erosion protection, rather than the stony "armour".
Tableland with an intact stone or plant cover is inherently stable, though the erosion which follows removal of this cover is often serious and irreversible.
Source: plaque.
Please let me know what you think of my new fine art videos!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3b1df46oKw
Visit my free gallery show in West Hollywood in June:
Greetings mate! As many of you know, I love marrying art, science, and math in my fine art portrait and landscape photography!
The gold 45 revolver lingerie is designed in accordance with the golden ratio! More about the design and my philosophy of "no retouching" on the beautiful goddesses in my new book:
www.facebook.com/Photographing-Women-Models-Portrait-Swim...
"Photographing Women Models: Portrait, Swimsuit, Lingerie, Boudoir, Fine Art, & Fashion Photography Exalting the Venus Goddess Archetype"
If you would like a free review copy, message me!
And here's more on the golden ratio which appears in many of my landscape and portrait photographs (while shaping the proportions of the golden gun)!
www.facebook.com/goldennumberratio/
'
The dx4/dt=ic above the gun on the lingerie derives from my new physics books devoted to Light, Time, Dimension Theory!
www.facebook.com/lightimedimensiontheory/
Thanks for being a fan! Would love to hears your thoughts on my philosophies and books! :)
http:/instagram.com/elliotmcgucken
instagram.com/goldennumberratio
Beautiful swimsuit bikini model goddess!
Golden Ratio Lingerie Model Goddess LTD Theory Lingerie dx4/dt=ic! The Birth of Venus, Athena, and Artemis! Girls and Guns!
Would you like to see the whole set? Comment below and let me know!
Follow me!
I am working on several books on "epic photography," and I recently finished a related one titled: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean . Message me on facebook for a free review copy!
www.facebook.com/goldennumberratio/
The Golden Ratio informs a lot of my art and photographic composition. The Golden Ratio also informs the design of the golden revolver on all the swimsuits and lingerie, as well as the 45surf logo! Not so long ago, I came up with the Golden Ratio Principle which describes why The Golden Ratio is so beautiful.
The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Dr. E’s Golden Ratio Principle: The golden ratio exalts beauty because the number is a characteristic of the mathematically and physically most efficient manners of growth and distribution, on both evolutionary and purely physical levels. The golden ratio ensures that the proportions and structure of that which came before provide the proportions and structure of that which comes after. Robust, ordered growth is naturally associated with health and beauty, and thus we evolved to perceive the golden ratio harmonies as inherently beautiful, as we saw and felt their presence in all vital growth and life—in the salient features and proportions of humans and nature alike, from the distribution of our facial features and bones to the arrangements of petals, leaves, and sunflowers seeds. As ratios between Fibonacci Numbers offer the closest whole-number approximations to the golden ratio, and as seeds, cells, leaves, bones, and other physical entities appear in whole numbers, the Fibonacci Numbers oft appear in nature’s elements as “growth’s numbers.” From the dawn of time, humanity sought to salute their gods in art and temples exalting the same proportion by which all their vital sustenance and they themselves had been created—the golden ratio.
The Birth of Venus! Beautiful Golden Ratio Swimsuit Bikini Model Goddess! Helen of Troy! She was tall, thin, fit, and quite pretty!
Read all about how classical art such as The Birth of Venus inspires all my photography!
www.facebook.com/Photographing-Women-Models-Portrait-Swim...
"Photographing Women Models: Portrait, Swimsuit, Lingerie, Boudoir, Fine Art, & Fashion Photography Exalting the Venus Goddess Archetype"
Enjoy my new fine art landscapes & ballet video!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3b1df46oKw
Let me know what you think! :)
One of the keys to shooting Epic Landscape Photography is exalting the photograph's soul via golden ratio compositions, thusly wedding the photographic art to the divine proportion by which life itself was designed and exalted.
