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I knew when I finished my last shoot with Erin that I saved two test film shots for Amanda.
I knew when I left my house that there were still two in the camera.
Got Amanda some food while I proved a point at some sandwich shop that's eluded me til now right beside USC campus, then headed over to a little fountain on campus to be eaten alive by mosquitoes and start our shoot. She COULD NOT stop fidgeting which is tough on a Spectra, so pulled out the SX70 to try a couple shots I might use for the magazine.
And immediately forgot that I had new film in the camera.
"Oh, the film counter says I still have two shots left. Guess I left some expired stuff in here. Might as well just shoot whatever."
Thank god "whatever" worked out.
-So this may end up in the magazine, but it kinda breaks the "rules". But there are many other shots you'd simply love, so head here and get yourself a copy of issue 1.
Knowing, just where you are blowing
Getting to where you should be going
don't let them get you down
Making you feel guilty about
Golden rain, will bring you riches
All the good things you deserve and now
Climbing, forever trying
Find your way out of the wild, wild wood
Now there's no justice
Only yourself that you can trust in
And I said high tide, mid afternoon
People fly by, in the traffics boom
Knowing, just where you are blowing
Getting to where you should be going
Paul Weller
Knowing that another batch of snow was coming, I made myself do a drive SE of the city two days ago. I didn’t feel at all like going out, but I think I was out for about 5 hours total. I also needed to check what my car was doing. It worked fine until I was way out east, but when I turned around to start going home, all the lights went out on my dashboard again. They did come on twice, but just very briefly. With sunglasses, I could see nothing, but without sunglasses on I could just make out a few faint numbers. Nothing at all on my GPS screen. I did think about driving straight to Honda again, but then thought that if I took it in, then I would no doubt be collecting it when we were getting the new snow. I will definitely be taking it in, though, as soon as possible.
The very first thing I saw on my drive was a coyote – extremely distant and I was looking at it, wondering if it was a small, dead bush, until it suddenly got up and ran, ha. No photo.
Also took photos of various old barns and sheds, including several new-to-me ones. Called in at Herronton, too, just to take a few shots of the old grain elevator.
Not much at all in the way of birds, apart from two very distant flocks of Gray Partridge, a Rough-legged Hawk, and one extra special sighting. When I was driving westwards on my homeward drive, I suddenly realized that it looked like something white on top of a light pole, right at the intersection before I was going to turn north. A beautiful female Snowy Owl! A few huge truck trailers and other vehicles driving just there, yet the owl chose that pole. I was only sitting in my car for a handful of minutes, and she was looking away from me, apart from two or three quick glances in my direction, so there was no point in taking lots of identical shots. Not the greatest photos, as they were taken through the windscreen. I was SO thankful to see her, as this was the first Snowy Owl of this year for me. Very soon, they will all be flying way up north till next winter.
Boston, Lincolnshire, 27th December 2019. Pentax Espio camera and Kodak Pro Image 100ASA film.
Going back to places passed in the past, not just by me but by generations of my family - my great, great grandparents ran a pub in this neighbourhood.
These are buildings and scenes that I see in my mind's eye daily in my current life, even though I haven't lived in Boston since 1992.
This scene is interesting to me because there used to be an old house on this plot - I am talking late 1970's. As I recall, it was a Victorian place and no one had lived in it for a long time. The rest of the site was a Mercedes Benz/BMW/Subaru garage.
My dad knew various business people in the neighbourhood and I used to visit them with him for his job when I wasn't at school. When I was about 6 we went to look around the house and I remember walking around this empty house. I was a big ABBA fan (because I was completely groovy even then) and I thought of the line "walking through an empty house" and how I was actually doing it. It's kind of scary to realise how popular culture had completely impregnated my childhood mind, and continues to have a "long tail" now into my fifth decade on the planet.
This site was developed over the years and has been shops for ages, and being near a bridge over a big drain it is a busy place where I passed by many, many times in my life when I lived there.
Yet what I see now and what is left of it is meaningless to just about anyone - even me. Maybe this is a way of thinking how "places" are in the heart as much as on the planet.
The Kodak film is not so good for an overcast day, but I had to keep shooting! I realised the Big Mini camera I had been using had stopped working properly when I was trying to use it to take this very photo, so I switched to the Espio. Be prepared!
Even in the end, the story is beautiful knowing more will come again. The end of one of my magnolia blooms and even if the petals are gone, it's beauty still remains I think!! Look at the colors and the textures...still gorgeous :) And, more will come again!! Happy Bokeh Wednesday!
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Mt. Rainier is an ancient, resting volcano that exists in a delicate balance between great internal pressure, the extreme weight of her mighty glaciers, and erosion... all the while knowing that gravity will eventually win. fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-jason-jacobs.html
This photos might make it look as if I was inside the Post Office today. I was not. Instead, I placed my iPhone flat against the window glass and suddenly it was as if I were inside the building.
