Ribbon High in the Branches

 

White ribbon high in the branches above,

But how?

A balloon held too loosely in the spring breeze?

No evidence to say so,

But normal silk doesn't often fly to such heights.

What luck, to have been caught at the apex of its path,

We should all be so fortunate.

 

Before me, the gladiator, the eagle, the mounted warrior victorious,

all too captured at their peak.

But do they know?

Is it not just as well to know you've attained it,

and always have the memory,

as imperfect or even embellished?

 

 

 

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Impromptu Portrait Session - an Add-On to my Magnum Workshop Experience

I had the good (great) fortune of meeting this gentleman at the very end of my Magnum workshop in Provincetown, Massachussetts. I met him by being open to opportunities, and by approaching him with an honest request to make a few images.

 

David is a figure of some prominence around here, and was planning to have a photographer visit him next week to shoot portraits for a magazine article. However, he gave me the opportunity to come into his writing studio and shoot a few of my own. Here are the best four shots I got from my ten minutes or so with him.

 

All of these were shot on my Leica M9 with 50mm f1.4 Summilux. I would have liked to use my 35mm lens, as the writing studio was quite cozy and I was challenged to get far enough away to make the picture I wanted. But, I only had the 50mm lens with me, and made the best of it.

 

One of the things I learned (re-learned?) in this workshop is the importance of being out there, being ready for opportunities to make images, and even creating opportunities when necessary. I worked for five days on a project, having a very difficult time getting to even the rather meager number of 5-8 images needed for our presentation to the workshop and to the public at the Fine Arts Work Center here in Provincetown. The experience of meeting David was exactly what I was looking for all week.

 

I ended up using only a single image of David in my presentation (not one of the images shown here), but feel that the experience of meeting him significantly added to my workshop experience.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Quirky Rituals to Spur Creativity

I read an interesting post on the Writer's Circle blog, about odd rituals that famous writers have used to keep the creative juices flowing.

My Daughter and I, a Few Years Back, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor AF-D 35-70mm f2.8 Lens

iso 800, f13, 1/60 sec.

 

Apparently, Joan Didion sleeps with her nearly-finished books, Truman Capote avoided many things based on superstition. My favorite, even though I don't follow it, is Hemingway's creed of "Done by noon, drunk by three." It seems he lived by it.

 

(Click Here) to read the full post on Writer's Circle.

 

I'm about to head off on a solo adventure for three days in New Orleans. No real agenda, other than meeting up with a musician friend who's migrated there. I'm hoping that the change of scenery andsome time to hang out at a leisurely pace will push me in a new creative direction. Actually, I have had lots of ideas and even some progress in images related to them lately. A little extra energy never hurts, though.

 

Now to decide on what camera gear to take...

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

I Would Do This! Amtrak Writer's Residency

Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amtrak_-_GE_P42DC_-_Heritage_Phase_III_Livery.JPG

 

Author Alexander Chee had a great idea, and something really came of it. Apparently, he mentioned in an interview with PEN magazine that he wished Amtrak had a writer-in-residency program, since riding a train seems an ideal way to get creative.

 

(Click Here) to read a little more about the program.

 

I would definitely do this. I think I could be Amtrak's first photographer in residence, and would be happy to write up a trip across the country, or even up or down one of our coasts.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Moon Hoon House - A Virtual "Artist Date" Study in Design

I'm pretty disciplined about some things in my life, writing included. I write every day here on my blog. I also write a journal every day. In four years, I have not missed two consecutive days of writing.

 

Today, I'm just uninspired by photographic equipment and recent images in the sites I follow. I need something different.

 

So, I decided to take a virtual "Artist Date." One of my inspirations for me beginning the writing life was the excellent book by Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way. The book is really worth reading, but boils down to two areas of focus - "Morning Pages" and "Artist Dates." Morning pages consist of writing three pages in a journal, long-hand (as in with a pen) every morning. Artist dates are roughly one hour diversions, by yourself, to explore something creative that is outside your primary interest area. I have been religious about writing every day, less so about artist dates. So, when I literally couldn't find anything photographic to write about this morning, I decided to do an artist date virtually.

 

A quick search in Feedsy led me to some design-related sites. Here's the most interesting thing I found - a wild custom home in Korea:

 

Image Source: http://www.yatzer.com/conan-house-by-moon-hoon

 

A really cool characteristic is the stairway - open, non-uniform spacing and arrangement, it's one of the "playful architecture" features of the house.

 

 

 

 

Image Source: http://www.yatzer.com/conan-house-by-moon-hoon

 

I could live in a place like this. Weird, but certainly not dull.

 

(Click Here) to read more about the house.

 

I'm sure you didn't come to my blog this morning to read about a custom house in Korea. Sometimes I have to go off a little, just to keep my own interest up. Design is a great subject to study, to keep things churning in your creative mind. When you think of a house, you probably think of the square with a triangular roof on top, like you draw as a child. This house design challenges that, making it something to explore. It is also a little disorienting, giving a feeling of instability. Instability can be good.