Dr. Elliot McGucken's Golden Number Ratio Fine Art Landscape & Nature Photography Composition Studies!
instagram.com/goldennumberratio
www.facebook.com/goldennumberratio/
Greetings flickr friends! I am working on several books on "epic photography," and I recently finished a related one titled: The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Why the Fibonacci Numbers Exalt Beauty and How to Create PHI Compositions in Art, Design, & Photography: An Artistic and Scientific Introduction to the Golden Mean . Message me on facebook for a free review copy!
www.facebook.com/goldennumberratio/
The Golden Ratio also informs the design of the golden revolver on all the swimsuits and lingerie, as well as the 45surf logo!
The Golden Number Ratio Principle: Dr. E’s Golden Ratio Principle: The golden ratio exalts beauty because the number is a characteristic of the mathematically and physically most efficient manners of growth and distribution, on both evolutionary and purely physical levels. The golden ratio ensures that the proportions and structure of that which came before provide the proportions and structure of that which comes after. Robust, ordered growth is naturally associated with health and beauty, and thus we evolved to perceive the golden ratio harmonies as inherently beautiful, as we saw and felt their presence in all vital growth and life—in the salient features and proportions of humans and nature alike, from the distribution of our facial features and bones to the arrangements of petals, leaves, and sunflowers seeds. As ratios between Fibonacci Numbers offer the closest whole-number approximations to the golden ratio, and as seeds, cells, leaves, bones, and other physical entities appear in whole numbers, the Fibonacci Numbers oft appear in nature’s elements as “growth’s numbers.” From the dawn of time, humanity sought to salute their gods in art and temples exalting the same proportion by which all their vital sustenance and they themselves had been created—the golden ratio.
Ansel Adams is not only my favorite photographer, but he is one of the greatest photographers and artists of all time. And just like great artists including Michelangelo, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Botticelli, and Picasso, Ansel used the golden ratio and divine proportions in his epic art.
Not so long ago I discovered golden regions in many of his famous public domain his 8x10 aspect ratio photographs. I call these golden harmony regions "regions of golden action" or "ROGA"S, as seen here:
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1812448512351066.107374...
And too, I created some videos highlighting Ansel's use of the golden harmonies. Enjoy!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGnxOAhK3os
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFlzAaBgsDI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3eJ86Ej1TY
More golden ratio and epic photography composition books soon! Best wishes for the Holiday Season! Dr. Elliot McGucken :)
lonely pay phone shots don't generate a lot of viewing traffic, maybe because they're inherently boring. or i haven't found a way to make them interesting yet. i find them sort of sad and funny though.
This is Queensland’s Channel Country, where flooding rains and devastating droughts are part of western Queensland life. This region is part of the arid centre of Australia. At least several thousand years have passed since the inland had a wetter climate. The landscape reflects this aridity and the contrasts can be striking.
Change and unpredictability are the main features of the climate, causing erratic swings from drought to plenty. Major rains can transform the landscape from appearing dry and dead to being lush and green in only a few days.
Plant cover varies dramatically with both land type and climate events. Frequent and severe droughts are common, normal, and expected. They are a fact of life for inland Australia and play an important role in the evolution of the landscape.
Plants of the arid lands have evolved in different ways to survive the climatic extremes and harsh conditions. Some resist drought by using little water, and others avoid it by only germinating in sustained wet times.
The gradual erosion of the gibber plains and tablelands replenishes the sand of the dunes. This process has been going on for tens of thousands of years and will continue for many more.
There is a wide variety of land uses and land users in the region. Land uses include pastoralism, petroleum exploration and production, conservation, and tourism. A major concern for land managers throughout the arid region is that these land uses do not accelerate the natural landscape processes.
The Diamantina, Cooper and Eyre Creeks dominate the Channel Country, flowing from the Northern Territory and Queensland into South Australia. These major intermittent streams and their floodplains are interlaced with dune fields, forming an enormous system of swamps, lakes, and waterholes. These streams flow less frequently further south, often not reaching Lake Eyre.
There are numerous salt lakes, including the very large Lake Frome, Callabonna, Gregory, Blanche, and Eyre. All are usually dry. Fillings of the large lakes are occasional and irregular. Some, for example the southern portion of Lake Eyre, have a heavy salt crust.