Having captured an image, I then came home and proceeded to remove any trace of modernity from the image. Gone are all the US Postal Service signs that clutter all the surfaces of our post offices. I wanted this scene to be faithful to the appearance of the post office in 1920.
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Here is all there is to know about the Oysterville Store and Post Office. This isn't just longreads category. It's shelter-in-place-until-it's-safe-to-come-out length.
It comes from the blog of Sydneyofoysterville.com:
Archive for the ‘Oysterville Store andPost Office
Back In Our Wild, Wild West Days
Sunday, December 2nd, 2018
Given all of our country’s gun problems and controversies these days, I was a bit startled to see a full-page reproduction of an advertisement for “Reliable Revolvers” in an old Sou’wester magazine. Actually, the ad appeared on the back cover of the Summer-Autumn 1979 issue without explanation. It is not clear where or when it originated and I can only surmise that the editor (also not named) of this particular issue felt it went with the rest of the magazine’s content.
The issue was called “The Town of Chinook” and about half of its 40 pages deal with “History of the Chinook Post Office.” Among its pages is another interesting ad, also from the Sadler Pub. Co., Baltimore, MD. For “Post-Office Cabinets and Cases.” It says, in part: The rental from boxes in Post-offices where the salary is less than $1,000 belongs to the Postmaster. They can, therefore, increase their income very materially by having their offices fitted up in an Attractive manner. The money received from rentals alone will pay for a Cabinet in a few months. With this in view…
I had no idea that the rental money from post office boxes once was considered supplementary income for postmasters on the low end of the pay scale. I wonder if that was the case with our wonderful little old-fashioned post-boxes. These days, for those of us who have no postal delivery service available, there is no rental fee charged. I don’t know about other situations, but I’m pretty sure that rental revenue no longer goes into the postmaster’s pocket. Hopefully, our postmasters make an adequate living wage these days without having to “fit up” their place of work to eek out a bit more income!
But, back to the “Reliable Revolvers” ad. When I realized that this advertisement was targeting (ahem) postal workers specifically, I immediately thought, “Wow! That puts a whole new spin on the expression, Going Postal.” Perhaps you remember when that phrase originated. It was back in 1986 in Edmond, Oklahoma when 14 employees were shot and killed and six were wounded by Patrick Sherrill, a postman who then committed suicide. And to think that a century or so beforehand, postal supply companies were offering weapons for sale!
Mailboxes at the Oysterville Post Office
On the other hand, it wasn’t all that long ago that an Oysterville postmaster revealed to me that she always carried a gun when she went on her daily noontime walks. I was horrified. I think she was the first person who ever confided in me about routinely ‘carrying’ a revolver. She said that she simply didn’t trust the drivers who might slow down and threaten her in some way. I chalked it up to paranoia. However, I was careful not to slow down for a talk with her if I happened to drive by her on her walks. Just sayin’…
But now, I’m wondering if it’s a historic tradition among postal employees to be armed. I’m hoping some of my friends in ‘the biz’ will weigh in and tell us that this advertisement is a historic aberration and not since the days of Wells Fargo and the Pony Express have postal workers routinely carried weapons as part of their jobs. YIKES!
Tags: Historic Oysterville Post Office
Posted in Oysterville Store andPost Office | No Comments »
Oysterville’s Seventeenth Postmaster
Monday, April 9th, 2018
Jean Smith, Oysterville Postmater 2002-2012
Mescal Jean Smith, always known to us by her middle name, died last week at her home in Tygh Valley, Oregon. Her daughter-in-law kindly called to let us know. Though Jean and John moved from Oysterville almost six years ago, I feel Jean’s absence more since that phone call than in all the years since they left. Somehow, they have remained ‘present’ despite our sporadic communication.
Jean and John came to Oysterville in 1984. They bought the Oysterville Store/Post Office Building as well as the old Andrews house next door. I don’t know if Jean had aspirations to become the postmaster at that time or not. I think Mary Munsey was still in charge of the mail in those days and then came Casey Killingsworth who we dubbed “The Singing Postmaster.”
John and Jean Smith, 2012
Meanwhile, Jean and John (but mostly Jean) ran the store. John was still working in Oregon; for years we saw him only on the weekends. By the time John finally retired and moved to Oysterville full-time in 2001, Jean was working as the PMR (Postmaster Replacement) at the Post Office as well as keeping an eye on the store.
Somehow, she also had time to grow tubs full of gorgeous tulips, nip outside to give doggie treats to her canine friends, and wave hello to the neighbors on her noontime walks through town. She had worked and walked her way into our community and into our hearts and had brought John right along with her.
