www.instagram.com/paulturgeonart/

 

Created using Mandelbulb 3D

Heschel insists that for the pious person the awareness of the divine “intrudes” as a sense of wonder, a “pressure” that breaks in, weighs down, and makes demands….

 

… Moreover, for those who internalize the Scriptures, God is not the Unmoved Mover or “ground of being” so much as the “most moved Mover” whose pathos is rooted in freedom and loving will, not in necessity or human contingency. By taking as his starting point the category of the ineffable, Heschel’s depth theology re-centers the locus of subjectivity from human consciousness to the divine perspective, stressing the God side, not the human side, of the revelatory event. “Its music remains.”

-Sophia The Hidden Christ of Thomas Merton, Christopher Pramuk

This is the first image in my new series, Begin Again. Exploring identity, I asked myself who I am and why I am. In asking those questions, I explored identity very deeply: what are our influences, how do we internalize those influence, and what expectations does society have for us?

 

I created this new body of work earlier this year, and it is on display in NYC at the JoAnne Artman Gallery through August 2019.

 

This image, "Contain", gives a visual exploration of the boxes we feel placed in, or the boxes we put ourselves in. What labels define you? In what ways do you feel trapped?

 

I can't wait to share the rest of it here with my Flickr family!

I'm obsessed with the idea of identity - hiding it, crafting it, studying it. Throughout all our lives we find and make different masks. Some are given, some are taken, some are created, some are borrowed, some are true. My masks have been many.

  

Some I found interesting and tried on for a while, like 'being a photographer' or giving my whole life to 'the idea of altruism'. Some I found beautiful, some contrary. Some I found true, and those are the masks that I have internalized and erased the facade of; they are the ones I have found my true identity in, like 'passionate', and 'kind', and 'selfish'.

  

I don't see masks as a bad thing. They let us figure out who we are going to settle as - or rather, who we will continue morphing into. It's likely we're all wearing a mask right now that we can't even see, and only years from now will we take it off and recognize it for what it is.

   

devinehunt.wordpress.com/2014/08/29/internalization/

Happy World Book Day! Everyone faces the responsibility of deciding their own reality. It's what human beings have done for years to maneuver their way through the obstacles of Life. Environmental changes affect the way we see that reality sometimes, whether it be because of health and/or emotional health issues, familial situations, our relationships with our friends or loved ones, or our career/job footing. Often when we are faced with overwhelming information, it can lead to internalizing what we see as our reality and at times that internalization may start to either distort or clarify what we already know.

 

With so many changes in the atmosphere, it got me thinking about how people have learned to pick their own hypothesis or truth. We're bombarded with 'news' at every turn, information seemingly endless and with nearly as many different points of view. It can be difficult to learn effectively and without bias.

Internalizing all my interactions with the physical world, I find myself obsessively overanalyzing and examining the struggles, anxieties, and chimerical wars held within the individual mind–those formidable pressures we place upon ourselves and the imaginative journeys of escape we are capable of making without leaving our seat or opening our eyes. www.jaamzin.com/blog/painter-daryll-peirce

“Don't just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person. Books are the training weights of the mind. They are very helpful, but it would be a bad mistake to suppose that one has made progress simply by having internalized their contents.”

― Epictetus, The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness and Effectiveness

 

For Flickr Friday

Theme: Wisdom

A self-portrait lit with a large softbox to the camera left.

Tracey Clark's Picture Fall Day 15: Mid-Month Message

 

Tracey's prompts that ask us to photograph words are always a challenge for me. Today's asked us to photograph the message we needed to hear today.

 

It took me all day to come up with these words, and now I feel vulnerable sharing them.

 

I think these may be words that many mothers need to hear. Many of us worry so much about our family's needs that we put our own needs and desieres and dreams on hold.

 

I know I have a lot to be grateful about in my life, but I also feel stuck. I keep sabotaging my own plans to move forward with photography or take care of my health, and I'm pretty sure a lot of it comes down to my not feeling worthy.

 

I need to internalize these words, and I need to share them with my daughters.

dance of the ages

more ancient than written words…

each branch an epic

 

“A dance isn’t just about what you see on the surface. It’s what you internalize: emotionally, intellectually, sonically, spiritually.

 

Watching a dance isn’t like looking at a painting. The experience isn’t static. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming, with too many choices of where to look. The point of narrowing in on the hand isn’t to plant the gaze there and nowhere else, but to find an anchor that can help to broaden your focus — to open up more possibilities of seeing or feeling more.

 

So start at the hand. Trace its energy, both as it flows through the body and releases out of the fingertips. Can you sense a dancer suddenly appearing not just longer, but more complete? Can you see [beyond] the shape of a body, [to] what its 360 reality is capable of?”

Gia Kourlas

“The Secret Weapon of Dance? Hands!”