 

Thanks for taking a look. Try Julia Cameron's book (Amazon link below). It may stimulate you to think a little differently.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

 

So, Where Am I Going With This Blog?

Image Source:
http://marisakeegan.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/to-blog-or-not-to-blog-that-was-the-question/

 

I am nearing the one year mark with DMC-365. That was my initial commitment to blogging - 365 days. I've done very well at keeping up with daily posts. I'm proud of that. Now I find myself asking whether to continue on into the new year.

I enjoy blogging very much, and feel that it helps keep me up to date with what's going on in my chosen hobby. It's hard to imagine not continuing. However, sometimes, I feel like I need to give myself a break. Every single morning, I have an assignment - to write a blog entry, and to write three pages in a journal, all before most of us get to work.

 

I've been journaling much longer than blogging, and really can't imagine living without writing. It's been three and a half years, and I've written nearly every day in that period - with the only exceptions being a few days of extreme illness or other disruptive situations.

 

So, I enjoy writing and blogging. But am I achieving my personal goals with it? What were my goals again? I suppose that I wanted to continue to develop my expertise and knowledge in photography. I also wanted to develop my own creativity. At this point, I feel that I've put far more effort into understanding the latest equipment, software, and techniques than I have into developing creatively. That's not all bad. My ebook about how to set up the Lumix DMC-G3 camera helped me to be more prepared when using that camera; it is also by far the most popular thing I've produced, with thousands of downloads. However, I know that equipment and technology are the opposite side of the coin from creativity. Creativity is harder. It doesn't come every day.

 

And on that subject, the blog does have to come every day. If not, readers have no reason to keep checking back. And a blog without readers is just another journal - I already do that.

 

Another factor is that my blog has lost a little of its initial focus. According to the Blogger's Boot Camp, a book that helped immensely in getting my blog up and running (see Amazon link below), a blog should be razor-focused. Never, ever, start a photography blog - pick an area of photography, then go at least one step narrower, is the advice. That's what initially led me to run a blog about Panasonic Lumix gear. I have found that focus too narrow, as you will have seen. I enjoy using many different cameras and systems, and won't limit that just to match my blog.

 

So, where to go from here, if anywhere? As you may have guessed, this is a question for myself. What I'm thinking right now is that I may find a way to focus more on creativity, but will not likely lose some equipment and technology emphasis; they are nearly inseparable.

 

Some ideas that I've had include:

• Spending more time on my active photography projects (principally Live Music, and to a smaller extent, the Civil War Sesquicentenial)
• Creative writing, specifically related to my photographs
• Regular periodic columns - for example, description of and results from cameras in my collection. Maybe a monthly classic camera profile, which will necessarily include using the camera and sharing results. I have a lot of nice old cameras that I love to use.
• Photo challenges - we did one, and I think it turned out pretty well. I now know how to facilitate a little competition here, and it's fun.
• Exploration of creative techniques in photography. I did post a presentation of my own exploration of "Contemplative Photography," which I think helped develop my own skills, and hopefully was useful to others.
• I have a vague idea of a theme of "What's Gear Got to Do With It?" By this, I mean that technology and gear are largely inseparable from photographic pursuits, and I know a lot about gear. I could write about how and why I use specific gear for specific tasks, and experiment with new solutions.
• Along these lines, I also really love limiting my equipment options for specific shooting sessions, and seeing what I can produce. I imagine I could connect this exercise with some challenges, getting some of you to submit images as well.

So, how does this fit into the concept of a narrowly-focused subject? I'm not sure I know yet. If I was convinced that I could frequently find information on developing more creativity in my photography, that is where I'd focus. Maybe the interaction of technology and creativity in photography is focused enough.

 

Anyway, thanks for following my musings. If you have opinions, I'm quite open to them as always.

 

I do think I'll keep blogging. But, I may try some different approaches this coming year.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 
 

A Defunct Rangefinder Blog Gains New Life - Nick DeMarco's Rangefinder Chronicles

And here's what brought it back - a "mint" Leica IIIF Red Dial and 5.0cm f3.5 Elmar.

Nick DeMarco's New IIIF

Image Source: http://rangefinderchronicles.blogspot.co.uk/

 
Nick DeMarco's blog, the Rangefinder Chronicles, has been inactive since January of this year. Recently, it got some new life breathed into it. Apparently, Nick found an essentially-new condition Leica IIIF from 1955, complete with original lens and case. So far, he's posted three different pieces about using it, including some sample images.
 
(Click Here) to read the Rangefinder Chronicles.
 
In one of his posts, Nick writes about how he set his own expectations too high when he started the blog. Believe me, I know exactly how hard it is to keep up a blog with daily entries. In fact, I find myself questioning if I'll keep it up, or in what fashion, once I've met my goal of trying daily blogging for a year. I just entered month eleven of twelve.
 
In many ways, I find blogging refreshing and informative. However, it sure takes dedication and time. Time is what I have the least of these days. But, I do believe for a blog to be useful at all, it needs frequent, regular entries. One per day is not a lot by active blog standards.
 
Anyway, I'm glad to see the Rangefinder Chronicles coming back to life. I'll be sure to follow it.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com