Soon, in 2002, she was officially appointed Oysterville Postmaster and John was minding the store full-time. It was a natural division of labor and it seemed as though it had always been that way. Indeed, now, almost two decades later, there are many store customers and postal patrons who don’t remember life ‘BJJ” – before Jean and John.
Jean Cuts Farewell Cake, 2012
“How is John doing?” I asked during the phone call. Jean had written some time back that he had been diagnosed with “Beginning Alzheimer’s.”
“Not very well,” Jean’s daughter-in-law replied. It wasn’t clear that he fully understood that Jean had died. “His son will be taking him to Arizona to live with them,” she said. And we were quiet for a while.
I asked if I could do any calling – to let people know. “There’s someone I called who said she’d post a notice at the Post Office,” she said. “And we are going to gather up there at Jean’s Beach, probably in July, to scatter her ashes. We want all her friends to come.”
I’m not really sure where Jean’s Beach is, but we plan to be there.
Tags: Historic Oysterville Post Office
Posted in Friendship, Oysterville Store andPost Office | 1 Comment »
Mail Call! – Always fun in Oysterville!
Monday, February 5th, 2018
Mailboxes at the Oysterville Post Office
It’s probably similar at little post offices throughout the world. Our Oysterville P.O. is a gathering place for the locals – nowadays, not so much ‘gathering’ as ‘see-you-as-I’m-passing-through – and it’s a collection/disbursement area for news and rumors (now called ‘fake news’) and gossip. And, of course, there’s the mail.
Over the years, we’ve had some strange items in our post office box. Take the letter that was sent to my folks from a friend in England. It was addressed properly except that instead of WA, there were periods after each letter: W.A. That little mistake was compounded by the omission of U.S.A. The letter took several months to get here. First it went to Western Australia, according to the cancellation stamps on the envelope. A notation said, “Not here. Try West Africa.” The next note said, “Try the U.S.” and that, apparently did the trick!
Even in my great-grandparents’ time, there were interesting mail stories. In 1893, the Oysterville postmaster received this letter – the first indication that the erstwhile Baptist preacher (who had skipped town to avoid arrest for his wife’s possible murder) was also a bigamist.
Tom and Sam Andrews Store and Post Office, c. 1900
Sir:
…I am the ferst [sic] wife of one Josiah Crouch. I was married to him the 5 day of August in 1885 at St. Joseph, Mo. County Buccanan [sic]. In 1888 he left me at Havensville Kans and I understand that he went to Ark. In 1889 he married a woman by the name of Tedden at Gladstone Ark as I had too [sic] letters from D.P. Tedden the father of his last wife. I have a little girl 7 years old. I have written some letter [sic] to Ilwaco with my one [own] handis [hands] no forgery. I have send [sic] letter [sic] a copy of Mr. Teddens letter and a stat ment [statement] nad [and] copy of the married [sic] lissen [license] to T.H. Parks at Ilwaco Wash if you wish to see thum[sic] you can write to him yours respectfully Mrs. Tillie Crouch
Mail from Japan
Not too long ago, there was another curious bit of mail in our postal box. Apparently, it was from Japan and was addressed to:
The Tourist Information Center of Oysterville Town.
Oysterville – Town.
Washington – State.
Willapa – Bay.
Pacific Ocean.
South west – Olympic City.
South west — Washington.
North west – U.S.A.
To: U.S.A.
We love going for the mail. We never know what the next surprise might be!
Tags: Historic Oysterville Post Office, Winter in Oysterville
Posted in Oysterville Store andPost Office, The World Beyond | No Comments »
Count down! Save the date!
Wednesday, June 1st, 2016
Meet the Author - CopyMark your calendar! Saturday, June 18th, 1:00 – 3:00, Oysterville Store, Meet the Author. (That would be me!) I’ll be signing my new book, Jailhouse Stories from Early Pacific County. And, as storekeeper Greg Rogers says, “There will be a book talk at one o’clock.”
Presenting a new book is always interesting. I’ve had some practice doing it, myself, but I’m even more experienced at watching other authors introduce their books. During the decade that Nyel and I owned the Bookvendor in Long Beach, we hosted many “Meet and Greet” events for authors. That was during the 1990s when publishers were still sending authors ‘on tour’ with new books – a practice that has all but stopped in this era of e-books, self-publishing, and a much beleagured, struggling communication industry.
I like to watch how potential buyers approach a new book. If it’s a paperback (like Jailhouse Stories), the blurb on the back cover often gets scanned first. Sometimes, it’s a quick look at the illustrations. But, I suspect with this new book of mine, it will be the index that gets the initial once-over.
At the Oysterville Store (1)More than one person has already asked me if any of their forebears show up in the book. It’s possible, of course, but probably unlikely. The parameters are fairly narrow: those booked into the Pacific County jail between April 15, 1886 and September 20, 1919 or those connected with law and order here during that same period of time. And a few others. The index lists most of the 591 men and women who spent time behind bars here in those years – even for a day. And a few others…
I hope, though, that interest goes beyond those who were unfortunate enough to run afoul of the law. It’s the ‘for what’ and the ‘why’ questions that are far more interesting. Crime (or at least those transgressions that are punished), like all other social problems, erupt in waves of ‘popularity.’ During those years in our County, whether it was being ‘drunk and disorderly’ or an ‘underage woman’ or a person deemed ‘insane,’ arrests reflected not so much the laws on the books, but the concerns of the community at any given time.
The book takes a peek at the history that’s often swept under that proverbial rug of respectability – right here in Pacific County! I think readers will find it illuminating even if they don’t see familiar names in the index!
Tags: books
Posted in Books and Reading, Oysterville Store andPost Office | 1 Comment »
Without The Background Noise
Sunday, July 5th, 2015
Fourth of July Visit
Fourth of July Visit
It was with relief that I woke up to peace and quiet this morning. This hushed fifth of July – birthday of my beautiful Marta and of the Dali Lama – is a welcome contrast to the sounds of insanity of yesterday.
Open for Business
Open for Business
We went to sleep last night feeling like we were living on the edge of a war zone. The explosions were continuous and seemed endless – some from a few doors north in Oysterville, but most from the ocean beach just a mile to the west. I drifted off thinking of all the money being blown up and wondering if we’d be awakened to the sound of fire engines. Or the smell of smoke.
Patriotic Pies!
Patriotic Pies!
The night proved uneventful; Oysterville appears to be still intact. But, still, I held my breath as I took a quick took at FaceBook to see if the rest of the Peninsula escaped unscathed. The pictures of the crowds on the beach and of the ‘bombs bursting in air’ were amazing. Everyone looked happy and in a celebratory mood. Yet, I could almost hear that unseen background noise…
Patriotism, Oysterville Style
Patriotism, Oysterville Style
My own images of our Fourth were so simplistic by comparison – so safe and sane looking. You’d never know there was chaos happening so very close by. I wonder if that’s the way it is a mile away from the front lines in real war zones. And why is it, again, that we celebrate our independence so loudly and dangerously? I rather visit friends and eat pie.
Tags: Summer in Oysterville
Posted in Community Spirit, Oysterville Store andPost Office, Summer in Oysterville | 2 Comments »
Pride? Anxiety? Bhima’s not telling.
Tuesday, April 14th, 2015
Bhima-the-Greeter
Bhima-the-Greeter
When I went in to get my mail the other day, Bhima was sitting tall beside the door. At first glance I thought his expression was one of pride. But… maybe not. Perhaps it was Bhima looking anxious. I think it could have been interpreted either way.
Bhima doesn’t often stand sentinel at the entrance to the Oysterville Post Office. Usually he is lazing on the lawn in front of Greg’s house next door with a ball for fetching at the ready. He’s given up on me as a likely playmate, however. I’m usually on my way somewhere that makes a drool-covered hand undesirable. (No offense, Bhima!) This sentry pose was a new one for Bhima.
The Facelift Begins
The Facelift Begins
Also new was the white color of the building’s front wall. It’s a giant step forward in the face-lift process for which owner Greg has been preparing for some time. First came a lot of looking at early pictures. But reading colors from black and white photos is beyond difficult. Next came hours of careful paint-scraping in an effort to find the ‘original’ colors. Easier said than done. Then were the trips to Seattle to a place that specializes in matching heritage paints. (Well, I don’t know if “heritage” is the right term, but you know what I mean.)
I’m actually not sure of Greg’s final choices in the matter. I’ve heard him mention “Standard Station Red, White, and Blue,” “Coca Cola Red,” and some sort of very light mustardy khaki color. I also heard him say how much he likes the look of this bright white primer. So, I’m in wait-and-see mode. Maybe Bhima is, too.
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Greg’s Photo of Bhima’s Coat of Many Colors
Or, it’s entirely possible that Bhima was purposely hiding his backside. During the painting process he managed to get a good bit of paint on his coat. If he were a FaceBook reader, he’d know that Greg had already posted that picture. I’m posting it once more on the off-chance that he reads my blog… And, be of good cheer, Bhima! You look great no matter what color you’re wearing!
Tags: Springtime in Oysterville
Posted in Community Spirit, Oysterville Store andPost Office | 4 Comments »
Ghosts and Hot Chocolate by Candlelight!
Sunday, November 9th, 2014
Sydney Talks about Ghosts, 11-8-2014
Sydney Talks about Ghosts, 11-8-2014
Last night I shared center stage with the world’s most elegant raven (a sculpture by Greg’s mother) and talked about ghosts to a standing-room-only crowd. They (well, not the raven) drank hot chocolate, told some ghost stories of their own, and seemed to have a great time. Me too!
Greg Rogers at the Oysterville Store knows how to put on an event! Candlelight and chocolate eyeball candies for kids gave just the right touch of eeriness to the evening. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate – none of the slashing rain or moaning wind that Greg had hoped for. Too, there was a competing clam tide but that was probably just as well – it was a packed house!
Oysterville Store Raven
Oysterville Store Raven
There was high interest in the ‘behind-the-scenes’ tidbits concerning Ghost Stories of the Long Beach Peninsula – lots of great follow-up questions about the details. Plus, I actually got a lead or two on another possible ghost story – maybe a sea captain who hung himself long ago in a house in Seaview.
The ‘Lamplighter Story’ surfaced again, too – the woman who appears now and then in the Ladies Room at the Seaview restaurant à la Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It’s the only enduring Peninsula ghost story that I did not include in this book and seems to be calling out for me to get busy with a sequel.
Signing "Ghost Stories of the Long Beach Peninsula"
Signing “Ghost Stories of the Long Beach Peninsula”
I also learned for the first time that there is a “Lady of the Bay” who rises out of the waters of Willapa Bay now and again. Apparently she appears out of the fog on the lonely, curvy stretches at the head of the bay. “She doesn’t appear on this side of the bay – just on the other side,” we were told. I’ll have to ask my friends in South Bend and Raymond if they know of her.
I loved it all. I don’t know how the raven felt about it, but at least I didn’t hear him say “never more”… so maybe there will be a next time!
(Many thanks to Greg Rogers and Stephanie Frieze for these great photographs!)
Tags: Autumn in Oysterville, books
Posted in Autumn in Oysterville, Ghost Stories of the Long Beach Peninsula, Oysterville Store andPost Office | 3 Comments »
The Magic Words! “Sold Out!”
Sunday, October 26th, 2014
From Mary Beth Kelly's FB Page
From Mary Beth Kelly’s FB Page
The “Ghostly Book Event” at Adelaide’s yesterday was great fun. I was astounded at how many people were there to be “introduced” to the ghosts and even more amazed at the number of books they purchased and that so many stayed to have me personalize and sign them! When proprietor Katee Uram whispered in my ear that they were almost sold out, I was delighted.
Fortunately, I had a partial box of books in my car just against such an emergency so the book sales continued without a hitch. Whoo Hoo! And, meanwhile, people were leaving me notes with their phone numbers – eager to tell me about their own ghostly encounters here on the Peninsula. “Ghost Stories of the Long Beach Peninsula, Part Two” seems like a distinct possibility!
'Sydney Signing' by Maggie Stuckey
‘Sydney Signing’ by Maggie Stuckey
The entire experience was enhanced by the weather. The wind howled and the rain slashed against the old Taylor Hotel. I arrived a bit early and Katee was already answering anxious phone callers asking whether the author was going to make it. I loved hearing Katee’s end of the conversation, “She’s already here!” and hoping that the caller would take courage and join the party. And apparently they did!
I’m already looking forward to the next ghostly adventure that will take place at the Oysterville Store on Saturday, November 8th beginning at 5:00 P.M. Several people have told me already that they will be there, eager to buy books and to bask in the ambiance of the old store by lamplight.
Next Ghost Event: Oysterville Store, Nov. 8th
Next Ghost Event: Oysterville Store, Nov. 8th
Store owner Greg Rogers has “plans” for that evening and with his typical enthusiasm and imagination it should be another event to remember. And, given the time of year… maybe the weather will cooperate again. Maybe even a power outage! If so, I doubt that it will be anything to do with PUD. With three of the stories in the book about Oysterville ghosts, it seems a given that there will be some spirited hijinks afoot. No, make that afloat!
Tags: Autumn in Oysterville, books
Posted in Books and Reading, Ghost Stories of the Long Beach Peninsula, Oysterville Store andPost Office, The Ghost of Mrs. Crouch | 1 Comment »
Scraping Up History
Saturday, June 21st, 2014
Paint Layers at the Oysterville P.O.
Paint Layers at the Oysterville P.O.
We commonly say that we are “digging” into the past. That usually involves research of some kind – searching various archives for deeds or birth certificates or other primary documents that give a framework of time and people. But, for the archaeologists among us, actual digging is, indeed, the most direct route to the past.
Oysterville storekeeper Greg Rogers, however, is scraping rather than digging to find answers. His question: What was the original color of the Oysterville Store and Post Office? He has photographs going back to the very earliest days of the building (1918) but, of course, they are in black and white. And, so far anyway, there is no way to determine actual color from a black and white photograph.
Oysterville Store c. 1940
Oysterville Store c. 1940
Some of us old-timers remember clear back into the 1930s when there was a small gas station in front of the post-office. It was a sort of adjunct to Bert Andrews’ Garage down the street a way. I remember the whole store-post-office-gas-station being a sort of cream color with reddish-brown trim. But I’ve never claimed to have a very good visual memory.
Those are not, however, the colors that Greg is finding as he scrapes around the doorframe at the post office. He has found white, green, and a red he describes and “Coca-Cola red, like your car, Sydney.” Both the white and red seem to have been used on the trim and both red and white show up on the siding.
Oysterville Store c. 1930
Oysterville Store c. 1930
But then there were stripes… They can be seen as darker, horizontal areas in the old photographs on the lower portion of the building. And, how old are the parts of the building that have been scraped so far? Are those marks on the trim piece indicators that it is pressure-treated wood? If that is the case, it might be fairly recent in the great scheme of things – perhaps a repair?
But, on doing a bit of my own research, I find that the slit method of pressure-treating wood has been around since 1911. Knowing what I do of Bert Andrews, he could well have been on the cutting-edge of construction materials in 1918. So when was that trim painted red, anyway? Maybe Bud remembers.
All of this scraping and pondering is the precursor to giving the building a new coat of retro-colors. I’m looking forward to Greg’s final conclusions and to seeing the building as it once might have been. I wonder if it will stir up some long forgotten memories.
sydneyofoysterville.com/category/oysterville-store-andpos...
The hardest thing in life is knowing which bridges to cross and which bridges to burn - David Russell
Another one from the Glebe last week. There was lot of clouds around the bridge. So I chucked in Little Stopper and managed to get 12.5 minute exposure. Hope you like the shot.
"At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want."
Lao Tzu
Listening to Shine by Aswad
Shot from Nikon D300. Lens 105mm Micro Nikkor, f/5.6. ISO 320. Manual Focus.
Processing: Adobe Photoshop: Several adjustment layers and curves for the muted-ness :D
Hello. It's been a while, quite a while actually. As some of you know, i'm now working fulltime as a teacher. To have a fulltime work and an anxiety from hell have made it hard for me to have time and energy for my photography, i also have performance requirements, about how i'm teaching but also with my photography work. There is no good enogh for me. (Well THERE IS but i have a hard time with it).
But today i have two photos for you. I actually did overcome my fear of "i don't know what i'm doing". And enjoyed expressing myself again. This is my language.
Occoquan National Wildlife Refuge, Woodbridge, Virginia
Holga 120N, Ilford Delta 400
"Wilderness areas are first of all a series of sanctuaries for the primitive arts of wilderness travel, especially canoeing and packing. I suppose some will wish to debate whether it is important to keep these primitive arts alive. I shall not debate it. Either you know it in your bones, or you are very, very old." ~ Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There
Not knowing exactly what I wanted to do with the mantle beneath our TV - and knowing it had to be kept low to avoid blocking the screen - I opted for this simple display. When I placed the two seals at either end of the garland . . . my husband (Doctor Doolittle) said; "Oh that's perfect . . two "Christmas Seals". Of course I gave him that "look". Isn't that what wives are supposed to do? *LOL
« If you appreciate my work and would like to support me becoming an independent photographer, become a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/alexdehaas, or buy me a coffee at www.buymeacoffee.com/alexdehaas :) »
Knowing I'd promised my mum a good going over her garden while visiting the other weekend, the only chance I'd get for a walk before heading home would be an early one!
With the sun just risen I headed for a route I used as a child and in those days it seemed a right excursion out of the village, in my 'grown up' state Google maps informed me I'd walk there in 16 minutes 🙈
Desktop wallpaper of my new favorite movie "Knowing".
Suitable for Macbook + Macbook Pro resolution .
I changed the background and removed the font so that all you see is good 'old' earth...
After knowing Java Indonesia place, i think bali is not the only most beautiful tourists destination in Indonesia.
Central Java, yogyakarta is another beautiful place to visit. Borobudur, Prambanan Taman Wisata Candi, Mount Merapi, Dieng Plateau and etc, are great places that i would not get tired to get some more pictures again.
Besides those famous attractions around yogyakarta , there are a few beautiful beaches just two and a half hour away from the city. Bard Beach is one of them. It ground setting is very similiar to tanah lot at bali, rocky, coral and big strong wave. Some javanese daily activities can be seen over here. More photos from this place will be uploading soon.
View my Java Indonesia set here
Please note that all the contents in this photostream is copyrighted and protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Copyright Act of Singapore, any usage of the images without permission will face liability for the infringement.
For enquiry, drop a mail to fiftymm99@yahoo.com
French postcard by Cinémagazine-Edition, Paris, no. 212. Photo: First National Pictures. Colleen Moore in Synthetic Sin (William A. Seiter, 1929).
American actress Colleen Moore (1899-1988) was a star of the silent screen who appeared in about 100 films beginning in 1917. During the 1920s, she put her stamp on American social history, creating in dozens of films the image of the wide-eyed, insouciant flapper with her bobbed hair and short skirts.
Colleen Moore was born Kathleen Morrison in Port Huron, Michigan in 1899 (the date which she insisted was correct in her autobiography Silent Star, was 1902). Her father was an irrigation engineer and his job was good enough to provide the family with a middle-class environment. She was educated in parochial schools and studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory. As a child, she was fascinated with films and stars such as Marguerite Clark and Mary Pickford and kept a scrapbook of those actresses. By 1917 she was on her way to becoming a star herself. Her uncle, Walter C. Howey, was the editor of the Chicago Tribune and had helped D.W. Griffith make his films The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916) more presentable to the censors. Knowing of his niece's acting aspirations, Hovey asked Griffith to help her get a start in the film industry. No sooner had she arrived in Hollywood than she found herself playing in five films that year, The Savage (Rupert Julkian, 1917) being her first. Her first starring role was as Annie in Little Orphant Annie (Colin Campbell, 1918). Colleen was on her way. She also starred in a number of B-films and in Westerns opposite Tom Mix, like The Wilderness Trail (Edward LeSaint, 1919) and The Cyclone (Clifford Smith, 1920).
The film that defined Colleen Moore as which defined her as the inventor of the 'flapper' look was Flaming Youth (John Francis Dillon, 1923), in which she played Patricia Fentriss. Her Dutch bob in the film was soon copied by hairdressers across America and her air of an emancipated young woman inspired countless imitations. The year she married the first of her four husbands, Frank McCormick, production head of First National Pictures, later part of Warner Brothers. There followed such films as The Perfect Flapper (John Francis Dillon, 1924), The Desert Flower (Irving Cummings, 1925), Ella Cinders (Alfred E. Green, 1926) and Her Wild Oat (Marshall Neilan, 1927). By 1927 she was the top box-office draw in the US, making $12,500 a week. Her second husband was a New York broker, Albert F. Scott. Moore put her money into the stock market, making very shrewd investments. She took a hiatus from acting between 1929 and 1933, just as the sound film was introduced. Her four sound pictures released in 1933 and 1934 were not financial successes. Moore then retired permanently from screen acting. Her final film role was as Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter (Robert G. Vignola, 1934). In 1937 she married her third husband, Homer Hargrave, again a stockbroker, and ended her film career. After she retired she wrote two books on investing and she traveled widely, frequently to China. At 83, she married her fourth husband, builder Paul Maginot. In 1988, Colleen Moore died of an undisclosed ailment in Paso Robles, California. She was 88. At the time of her death, she was writing a novel, a Hollywood murder mystery centered around a Mae West type. Tragically, approximately half of Moore's films are now considered lost. Of her most celebrated film, Flaming Youth (1923), only one reel survives.
Sources: Glenn Fowler (The New York Times), Denny Jackson (IMDb), Ed Stephan (IMDb), Wikipedia and IMDb.
God's word｜VII Classic Words on Knowing God Himself , the Unique
70. How many creatures are there living and reproducing in the vast expanse of the universe, following the law of life over and over, adhering to one constant rule. Those who die take with them the stories of the living, and those who are living repeat the same tragic history of those who have died. And so mankind can’t help but ask itself: Why do we live? And why do we have to die? Who is in command of this world? And who created this mankind? Was mankind really created by Mother Nature? Is mankind really in control of its own fate? … For thousands of years mankind has asked these questions, over and over again. Unfortunately, the more that mankind has become obsessed with these questions, the more of a thirst he has developed for science. Science offers brief gratification and temporary enjoyment of the flesh, but is far from sufficient to free mankind of the solitariness, loneliness, and barely-concealed terror and helplessness deep within his soul. Mankind merely uses scientific knowledge that the naked eye can see and the brain can comprehend to anesthetize his heart. Yet such scientific knowledge cannot stop mankind from exploring mysteries. Mankind does not know who is the Sovereign of all things in the universe, much less does he know the beginning and future of mankind. Mankind merely lives, perforce, amidst this law. None can escape it and none can change it, for among all things and in the heavens there is but One from everlasting to everlasting who holds sovereignty over everything. He is the One who has never been beheld by man, the One whom mankind has never known, in whose existence mankind has never believed, yet He is the One who breathed the breath into mankind’s ancestors and gave life to mankind. He is the One who supplies and nourishes mankind for its existence, and guides mankind up to the present day. Moreover, He and He alone is whom mankind depends on for its survival. He holds sovereignty over all things and rules all living beings beneath the universe. He commands the four seasons, and it is He who calls forth wind, frost, snow, and rain. He gives mankind sunshine and brings the coming of night. It was He who laid out the heavens and earth, providing man with mountains, lakes and rivers and all the living things within them. His deed is everywhere, His power is everywhere, His wisdom is everywhere, and His authority is everywhere. Each of these laws and rules is the embodiment of His deed, and every one of them reveals His wisdom and authority. Who can exempt themselves from His sovereignty? And who can discharge themselves from His designs? All things exist beneath His gaze, and moreover, all things live beneath His sovereignty. His deed and His power leave mankind with no choice but to acknowledge the fact that He really does exist and holds sovereignty over all things. No other thing apart from Him can command the universe, much less can it ceaselessly provide for this mankind.
from “Man Can Only Be Saved Amidst the Management of God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
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Knowing others is Intelligence, knowing yourself is true Wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true Power. (Words from Tao)
Pentacon Six TL
Carl Zeiss Jena 80mm 2.8f
Ilford FP4 ISO-125
Stranger One Hundred of the 100 Strangers Project!! Knowing I only needed one more stranger, I was looking for something special to end the series with. These last four strangers were all taken last Sunday. Meg and I were out photographing with our good friends, and fellow photographers Andy and Staci. We were checking out the Arts District Flea, which is this cool flea market housed in a brick warehouse in the Arts District of Los Angeles. There was a large mix of stalls and artists selling there creative products. Right as we walked in there was a painter doing a portrait of a young man, who was sitting there posing for the artist. It was a large and beautiful work and straight away we new we liked the feel of this place.
There was quite a large section devoted to photography. In one of the corners of the warehouse a mini photography studio was setup, with a studio light appropriate for portraits and frames to pose with. They wanted people to snap shots and post them on social media to promote the Flea Market. I've never used any form of additional lighting in my work, but I've always wondered what it would look like having seen others on flickr use various flash, reflectors, etc.
So I'd found the spot, now for the stranger. Luna just happened to be walking by, near this section of the flea market at that time. She was more than happy to be photographed, and we told her that she would be the 100th stranger in this project. She was very natural in front of the camera and said she'd worked with film before when I explained I need to meter and it might take me a moment to setup. It was actually very hard to meter in these indoor conditions, even with the light. I ended up shooting as slow and as open as I could. Which I think was 1/30 and 2.8f. I took three shots, two of which came out, one was blurry. I love the way her eyes pop here, and her skin tones, I can see the benefits of the light. I've post the other shot of Luna in the comments, you can click on it to see it in full.
I want to say a big thank you as I reach the end of this series. Thank you to each of my strangers, for taking the time and letting a complete stranger take your picture. Each one of you has enriched my life and I'm truly thankful! Also to my contacts here on flickr, thank you for all the encouragement and interest you've shown in this project. You've helped keep me going when I wondered if I could ever really finish a project like this. And lastly, to the project itself and those other photographers out there shooting strangers. Seeing your work, and hearing your experiences with strangers, has helped me grow and learn, other techniques, approaches, and just the commonality of similar goal, and that shared experience - thank you!
So that being said, what's next? Well this project and shooting strangers has become a huge part of what photography is for me. So I don't really feel like I can give that up. I will continue to photograph strangers, but I will open up the project to any camera. I mentioned the other day that I bought the Pentacon Six TL with a mind for portraits, so that's why I keep the project limited to that camera. Now I would like to see what sort of results I get using my other cameras. I took a street portrait last year with my Nikon FE2 and a 105mm lens and I just love it, so I want to try more of that. The other thing I'm considering is asking each of my strangers a question. I've noticed a couple of my fellow photographers ask a specific question or two of their strangers. For instance my name sake, Nigel in London asks them what their all time favorite record or song is. I'm not sure what my question is yet.. but I'm thinking about it :)
Here's a link to my 100 Strangers Project
Also you can find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
Everyone knows that this is an elephant! Right? But not everyone knows that there are different species of elephants. Until just a few years ago, it was generally accepted that there were two species of elephants, African and Asian, and that these were differentiated into subspecies. Genetic evidence, however, would suggest differently. Asian elephants are found predominantly in Southeast Asia and India. Evidence suggests that they differentiated from African elephants millions of years ago. African elephants, of which there are two types, bush and forest, were originally thought to be subspecies. Studies in 2010 seem to show that they, too, are separate species that branched off at about the same time as the Asian elephant. This African Bush Elephant is the largest terrestrial animal in the world. The forest elephant is smaller, and resides predominantly in the Congo. No matter where they reside, elephants seem to demonstrate intelligence and emotion that is a characteristic off all species. #iLoveNature #iLoveWildlife #WildlifePhotography in #Tanzania #Nature in #Africa #Elephants #BushElephants #Canon #DrDADBooks #Bringit #Photography #Picoftheday #Photooftheday
Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience.
Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.
Hal Borland, Countryman: A Summary of Belief
Please view the large size to see Rainbow Bridge.