NYT, August 14 2025

 

(“Hands” is a reframing and adjustment of a photo originally posted nine years ago. See the original post and accompanying essay here: "What You See". And, another view: "Emergent" )

 

*in explore

Somehow I internalized this Caturday as being about "photograph cat with clock." I don't have a clock anywhere near where the cats are, except for my bedside clock, which doesn't interest them. Agate, however, is fascinated by the phone charging cable that I power through the clock - any time the cable is not actually attached to the phone, and when I am paying attention. I finally decided the only way to get cat and clock pix was to put the clock on the bed and wave that charge cable so she could finally play with it.

 

Then I noticed that the theme was "Waiting", not "photo with clock." Well, Agate has been waiting her whole time living in my house, to be be encouraged to play with the cable. Happy Caturday 1 November 2025, "Waiting."

Most of the time the shots I take are like spontaneous explosions of light and soul.

 

Both the subject and I usually walk away from these encounters feeling good and with a little extra spring to our step.

 

I've always enjoyed these moments.

 

I feed off of them and they've brought me so much.

 

Sometimes I see these faces in my dreams too.

 

But those dreams feel good.

 

They don't lead me to question anything anymore than when is the next time I'm gonna get out and shoot some street.

 

My pursuit of street closeup photography came at a time in my life when I was looking for 'real.'

 

At a time when I was questioning so many external truths.

 

It really shaped the way that I use the camera.

 

I promised myself that I'd be honest in this endeavor.

 

Yeah... I might write some pretty good stories on occasion...

 

but the images are unadulterated truth and they always have been.

 

Only one of my street photographs has ever been edited in photoshop and that was to tone down the high-contrast overexposure of a person's nose.

 

Even that was a dilemma...

 

but the photograph was incredible and it made explore within an hour of my posting it.

 

I think it did justice to the soul of the man that I shot.

 

The rest of my photographs have only had their exposure, contrast and saturation tweaked and I always try to do that honestly too...

 

to make the picture 'feel' the way that I remembered the moment.

 

I've gotten some really supportive and informative emails since I posted the photograph and the story that I put up yesterday.

 

That's what I was hoping would happen when I wrote what I wrote.

 

Apparently this kind of thing happens a lot to other professionals who deal intimately with people and their struggles.

 

It's nice not to feel alone when your soul's in turmoil and I appreciate the thoughts of you who sent me the flickrmails that you did.

 

One of them really hit home:

 

"I read what you wrote about the fear and the dreams...

 

This reminds me very much of the burn out some professionals feel when working closely with people. I know personally how other people's lives and problems can just tear you apart- leaving you unable to function, unable to help them like you did before. There is a very fine line between sympathy and internalization. It can be difficult to only be sympathetic - perhaps it leaves you feeling like you aren't giving the person your all. But in order to continue to work you desire to do, there is a certain distance, for lack of a better word, that you must maintain. Remaining sincerely sympathetic without internalizing is necessary. And it doesn't mean you aren't sincere or giving it your all or not being the best that you can be. Its survival and what has to be in order to continue your work."

 

The words realy struck me and I know that I've been putting my whole heart and soul into these portraits.

 

I started reading about a condition that affects doctors a lot... something called 'compassion fatigue' and it was a big help.

 

I was shocked when I read this on one website :

 

"Do you know it takes two classes of medical students every year just to replace the physicians who are lost to suicide?"

 

It was sympathy with the strugles of others that really helped me to put my life back on track and that complete strangers shared so much of their lives with me has been a gift that I'll always truly appreciate.

 

It gave me real perspective.

 

I never considered the difference between 'sympathy' and 'internalization' before I read this message.

 

I guess it's the internalization that's been whats affected me so deeply.

 

Whenever I came across someone deep in their own struggle I always looked into my own soul and tried to 'feel' what they were going through.

 

Maybe I've done that too well.

 

The writer nails it when they point out that 'it doesn't mean you aren't sincere or giving it your all or not being the best' if you maintain a certain 'distance' from the pain of your subjects when you relate to them.

 

There is my battle.

 

To get the images I want to share with you I've got to put myself in the position of equality with the people that I shoot.

 

At least that's been my approach so far.

 

I know that's what creates the window to the soul that I like to shoot through.

 

I know that that's what makes the difference between a 'soul-portrait' and a documentary shot.

 

After I take those shots I get really reflective about my life and life in general.

 

Sometimes I find myself thinking deeply about that person and their life long after the shutter's clicked.

 

There is a price of the soul that one pays for lingering in that zone and I've paid it deeply.

 

I've addressed these things to my own satisfaction.

 

Understanding that the dreams were a problem was the first order of business.

 

Getting them to stop was the second.

 

And I had a good idea what was causing them.

 

Once I stopped shooting the closeups of these people the dreams stopped.

 

That put me in a tough spot.

 

It was doing the thing that I dearly loved that was whacking my soul.

 

So I took some time off and I looked at it all.

 

Part of the honesty of the body of images that I've created has come from not being afraid to point my camera anywhere.

 

To be open to capturing any image of anything that life should present me with.

 

I usually don't go out seeking images of people struggling in their lives.

 

I happen upon them.

 

What happens if I determine that I don't have the strength of soul that it takes to continue capturing these kinds of images?

 

Will I have lost any and all claim to honesty in what I do?

 

If I don't shoot one very powerful component of life on the street is the product of my effort really and genuinely 'Faces on the Street' or is it by way of avoidance and editorialism 'Happy Faces on the Street?'

 

That's something I've still got to come to terms with.

 

I don't know how I can change my approach so that I don't internalize the pain of some of the people I shoot.

 

I'm likely to accept that it's just a 'karmic cost of doing business' that way.

 

If only I could find the balance point.

 

If only I could find a way to look at this aspect of life yet not let it throw my soul into the turmoil that it has.

 

I've got so many more photographs that I just couldn't post because I couldn't look at them.

 

I think what sustained my strength was that I saw some good coming out of the images.

 

Timothy Manley had dozens of people help him out after they saw his photograph on my stream.

 

He got a job and I haven't seen him on the streets.

 

I'm going to figure this out.

 

I'll continue on the path of introspection I've laid out for myself.

 

If anyone understands what's happened to me and has any wisdom that might help me to get through this barrier I would really appreciate that.

 

Until I've broken down that wall I'll keep looking for the light and I'll keep my eye on the love.

 

Photographs like this make that so much easier.

 

We're all in this thing called 'life' together.

 

The streets more than anything have taught me one thing:

 

We're all on the same journey.

 

Open Your Eyes

   

Sixty Degrees. That’s the angle for all of these edges, give or take based on the fact that the snowflake is photographed at an angle. Physics at work, yet many people consider snowflakes as a creation of God. It’s amazing really, that the same object can be described by some as evidence of a Creator, while others use the exact same object to prove that the natural laws of physics make our world what it is.

 

Very few things can take equal sides like a snowflake. I have a side, but I don’t need to express it to express my fascination with our interpretation of the world around us. The real magic here is that we, as human beings, see this snowflake as beautiful. I don’t think many people would argue against that. That begs the question however: what is beauty?

 

Beauty doesn’t exist on its own. A massive organized collection of water molecules? It is just a thing, a (mostly) inanimate object when we see it. How do we perceive this as beautiful? It’s not the object that contains this value, it’s our perception of it. One could say it’s all in our heads, and I think they’d be right. Something is only beautiful because we say so, collectively or individually it doesn’t matter. So then, what is beauty?

 

It’s a deep question, and one that every person might have a different answer to. My answer reflects on the larger world around us. We see geometry as standing out from chaotic nature. We admire patterns. We adore symmetry. The most symmetrical face with chiseled lines might be perceives by many as being beautiful, but so too will a wrinkled old smile with the history of the world written on it. Beauty comes in many forms, based on how deep we look.

 

When I dive into the details of a snowflake, describing all of its features and how they came to be, I hope I add to the beauty. In the opening words of the documentary series Forces of Nature, narrated by Dr. Brian Cox, he says “the world is beautiful to look at, but it’s even more beautiful to understand”. Understanding the depth of beauty only makes these tiny sky crystals even more beautiful, and these posts are often aimed solely at this.

 

See the slightly brighter center? There is a hexagonal twin plate on the reverse side of the snowflake. The central “dot” shows that this was from a column that transitioned to plate-type growth, and the forward-facing plate gained dominance to grow branches. It was slow-growing which provides a more geometric profile, with extra complexities in the lower left – look closely and you’ll see signs of another plate running in parallel in certain areas.

 

But all of the science, all of the logic, have a hard time explaining beauty. Whether or not there was a master plan from God to put this snowflake in front of me or if it was just the natural chaotic physics of the universe, doesn’t really matter when we internalize our appreciation of the results. No matter what you think, this snowflake is beautiful.

 

That is the beauty of humanity.

 

P.S. if you want to comment on this image, please do so in a way that does not take sides on religion or science. We ALL have our opinions, let’s just keep this one human, okay?

Wanaka Lake Morning

 

The rising sun on the calm waters of Lake Wanaka highlighted the autumn gold on the famous Wanaka Tree. Amazingly, even at sunrise, there were no tourists at the site and only a few locals out walking their dogs. A peaceful time with no distractions was good for my creativity. I chose a lower perspective in order to make sure as much of the tree rose above the lake waterline in the horizon in order to minimize distractions to the form of the tree. I spent more time just taking in the scene than I did creating the image. Both visions will last a lifetime for me. The one I internalized I can take with me wherever I go.

HELP PLEASE!!!!

I've been asking for a thousand excuses to get to this point, but I feel desperate and totally unprepared for this moment that I'm going through.

Yesterday my dog ​​called a BOLINHA, 6 years old, started to feel bad and this morning, I took him to the vet to see what was wrong, got there, we did several tests to have some answer, but we did not receive a correct answer still, and since then his healthy is getting worse ... he can not feed himself nor drink liquids, he is not yet able to do the physiological needs and this is making me very sad!

A few hours ago, he was able to walk, soon after, to crawl and now, he does not leave the place, no moves and I am in tears not knowing what to do.

Tomorrow we will go back to the vet and see what is happening with the result of the exam ...

however, we will have to internalize it and the value of the hospitalization for its size, costs in average R$243,40 (two hundred and forty-three reais and forty cents) per day, and at the moment I find myself very tight to be able to pay the days that he need help.

 

So, again apologizing for getting to that point ... I'm asking for help from you! of the sl ... would help me a lot by buying some pack of poses from my store that will be worth 50L each with 6 poses.

I decided to reduce the value and ask you for this help, because I know that I can count on some who love dogs.

 

And do not think it's because of bad faith, I'm really in great need of help, the ball will thank you with virtual licks, because he's always been very affectionate to everyone and I do not want to lose him in any way.

 

If you can not help with any amount, please share it, it is already a great help.

 

Sorry for my bad inglês.

------------------------------------------

AJUDA, POR FAVOR!!!!!

Já venho pedindo mil desculpas por chegar a este ponto, mas me sinto desesperado e totalmente despreparado para esse momento que estou a passar.

Ontem meu cachorro chamado bolinha, de 6 anos, começou a passar mal e hoje pela manhã, o levei no veterinário para ver oque ocorria de errado, chegando lá, fizemos vários exames para poder ter alguma resposta, porém, não recebemos nem uma resposta correta ainda, e desde então o quadro dele vem a piorar... ele não consegue se alimentar e nem beber líquidos, ele também não está conseguindo fazer as necessidades fisiológicas e isso está me deixando muito triste!

A algumas horas atrás, ele conseguia andar, logo depois, rastejar e agora, ele não sai do lugar, n se movimenta e eu estou aos prantos sem saber oque fazer.

Amanhã iremos levalo novamente ao veterinario e ver oque está acontecendo com com o resultado do exame...

porém, teremos que internalo e o valor da internação para o porte dele, custa em media R$243,40 (duzentos e quarenta e três reais e quarenta centavos) por dia, e no momento eu me encontro muito apertado para poder pagar os dias que ele precisa de ajuda.

 

Então, novamente pedindo desculpas por ter chegado a esse ponto... estou pedindo a ajuda, de vocês! do sl... me ajudariam muito comprando algum pack de poses da minha loja que ira ficar no valor de 50L cada um com 6 poses.

Decidi diminuir o valor e pedir essa ajuda a vocês, pois sei que posso contar com alguns que amam cachorros.

 

E não achem que seja por mal fé, eu realmente estou muito necessitado de ajuda, o bolinha ira agradecelos com lambeijos virtuais, pois ele sempre foi mt carinhoso com todo mundo e eu não quero perdelo de forma alguma.

 

Caso não possa ajudar com alguma quantia, por favor, compartilhe, já é de grande ajuda.

 

Land: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Favoletta/77/238/1706

iPhone 7 plus, edited in Snapseed.

Bavaria, October 2022

...already several times I had the pleasure to enjoy the morning atmosphere at this special place in the bavarian Zugspritz region.

Even though I don't really enjoy too many people at a photo spot, this place has become one of the most popular in the Bavarian Alps and is therefore frequented all year round.

This morning, as usual, I was early and thus the first on the spot, on the way to the shooting location I was accompanied only by the sounds of the night, the call of the owls, the roaring of the rutting deer and the rustling of the wind....

Slowly the night gave way to twilight, and a light red was visible in the clouds. The color quickly faded, the blue hour gave way and the thought arose, was it already with the hoped for sunrise?

Only a little later the cloud cover tore open at exactly the right place, and within a few minutes the sky colored intensely.

A morning that I have deeply internalized and remember with pleasure back.

"World peace can be achieved through individual peace, in each of our hearts."

Den Brandt Park, Antwerp, Belgium

If you wear your heart on your sleeve...

 

No matter how much of a lost cause it may seem, you must stay and fight, with all your might. Don't let them ruin you darling.

 

This is the first image for my thesis show on internalized stigma.

 

1 / 15

 

When the socially isolating effects perpetuated by stigma become internalized and we begin to believe other people’s negative, inaccurate views of ourselves. It's when we give in to negative labels and let them define us resulting in the "Why Try Effect". It's allowing societies misconceptions to stain us red, the most insidious kind of conformity that pushes so many to the edge.

 

Violence causes more than 1.6 million deaths worldwide every year. Violence is one of the leading causes of death in all parts of the world for persons ages 15 to 44.

Domestic Violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence.

 

Domestic Violence is the single greatest cause of injury to women.

 

So close to being done with my 52! wooooo! :D

The shoot with Karina was sort of ''not ordinary''. We started the usual way as I always do, but then, without realizing I found myself in different seas, that I have not been before. I was on the ship of the model, instead of being on mine- and I was trying to ''internalize'' this journey.

I was surprised to see this Eagle had it's tongue out the entire time it was on the ground. I haven't seen this before. It surprised me because. Ironically, the day after Earth Day where presumably we are intending to do less harm to the Earth, the environment, and the biosphere what do you think I see? Several workers attempting to exterminate the ground squirrels at San Lorenzo Park.

 

So then there I was at Glenwood Preserve in Scotts Valley. And the thought came unbidden into my mind, if this Eagle had eaten a poisoned rodent...would it look like this.

 

I don't even know. But you see what happens? We celebrate Earth Day, then get up the next day to find the park animals being poisoned. It is not a thing that makes you feel super optimistic moving forward.

 

I don't like that I internalize the pathetic things I see around me. But there it is.

 

Well it is a photo, right?

The

Four String

Quartet...

 

harmonizing

arguing

fine-tuning

blending

disagreeing

internalizing

 

and then

lightning

struck

 

Inspired by the humor of cartoonist Gary Larson of "The Far Side" fame :P

 

Cedar Street, Bellflower, California

 

Copyright © G.DelaCruzPhotography. All Rights Reserved.

After I crossed the finish line of my first set of 100 strangers, I was finding it difficult to get the wheels rolling again. I guess it was just a natural comedown from the excitement of finishing the project. I found myself unmotivated to act as I internalized why ‘now’ was not the right time go out and capture street portraits. However, once I heard the weather forecast of a mild and dry November Saturday, I figured it was time to force the issue and hit the streets.

 

I decided to explore a neighborhood in which I had not yet searched for strangers. It had been years since I last visited the Coventry Street area of Cleveland, but in my younger days it was known as the artsy / bohemian side of town. However, once I got there I was disappointed to discover that several of the unique stores & restaurants that once graced the street were now replaced with standard fare franchise establishments. Sometimes I hate progress. Foot traffic was light and those few folks who were out were typical middle class people. My optimistic mood quickly soured as I started to anticipate an unsuccessful outing. Despite my negative outlook, I proceeded to canvass the area (since I had driven a considerable distance to get there). After a mere 20 minutes I was about to give up, and that’s when I spotted Stranger #101.

 

She and a friend had just exited a car across the street from where I was standing. At that distance I couldn’t get a good bead on her face, but I liked her black on black hair and ensemble. I paralleled her path along the opposite sidewalk until suddenly she turned and began to cross the street right toward me. I knew it was time to finally get back into the game.

 

Her name was Hannah, and she was on her way to a hair appointment. I started off by telling her how I was drawn to her noir fashion statement, but now that I was up close I realized that she had stunning hazel eyes that I knew would shine for this portrait. She agreed to the portrait (with some persuasion from her friend), but she was running late for her appointment. By this point we were standing near the entrance of the salon and I knew I was on the clock, so I opted to shoot her right where she stood (earlier I had discovered a nice backdrop only a half block away….oh well). I had her lean against the building with what was a row of windowed store fronts as the backdrop. As I was shooting her, I kidded that I was getting the short end of the deal with this ‘before’ image, and that her look after her hair treatment was probably going to be the true glamour shot. We finished in just a couple of minutes, and as Hannah stepped into the salon I had the satisfaction of realizing that I had just taken my first step on another crazy journey. I can’t wait to find out what the next 99 hold in store for me.

 

Check out the rest of the stranger street portraits in my project at Paco's 100 Strangers Project and find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page.

 

Felice Carena (Cumiana (TO), 1879 - Venice , 1966) - Summer (the hammock) (1919) - oil canvas 156 x 200 cm - GAM Gallery of Modern Art of Turin

 

L'inizio degli anni Trenta segna il ritorno alla pittura di Carena dopo una lunga pausa per malattia. profondamente insofferente alla disciplina formale che la tendenza purista di quegli anni richiedeva, abbandona le grandi composizioni ispirate all'arte italiana del Cinquecento, che avevano definitivamente sancito la sua notorietà, e si volge ad esperienze diverse. L'Estate, in cui l'artista rimedita la lezione di Courbet e degli impressionisti, costituisce una sorta di termine ultimo d'una stagione di pittura esuberante ed ariosa: la sua ricerca si orienterà, infatti, da questo momento, verso rappresentazioni più spirituali ed interiorizzate quali nature morte, ritratti e, soprattutto, composizioni sacre

 

The beginning of the Thirties marks Carena's return to painting after a long pause due to illness. deeply impatient with the formal discipline that the purist tendency of those years required, he abandoned the great compositions inspired by Italian art of the sixteenth century, which had definitively sanctioned his fame, and turned to different experiences. Summer, in which the artist remedied the lessons of Courbet and the Impressionists, was a sort of end of a season of exuberant and airy painting: from this moment on, his research was oriented towards more spiritual and internalized representations such as still life, portraits and, above all, sacred compositions.

Klavdij Sluban .

 

Winner of the Niépce Prize (2000) and of the Leica Prize (2004), Klavdij Sluban is a French photographer of Slovenian origin based in Paris. Now aged 42, he continues the development of his rigorous and coherent body of work. Sluban learnt the subtleties of black & white printing under the guidance of Georges Fèvre. Although he held a Masters' degree in Anglo-American literature, little by little, he gave up teaching to commit wholly to photography. Never inspired by immediate and sensational current affairs, Sluban's numerous photography trips are permeated with literary references ­ for example, Beckett, Milton. The Black Sea, the Caribbean, the Balkans, and Russia can be read as many successive steps of an in-depth study of a patient proximity to the encountered real. His deep blacks and backlit silhouettes convey to his photographic style uprightness and accuracy free of didacticism or exoticism. In 1997, his work Balkans Transits, which he published with François Maspero, was awarded the RFI (International French Radio) prize. Since 1995, when not abroad, Sluban has run photography workshops with young offenders in prison. First originated in France, in the prison of Fleury-Mérogis with support from Henri Cartier Bresson, Marc Riboud and William Klein, this commitment was pursued in the disciplinary camps and prisons of Eastern Europe - Ukraine, Georgia, Moldavia, and Latvia ­ and in the disciplinary centres of Moscow and St Petersburg. By offering us pictures of those places he is familiar with and of their inhabitants to whom he is a true partner, Sluban unveils the problems of closed spaces and constrained horizons. And by doing so, he brings to both our consciousness and senses the fractures of a confinement enhanced by the internalization of perceptions.

  

________________________________________________________

  

pic by : M.A.M08

 

Kiev 60 TTL ,Volna 2.8/80 mm , f 2.8 1/60 , Fujifilm REALA 100 , 2 m .

 

Shalini Ganendra Fine Art Gallery.

Malaysia , UK .

The original plan was to photograph Keva covered in glitter.

 

This plan lasted right up until we realized the glitter we had wouldn't really work. Glitter is no joke, kids. Please consult a professional before employing glitter in your shoots.

 

Looking at the folder...yep, three images that have glitter. Barely even remember that part. Because once we realized it was not gonna work, we just started moving.

 

I've known Keva for 9 years, now, shooting with her is just catching up with a friend...a friend who is also an incredible dancer, and can move in ways I can scarcely imagine.

 

Which is how we got to this shot, wherein she would just kind of fling herself around repeatedly, until it looked right in my viewfinder.

 

A direction I am now going to internalize and use as often as possible. "Fling yourself around until it looks right. AGAIN. AGAIN."

1. In(tro)spection, 2. Match, 3. Internalized, 4. Priorities

  

" This world is a canvas to our imagination "

 

This phrase has been my inspiration throughout my landscape photography,

that the world I live in is beautiful, that out of my imagination and blessed with

glorious light I can produce wonderful images.

  

When my wife first saw this image, she immediately said, “it looks like an art painting”. I agree, except I use my camera as my brush. I’m a big fan of Black and White photo, Majority of my shots are in B&W. I’m one of those people who stare at Ansel Adams B&W photo for hours just to internalize how the hell (forgive my French) did he do it, not to mention he uses film.

 

I hope you guys like it.

 

Images may not be copied, downloaded or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of Epong P. Soliban.

 

We are all a sum of pieces,a sum of some positive experiences, others not so much, some welded with love, others scarred with pain. A sum of people memories that have brought us light and joy and others that have plunged us into darkness and despair. Remains of internalized lessons and others that only left a vague echo.

 

At the end, our experiences make up a "selfie" that not everyone stops or dares to shoot.

 

The collage of today collects original photos, unpublished editions, proofs ... a sum of pieces of my last days.Thanks to all of you who have followed my experimental flowers.

 

Now I am going to say goodbye "photographically speaking" to Barcelona and prepare myself for the holidays.

----------------------------------------------

Todos somos una suma de retazos, una suma de experiencias, unas positivas, otras no tanto, unas soldadas con amor, otras cicatrizadas con dolor. Retazos de la huella dejada por personas que nos han aportado luz y alegría y también de aquellas que nos han sumido en la oscuridad y la desesperación. Retazos de lecciones interiorizadas y de otras que solo dejaron un vago eco.

Al final, nuestras experiencias componen un "selfie" que no todos se paran o se atreven a disparar.

El collage de hoy recoge fotos originales, ediciones no publicadas, pruebas... una suma de retazos de mis ultimos días. Gracias a todos los que habéis seguido mis flores experimentales.

Ahora voy a despedirme fotográficamente de Barcelona y a prepararme para las vacaciones.

 

Antonio Orozco - Estoy Hecho De Pedacitos De Ti:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lZ5jwNIbm4

 

My step father lost his wife of 12 years after a several days in hospice. I went to be with him, and this is the day of the event. I dislike invading the private moments people experience, but I thought this captured something we all feel and internalize, yet find so difficult to share.

 

This was captured with Hipstamatic, using the Uchitel film and Diego lens. The frame was created using watercolor, photographing it with the Camera, then blending the two images in ImageBlender.

Enemy cousins : not always, here A Hassidic Jew chatting to a Muslim

  

Hasidic Judaism from the Hebrew: חסידות‎ (Sephardic pronunciation:IPA: [ħasiˈdut]; Ashkenazic pronunciation: IPA: [χaˈsidus]), meaning "piety" (or "loving-kindness"), is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality through the popularization and internalization of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspect of the faith. It was founded in 18th-century Eastern Europe by Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov as a reaction against overly legalisticJudaism. His example began the characteristic veneration of leadership in Hasidism as embodiments and intercessors of Divinity for the followers. Contrary to this, Hasidic teachings cherished the sincerity and concealed holiness of the unlettered common folk, and their equality with the scholarly elite. The emphasis on the Immanent Divine presence in everything gave new value to prayer and deeds of kindness, alongside rabbinical supremacy of study, and replaced historical mystical (kabbalistic) and ethical (musar) asceticism and admonishment with Simcha, encouragement, and daily fervor. This populist emotional revival accompanied the elite ideal of nullification to paradoxical Divine Panentheism, through intellectual articulation of inner dimensions of mystical thought.

Hasidism comprises part of contemporary Haredi Judaism, alongside the previous Talmudic Lithuanian-Yeshiva approach and the Sephardi and Mizrahitraditions. Its charismatic mysticism has inspired non-Orthodox Neo-Hasidicthinkers and influenced wider modern Jewish denominations, while itsscholarly thought has interested contemporary academic study. Each Hasidic dynasty follows its own principles; thus Hasidic Judaism is not one movement but a collection of separate groups with some commonality. There are approximately 30 larger Hasidic groups, and several hundred smaller groups. Though there is no one version of Hasidism, individual Hasidic groups often share with each other underlying philosophy, worship practices, dress (borrowed from local cultures), and songs (borrowed from local cultures).

cf Wikipedia

  

Please do note fave my photos without commenting ( what do people do with thousands of faves, look at them every morning ?)

  

More London here

www.flickr.com/photos/23502939@N02/sets/72157629381724431/

  

Been thinking about my shots, lately, feeling very comfortable with the kinds of shots I've been taking.

 

Which means it's time to change.

 

My changes tend to be incremental, this I've noticed.

 

So while I'm putting it out there, I'M CHANGING, it tends to be a more internal thing.

 

It's a bit like my tai chi instructor says, he's taught us the complete form, and now he's working with us on refinement. On internalizing the moves we've learned, making them more subtle.

 

Maybe that's what I'm after, slowly paring away those parts of my style that are unnecessary, looking for how to show what I want to show with the least amount of work. Maybe here, work = artifice.

 

So, I'm looking for something, looking for a more concise way of showing you what I'm showing you.

 

What that is...that's a tough one.

 

I caught it here, I'll say that much.

These are the three words most people I meet need to hear: You have permission.

 

We too often think we don't. It's like being locked in a room. We're so focused on the door with the giant padlock that we fail to notice the window that has been creaking open little by little behind us.

 

All your life, people have told you no, in one way or another.

 

Don't be an artist, you won't make money.

Don't make art like that, no one will like it.

Don't pursue that passion, it isn't practical.

 

Even when every single person in your formative years tells you exactly what you need to hear - to go for it, that you'll succeed - we internalize the lessons of the world. We witness struggle and it's easier to assume we will, too, rather than believe we may be the one who overcomes.

 

Action is far more difficult than inaction. To take action and also be subversive, or divergent, or weird...a step beyond difficult.

 

But you have permission, all the same as I do, to subvert expectations and fail gloriously and succeed stubbornly. To pave the way for others to do the same.

 

If not you, who? We need more people to realize they had permission all along. That this one life is all we're guaranteed, and it begs us to act.

 

Create. Make. Express. Unapologetically and with exquisite joy.

 

"Permission to Be", self-portrait April 2024

  

Permission is the flower blooming

amidst the frost in early spring,

petals opening like arms, saying:

join me.

premature sounds - internalize through valves, digest, regurgitate mumbles.

     

texture by les brumes

No, the Furball dio has not been rebuilt. This is my unofficial contest tip line for the 2012 Military Building Competition, which I’m co-judging. Please note, there is no formula to guarantee a win in any contest. These are just a few tips that I have discovered through experience and/or observed in others’ successes. Some of these are generalized, while others are more specifically slanted to one category or another.

 

- Be patient! This seems to be especially problematic for the younger builders out there. Rarely does a masterpiece come together quickly. And don’t take this to mean only large MOCs. Minor details (or lack thereof) will shine all the brighter on a small build. It will not be perfect the first time around! In fact, even if it looks good to you after you finish, your thoughts might not be the same the next day. I recommend setting your MOC aside for a couple days after you complete it. Build on something unrelated, or read a book, or go for a hike. Then come back to your MOC and re-evaluate. Try to remember your goals from when you started. Did you meet them? Did you exceed them? Most of all, are you still satisfied? If so (and it may be precisely so) then take some pictures and post it! What we see too much of, however, are mediocre MOCs being posted mere days after the contest announcement, because people got over-excited to put it out there. You’ve got two months. Use em’!

 

- Quality over Quantity! We all admire someone who can build prolifically (I certainly wish I could), but your chances don’t improve merely because you enter every category. The devil is in the details, and detail can be hard to achieve if you’re rushing to build more entries than you’re able.

 

- Speaking of details, try to include details you don’t expect anyone will notice! I’m not joking here. Your viewers may indeed not detect them, but if they do, it will reinforce the fact that you worked hard and put a lot of thought into your build. How often do you see a note on some tiny feature of a MOC pointing out how amazed people are that it was included and/or achieved in Lego form? Often it is the minutest details that separate a great MOC from a good one.

 

- Don’t be afraid of new scales! You’ll notice that only four of the ten categories say they must be built at minifig scale. Middle-East Aircraft, Drawing Board Armor, and Forced Perspective can all use minifig scale or, if you so choose, abandon them entirely. You may notice my dio above includes nothing remotely near minifig scale. Nor (arguably) does –infomaniac-‘s recent masterpiece, while great builders like Ralph often go larger than fig-scale to maximize detail. Minifigs have a special place in all our hearts, but they can also be constraining. I’m not trying to discourage fig scale, but rather to encourage more variety and maybe a little outside-the-comfort-zone experience. I didn’t expect the feeling when first I tried microscale, but abandoning the minifig can be surprisingly liberating (yeah, yeah, insert bra joke here). So toss your figs aside and join the movement!

 

- Microscale doesn’t necessarily mean small! This is a common misconception for those still struggling to break the bonds of the minifig. A successful micro build often won't fit in a quaint 8x8 footprint - in fact it may not feel micro at all by the time you're done. It took me a while and some very mediocre micro MOCs before I actually internalized this lesson. The real trigger for me was building at a set scale. Now when I build a micro aircraft, I know I want it to conform to a 1:100 scale, which means my parts selection is dictated by the scale, rather than the scale being dictated by the parts I happen across. I know this sounds a little silly, but I think it’s a mindset that helped me. Note that I’m not trying to dictate a scale to others; I know some builders who are just as comfortable at 1:80. And if you’re going for a Spruce Goose, 1:150 may make it more manageable. Just realize, the smaller scale you work with, the harder it is to duplicate telltale details. Find what works for you.

 

- Don’t lean on your Brickarms! We all know and love the cute little weapons, but they net you precisely zilch if you try to center your MOC around them. This is a building competition, after all, not a display-custom-parts competition. Brickarms will do nothing to prop up a weak build.

 

- Hire a landscaper! No, I don’t mean someone to trim the hedges while you build. Diorama MOCs live and die by their terrain. Throwing a bunch of figs and mechs on a baseplate will not win you any acclaim. Lego is a visual medium, and when it comes to dioramas, the eye tends to be pleased by changes in elevation – especially changes of the not-so-rectangular variety. I know this can be parts intensive, and every time I build a dio, I feel like I’m scraping the bottom of my bins, but it’s always worthwhile. It also takes some planning, especially if you’re creating "negative elevation" (foxholes, trenches, etc. - Pepik’s MOCs always spring to mind), but again, this goes back to the note on detail – everyone will know you put a lot of work into that sloped landscape with a 4-brick-deep bomb crater blown in the middle.

 

Another way to look at it: try to beat the Castlers at their own game. Castle MOCs usually have to stand on the basis of their terrain and structures, rather than action. Build a dio on par with a great castle builder, and then add your action, and you know you’ve done something great!

 

- Don’t be afraid to rebuild! This is another habit I had to ease myself into. It seems to be especially true of vehicle MOCs. You’ll invariably notice some deficiency in your build that requires a change somewhere deep in its core (especially annoying when that’s a technic frame). You know the new detail (again with the details!) will necessitate an utter dismantling of the MOC to make room. So this time rather than just shrugging and saying “oh well,” take some reference photos (or if your collection allows, build a parallel core) and rebuild. 99% of the time, the result will be a markedly improved MOC.

 

Whew, all that sounds like a lot of work! Well, it probably should. After all, your fellow competitors are working hard to beat you. Sun Tzu wisely said, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.” A winning builder sees his successful model in the early stages of building.

 

Ok, enough philosophy. Feel free to ask questions, either here or in the official FAQ thread. My last, and perhaps most important piece of advice – despite my tl;dr essay about hard work, frustration, and challenges – is to enjoy yourself! Lego building is about having fun!

I was hoping joining instagram would give me a better means of talking to people, and instant messaging would let me be a little more casual and natural. Instead, it seems every time I try to talk to anyone, I end up saying or doing the wrong thing, and I end up embarrassing myself. Sure, the people I'm talking to probably don't even think anything of it. But if I slip up and say something stupid, I'll carry that shame till the day I die.

 

For over an hour straight yesterday, I was just sitting there (is dissociating an apt description?) with my mind racing and my inner voice gnawing away at me. On the outside I was perfectly fine. I carried about my day and tried to occupy myself.

But internally...

 

Low self-esteem combined with social anxiety makes for a nasty cocktail of thought. I melodramatically took to referring to it as 'social schizophrenia', because my inner monologue feels more like an inner demon, immediately resorting to self-deprecation at the slightest bit of embarrassment. Just nothing but "You are garbage. You are worthless. Shut up."

 

I finally decided to look into it, and learned the actual recognized term is 'anti-self', or the 'critical inner voice'. I don't know, it gives me a little bit of solace knowing these are actual known psychological phenomena

 

Sorry if this is a downer to anyone. I feel like its more healthy to vent my feelings artistically, rather than internalizing them and letting them continue to fester in my mind