The district is extremely viable and dominated by three main land types; the "hard" country of the stony tablelands and downs; the sand dune fields of the major Simpson, Tirari, and Strzelecki Deserts; and the floodplains, channels and temporary lakes of the major river systems. Minor land types include arid ranges and salt lakes.
The stone-covered downs are gently rolling, with small slopes and well defined drainage lines. The stones are remnants of ancient soil surfaces. It is these stones on the surface, not the spare plant cover, which provide protection against soil erosion. Within this land type are other landscapes, flat or gently undulating, with little or no stone cover. This land type relies on plant cover from erosion protection, rather than the stony "armour".
Tableland with an intact stone or plant cover is inherently stable, though the erosion which follows removal of this cover is often serious and irreversible.
Source: plaque.
While studying photography in Pathshala, I developed new technical and aesthetic skills at an academic level and gained a fresh perspective on seeing the world around me. However, I still felt that something was missing. That missing piece was the ability to articulate aesthetics through language and to experience aesthetics with the basis of life itself.
During this time, I developed a deep desire to understand philosophy. Within a few months, I decided to pursue academic studies in philosophy. There were two main reasons behind this decision: first, to gain knowledge of philosophy, and second, to reshape my photographic view point through a philosophical angle—essentially, to integrate aesthetics with philosophy.
As I delved into this complex subject, I found myself particularly influenced by three philosophical ideologies: the philosophy of Nihilism, Engels and Marx’s materialism, and Gautama Buddha’s theory of Functionalism. These perspectives began shaping my understanding of life, humanity, society, and aesthetics. My way of seeing the world started to transform.
Nihilism and materialist philosophy argue that humans are not a special species. According to Buddha, life itself is full of suffering. Since humans are not inherently special and life has no predetermined purpose, people often experience restlessness. My photographs reflect this idea through landscapes, where excessive negative space in the frame symbolizes despair, purposelessness, and solitude in human life. Most people live under the illusion that they are unique compared to the surroundings. This belief prevents them from feeling truly connected to nature.
Lalon once said, "He and Lalon exist together, yet they are separated by infinite distance." Even though humans exist within nature, they somehow remain detached from it. In my frames, vast negative spaces with tiny human figures symbolize this very detachment. Here, nature is immense, and humans are small—serving as a reminder that humanity is not any superior to nature.
The mist in my photographs enhances the minimalist effect, further detaching people from their surroundings. The presence of human-made structures in the background represents our ongoing struggle to prove our superiority. However, the blurred, barely visible architecture behind the fog reflects the failure of this pursuit. Humanity is trapped in this endless contradiction, deepening its existential despair. Meanwhile, the fog thickens, and the distance between humans and nature continues to grow.
This is a blog post I wrote today. This photo is inspired by my daughter.
The other night my 12-year-old daughter told me she hates her thighs and thinks they are fat.
Most of you have seen photos of my kid, right? Many of you have seen her in person. She doesn’t have an extra ounce of fat anywhere on her body. She thinks they are “fat” because when she sits down, they spread out. I explained to her that the muscles are relaxed in that position, that is all. I talked about how when we stare at any one thing for too long, it can start to look strange to us. She said everyone else is pretty. Ugh.
What is a mother to do? How do we keep our daughters from going through this kind of agony? Will this sort of self-flagellation ever end? Is it inherently human or is it a product of years and years of media flashing false images of ideal bodies?? I do find it hard to imagine that a woman living in a society where the sole purpose of existence is survival would have the time to be concerned with issues of vanity.
It is heartbreaking. Then yesterday a good friend wrote a blog post about her own body issues…she wrote in gut-wrenching details about how she felt seeing her body. She’s gained weight in the past year since getting married, but to me she is still a long way away from fat. She is extremely beautiful and intelligent and knows very well that her thoughts and feelings about her body are unhealthy, but that doesn’t stop her from feeling them. She has had thoughts of suicide over this—it’s no laughing matter. She’s struggled with an eating disorder in the past and I’m worried she’s heading for it again. She possibly suffers from what we know as en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder