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~ Recipe: Observe, think, and feel. Then create.

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Category Archives: Photography

Just Another Wandering Wednesday

20 Thursday Aug 2020

Posted by sillisoup in Covid-19, new mexico, Photography

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Albuquerque BioPark, ELCC, Mid-Week Marauders, Tingley Beach

Yesterday was a Mid-Week Marauders outing. These once or twice monthly photography expeditions sponsored by the Enchanted Lens Camera Club are helping keep me sane in these crazy times and forcing me to overcome my Covid inertia and get out with my camera for some much needed practice. Also, it’s been great to visit some of the Albuquerque attractions that I may have been unaware of or that I just haven’t gotten around to visiting. Tingley Beach falls into the latter category. Part of the Albuquerque Bio-Park complex and located adjacent to the Rio Grande, it provides fishing in three lakes, lovely paths for walking, picnic areas, lots of ducks, and access to the Bosque (the wooded area adjacent to the river) hiking trails and the city’s bike trail. In better times paddle boats are available on one of the lakes as well as a cafe and information inside the Train Depot. I am consistently amazed at the extent of Albuquerque’s beautiful open spaces available for all kinds of learning and recreation. And yes, by the time I left yesterday I was pretty darn hot. But at least they get a reasonably early start with these outings. Click on images below to view full size.

  • The Train Depot – One stop on the train through the BioPark.
  • Wouldn’t be NM without a ristra.
  • It’s a long wait for the train right now.
  • Leisurely fishing
  • Just a little stroll by the lake
  • Whaaaa?
  • Bird boat
  • A little water feature
  • Mystery flora
  • Public art from ABQ’s 1% for the Arts
  • Paddle boat dock in better times
  • Just wrong
  • Path into the Bosque

Stories of Family in the Time of Covid-19 – Part 3: Reopening (a little bit)

05 Friday Jun 2020

Posted by sillisoup in Covid-19, Family, Photography

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Albuquerque BioPark

We in New Mexico are in Phase 1 of our Reopening. It’s hard to keep up with the details, but it includes wearing masks in public, non-essential retail stores are open with restrictions – social distancing, masks, sanitizing, etc., and outdoor public spaces are open. So in addition to the expedition to Trader Joe’s I mentioned in an earlier post, I have now ventured carefully to the garden center and the doctor’s office. I’m feeling very toddlerish. The most exciting reopening adventure to date, however, has been our trip to the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden yesterday with daughter Rachel and the grandkids. It’s Members Week there prior to their opening to the public at large, and they have set up an extremely well marked walk through the gardens with timed-ticketing to maximize social distancing. It was a beautiful day and was beyond thrilling to be out in this beautiful spot after a long winter and a longer-seeming period of isolation.

A Walk in the BioPark

The Aaker masked band: Colin, Frances, Rachel, and Lucy. (Picture me behind the camera.)
So many shapes, colors, lights, and shadows. Frankie, Lucy, Colin, Rachel
Clear instructions for social distancing.
Pretty girls: Frances…
…and Lucinda
Trestles, but no trains yet
The water lillies are very happy
A thorny poppy at the Heritage Farm
Can’t visit the conservatory just yet, but it seems to be doing well.
Colin loves the waterfall – and climbing on rocks
Likewise!!

Shuttered Albuquerque

16 Saturday May 2020

Posted by sillisoup in Covid-19, Photography

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Tags

albuquerque, Covid-19, new mexico, pandemic

New Mexico’s governor announced new reopening guidelines on Wednesday, May 13. As of Saturday, May 16, retail shops and some other gathering places, such as churches, may reopen with limited capacity and safety restrictions such as masks. I’d been wanting to document some of the closed shopping and tourist areas, so decided on Thursday that I would photograph some of them. It will be interesting to compare the landscapes a week from now as people tentatively venture out and a month from now when perhaps they will be more or less tentative. Pandemic history unfolding. [Click on images to view full sized.]

  • Shuttered Coronado Mall
  • Albuquerque Uptown – No admittance
  • Entrance to a very quiet Old Town
  • Closed and quiet
  • Empty Old Town Streets
  • San Felipe de Neri – Church built in 1793, still an active parish
  • For more than 300 years, “the spiritual heart of Albuquerque”
  • Closed – Public Masses resuming May 23-24, 2020
  • Old Town – Shuttered shops
  • Shopping alternatives
  • Maybe later for coffee
  • Come back later
  • Hope, love and faith – pandemic blessings
  • Shuttered Albuquerque Museum
  • Museum’s Sculpture Garden
  • Memories of better times
Shuttered Albuquerque

Sunday Afternoon – Route 66

21 Tuesday Apr 2020

Posted by sillisoup in Art and Creativity, Covid-19, Photography, Random Thoughts

≈ 10 Comments

This week I had a wonderful Sunday afternoon.  In an effort to combine photographic and exercise goals, I drove down to Central Avenue to wander and to photograph the art and architecture of Route 66.  This historic highway is an important part of Albuquerque’s history and there are many relics of the motels, restaurants, and businesses of its heyday.  Some are repurposed, some are derelict.  This stretch of the old highway goes through Albuquerque’s downtown and Nob Hill districts and there is also much public art from the present era on the buildings.

It was a beautiful day, mild temperatures and those unsurpassed New Mexico blue skies with just enough clouds to make it potographically perfect.  And a photographer’s dream: few people or vehicles.  In fact the traffic on the drive down and back and on Central Avenue was eerily sparse.  This, of course, is the two-edged sword of the Covid-19 restrictions.  The businesses were closed.  The ART busses weren’t running. It was a rare opportunity for uncluttered photographs, but sad and ominous.

As an added bonus, I listened to classic country music on the drive – windows down, excellent stereo in the new Prius. I do love the older country music, although some of it is a little culturally dated, like Willie Nelson singing Good Hearted Woman, followed by Johnny Cash and June Carter’s rendition of It Ain’t Me Babe.  Now if it the “me” in the latter song were June instead of Johnny, that one would have been fixed.

The photos below represent only the few blocks that I walked.  I plan to do this again on another section of the road.

Central Ave Rt 66-04-2020-45

The DeAnza Motor Lodge repurposed for office space.

Central Ave Rt 66-04-2020-2

Behind the DeAnza is a modern gated apartment complex.

Central Ave Rt 66-04-2020-3

Decor on the repurposed DeAnza Motor Lodge

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Central Ave Rt 66-04-2020-14

Area Rapid Transit Sign

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Central Ave Rt 66-04-2020-91

Quiet ART Station

Central Avenue Uninhabited

 

Graffiti from Today’s Walk

02 Thursday Apr 2020

Posted by sillisoup in Covid-19, Photography

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Autumn Walks

25 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by sillisoup in Photography, Random Thoughts

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cemetery, Mesker Zoo, zoo

IMG_0018

Nan at the zoo.

I began the day today with a walk at Mesker Park Zoo with my friend/walking buddy, Nan.  I didn’t take my camera because our goal was walking and I knew it would slow us down since I’d have to photograph everything I saw.  However, I did have my iPhone, of course, so I took a few shots and processed them when I got home using some of the iPhonography apps and tools recommended by the fabulous Rad Drew when he addressed the Fine Art Camera Club recently.  I’ve been meaning to do that, anyway, and had planned to spend today studying various photography materials, so mission accomplished!

Below are a few of the exotic animals we saw.

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The autumn colors have suddenly become much more pronounced this weekend, and I was really feeling the need to get out with my “grownup” camera and take some photos of the foliage.  I noticed in driving to and from the Zoo that the trees in and surrounding the cemetery across the road from the zoo were very striking.  And there’s something about the dying of autumn and the commemoration of the dead that seems so sadly beautiful.  So later in the afternoon, I returned to the cemetery and captured some images there.

alexander cemetery-4593

alexander cemetery-4628

alexander cemetery-4629

alexander cemetery-4615

Stations of the Cross

Taking the Long Way on Route 66

01 Thursday Oct 2015

Posted by sillisoup in Photography, Travel

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

road trip, route 66, travel

Route66-07-2015-0204

(Click on images to view full size.)

The drive on three Interstate highways from home to Albuquerque is fast and long.  Boom, boom – hundreds of miles of Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico roadway flying past.  However, if you’re willing to slow down, you can drive most of this on the old Route 66, the Mother Road. I’ve driven the 1208-mile Interstate route several times and viewed sections of Route 66 at 75 mph, thinking, I need to take this trip on the old road one day.  That day came this summer.

Planning a drive to Albuquerque to visit my daughter and her family,  I decided to to add an extra day to the trip and spend part of the drive there on Route 66.  I kept thinking about how much more fun it would be if someone went with me, but couldn’t really ask anyone since I planned to be in Albuquerque for two weeks.  I was bemoaning this fact over lunch with my friend Jane. When it dawned on us that it was possible to book a one-way fare with frequent flier miles, she was suddenly coming with me!  My best friend was sharing the adventure! Road trip! The planning continued in earnest as we both studied maps and books and online resources.

Day One: Saturday, July 25, 2015

Route66-07-2015-0001About two weeks later, we hit the road.  We joined Route 66 in St. Louis with, appropriately enough, ice cream!  Ted Drewes Frozen Custard is famous for both its location on the old Route 66 and for its “concrete” shakes.  We opted for the special of the day, a tricked-out butterscotch sundae, and acquired our first Route 66 souvenirs.  While we were thrilled to be at this famed iconic temple of frozen confection, our consensus was that the ice cream tasted a whole lot like, well, pretty good ice cream.

Route66-07-2015-0026On a sugar high, we proceeded, partly on the old Route 66, partly on Interstate 44 to our next stop, Meramec State Park, home of the famed and totally kitched-out Meramec Caverns.  Among the caverns’ claims to fame are their service as a hide-out for Jesse James and assorted outlaws and as a filming location for episodes of the Lassie TV series.  The caverns are truly magnificent and their discovery and history is a fascinating story. Hundreds of people are led through the caves daily on guided tours that highlight their natural wonders and their legendary past.  Cameras and iPhones snap away in the dark capturing dim memories of the natural wonders and the lit displays of scenes depicting early miners and outlaws.  It was a refreshingly cool break from a sweltering summer day, and we felt thrown-back to the heyday of Route 66 when families flocked to roadside wonders guided by beckoning signs all along the route.

Jane orders road food.

After a couple of hours of cave exploration, we were ready for an another authentic Route 66 eating experience, and we found it a few miles down the road at the Circle Inn Malt Shop in Bourbon, MO.  This diner was satisfyingly Route 66 in its black and white tiled decor and was peopled with locals most of whom sat at the counter in overalls and plaid shirts smoking and visiting.  In a nod to road-food tradition, we ordered hamburgers and fries, and Jenit (Dutch spelling), our waitress, provided background history while we waited.  The Circle Inn, she told us, has been family owned and operated for four generations.  Jenit and her husband owned the local drug store.  After her husband’s death, she ran the business until competition from the chains caused her to sell.  The Circle Inn owners are family friends and they lured her into helping at the restaurant for Fish Fridays, their busiest night.  This led to her eventual full-time work, which she loves.  While we were there, locals wandered in and out chatting, smoking, even occasionally eating.  It was a bit of culture shock to be in a restaurant that still allows smoking, but it added to the sense of throwback to the heyday of old Route 66! And I suspect that the local smokers appreciate a haven for their habit.

Our goal was to reach Carthage, Missouri, by evening where we had a reservation at the Boots Court.  So we headed west on I44, planning to get off the Interstate onto the Old Road for Devils Elbow, a stretch much admired by the writers of our tour books.  We did drive through part of it, but missed quite a bit of it, as it was a struggle to find the route on our maps, a common situation we found throughout the journey.

Route66-07-2015-0035The Boots Court proved to be one of the highlights of our trip.  Lovingly restored by two history-loving sisters, it is managed by their childhood friend Debbie, who came out of retirement to live and manage on-site after they completed the first phase of the old motel’s restoration.  The sisters used grant funds from the National Parks Association along with their own resources to restore the property to its 1949 condition.  With an emphasis on authenticity there is “a radio in every room” tuned to the local station playing music from the era and providing local news.  So far, eight rooms have been restored, including the one that Clark Gable slept in with its adjoining private carport.  The restoration is both authentic and incredibly clean and fresh.  We felt transported to the fifties! Debbie is filled with pride for the project and generously shared information about the local history and Route 66 “must sees.”  After checking in, we took a walk to nearby downtown Carthage and viewed the beautifully ornate old courthouse on the square before purchasing snacks and retiring to our room for the night.

Gallery of Images from Day One.  (Click on image to view full size.)

Frozen custard launches our Route 66 adventure in St. Louis
So many menu options!
We’ll keep the lights on for you. Boots Court.

The Prius loved Boots.
An actual key! To quote Richard Geere, “I miss keys.”

Clark Gable slept here!
Mid Century furnishings in our room.
Deb shares her love of Route 66 from Boots Court.

Coffee shop in Carthage, MO
Courthouse in downtown Carthage
Meramec Caverns

Counting their loot? Meramec Caverns
More Meramec kitch.
The Circle Inn displays their history.

Day Two: Sunday, July 26, 2015

Route66-07-2015-0143After breakfast at The Pancake House next door, we discussed nearby points of interest along the Route with Debbie.  She highly recommended Red Oak II, built outside of Carthage by local artist Lowell Davis.  She told us that if we were lucky, we might even get to chat with the artist, whose home is there.  Deb’s enthusiasm convinced us that we had to visit Red Oak II before we left the area.  We weren’t wrong and we were lucky, for shortly after we arrived and began wandering around this fascinating living work of art, we ran into Mr. Davis, and he became our tour guide. Here was a man who relishes the role of eccentric old artist – and does it very well indeed!  He beganRed Oak II some thirty years ago on his farm property there.  Primarily a sculptor and a painter, Davis had grown up in the original Red Oak, which by that time had become a virtual ghost town. He began buying up old buildings from there and other abandoned towns in the area and moving them to his farm property.  He restored the buildings and added his own sculptures to the site, creating a living whimsically historic work of art. As we wandered the property with him, he shared stories of his life, his artistic philosophy, and of his ongoing and constantly evolving project.  Red Oak II, he said, is created from materials other people have thrown away.  One of the buildings he purchased, moved and restored is the small country church that sits on the property. He felt that the hillside next to it would be perfect for a small cemetery.  In addition, he wants to be buried “where I lived my dream and made my art.” So he placed a stone there that will ultimately be his marker.  He surrounded it with grave stones he “recycled” from a local carver.  These markers had been rejected for one reason or another by the families who had commissioned them.  He had to agree that he would either obtain permission from the family of the deceased to use the stone, or he would obliterate the actual name on the stone.

Lowell Davis enjoys his pipe while we eat popsicles he provided.

The artist in his garden.

It was hot that morning as we wandered through the village, so Mr. Davis offered us popsicles and we ate them in the eccentric garden behind his house as the roosters wandered through and he told us how he met and married his third (present) wife. He met her on a trip to Korea with his artist friend, Samuel Butcher (the creator of the Precious Moments figurines and the nearby Precious Moments Chapel).  He and his wife live in the house once occupied by old west legend Belle Starr, the Bandit Queen.  His wife, he told us, was presently visiting in New York to “restore her sanity,” but he invited us into the house to view it and his art that decorated the walls.  There we met his daughter who lives nearby and was helping out in his wife’s absence. (For more information about Red Oak II, click here.)

More images from Red Oak II (Click to view full-sized images.)

“Town Hall”

The last Mail Pouch barn painting in Missouri.
The farm across the road.
He’s working on a bed and breakfast apartment in one of the buildings on the property.

A place to sit and chat.
Mr. Davis’ grave marker, the taller dark stone in the background, is waiting in the cemetery on the property.

Sculpture/fountain in front of his house.
Repourposed as art.

Mr. Davis takes materials others discard to create his art in the village.
Back yard with one of the pet roosters.
Jane bought an autographed copy of his autobiography.

Lowel Davis next to a self-portrait.

Route66-07-2015-0156-EditAfter spending most of the morning at Red Oak II, we headed for the Kansas stretch of Route 66 around 11 AM.  The Old Road cuts through just a corner of Kansas and includes Galena, home of Cars on the Route (formerly 4 Women on the Route until only one of the original owner/operators remained).  The “Cars” of the name refers to assorted vintage vehicles parked in their lot, including the tow-truck which they claim inspired the character depicted in Disney’s Cars movie.  Disney, of course, with their usual copyright paranoia, will not allow them call him “Mater.”  Included in the vintage gas station building was the requisite gift shop featuring Route 66 memorabilia and a small diner with the classic Route 66 black, white, and red chrome and tile decor. Here the short-order cook served up our second hamburger lunch of the trip from the minimalist menu: hamburgers, hot dogs, fries. Later, while we were browsing the gift shop, the attendant was making a count of visitors who had signed the registration book since the beginning of the year.  On one side of her sheet were ticks for US visitors and the other side for folks from other countries.  Surprisingly, the ticks were about even, with hundreds of visitors counted on each side of her page.  Indeed, we had seen a number of foreign visitors at the various sites we visited along the way.  It seems that the Route 66 journey of nostalgia is very popular among visitors to our country.  It made me wonder if their vision of the US is of a rural landscape with small towns along two-lane highways dotted with dusty neon-lit motels and cafes filled with simple folk selling fried food and kitch.

Cars on the Route
A little bit of hamburger heaven.

Route66-07-2015-0166

Swimming is no longer allowed, but you can walk in the belly of the whale…and his mouth and tail.

Our intention was to visit Baxter Springs, Kansas, in a bow to Jane’s last name, but we realized that if we were to reach our motel in McLean, Texas, before nightfall, we need to boogie on down the Interstate.  So we hopped onto I44.  We did decide to get back on Route 66 to visit Catoosa, Oklahoma, home of Mother Road icon, the Blue Whale. With all the hype typical of tourist attractions along Route 66 we expected the the road to the Whale would be well marked.  However, we wandered through quite a few miles of countryside, then some of it again before finally asking a local for directions.  And there it was…a somewhat faded version of it’s blue glory.  It was formerly a delightful giant mammalian entry to a small lake, but no swimming is allowed any more.  But we could walk into its mouth and onto the diving platform of its tail.  And, of course, there was still a souvenir shop on the property.  Onward to Texas!

Route66-07-2015-0174As we approached the McLean, Texas, exit off of I44 a little after nine that evening, we saw an enormous column of smoke ahead.  Police were routing traffic through McLean at what was fortunately our exit for the motel we had booked for the night.  When we arrived at  the Cactus Inn, the receptionist was clearly shaken.  She told us that she had seen the huge explosion on the highway from where she was.  She saw a truck drive by, then it exploded.  We were sick, sure that there was no way anyone could have survived such a huge explosion and fire.  When we left our room to check out the next morning, however, the clerk pointed out a couple using their cell phone on the parking lot.  They were, she told us, the occupants of the truck. They had survived the explosion and had been brought to the motel the night before by the emergency responders.  I spoke with the couple to tell them how happy and relieved we were that they had survived such a horrible fire. They told me that they heard an explosion and suddenly the truck was on fire.  Both managed to flee the truck but her cell phone was all they had left. Even his shoes had been provided by a volunteer fireman.

Route66-07-2015-0178Route66-07-2015-0183A word about the Cactus Inn.  It, too, is an historic Route 66 hotel.  But unlike the Boots Court, which is old and restored, this one is just old.  However it was adequately clean, very inexpensive, and ultimately a significant addition to our Route 66 adventure. (Click on pictures to view full size.)

Day 3: Monday, July 27, 2015

Before leaving McLean, in the spirit of our Old Road experience, we had breakfast at the Wagon Wheel in downtown McClean.  The food was good (who can mess up bacon, eggs, toast, and orange juice),and the decor was, guess what, black and white tile with red checkered tablecloths!

Route66-07-2015-0202Our goal for this day was to visit Palo Duro Canyon State Park in the Texas Panhandle several miles south of Amarillo.  The morning was very hot and dry, but fortunately, this site can be toured by car as you wind through the canyon to view its many layers of rock and stunning mesas.  Called The Grand Canyon of Texas, it is the second largest canyon in the U.S.  This landscape is such a departure from the flat stretches of the Panhandle along I40!

The iconic leaning water tower near Amarillo

Another Route 66 icon, the leaning water tower near Amarillo.

Palo Duro Canyon - Such a surprise in the flat dessert stretches of the Texas Panhandle!

Palo Duro Canyon – Such a surprise in the flat dessert stretches of the Texas Panhandle!

Heading west!

A few miles down I40, we pulled off onto Route 66 again, this time to visit Adrian, Texas, home of The Midpoint Cafe at the halfway point of old Route 66 between its endpoints in Chicago and L.A. We had hoped to eat lunch at the Cafe, but the kitchen was closed for the day.  However the souvenir shop was open, of course, and I purchased my requisite Midpoint Cafe coffee mug.  Obligingly, they had the perfect half-way photo op set up outside with old and new windmills and the gorgeous Texas planes in the background. We headed west toward our Albuquerque destination.

Windmills old and new.
Halfway between Chicago and L.A.!
Not everything along the route has been restored.

Our next pull-off was Tucumcari, New Mexico, because how could you not stop in a place named Tucumcari?  Once famous for its “thousands” of motel beds, it’s still filled with some of the best neon along the road including one of the most striking at the beautifully restored Blue Swallow Motel.  Sadly, it was still light out when we photographed it, but even at that, it was worth the detour.


Our final stop before arriving in Albuquerque was at Clines Corners – just because there were so many signs for it, we felt compelled. And we needed gas.  It is, as promised, a GIANT truck stop on I40 with every kind of, you guessed it, souvenir imaginable.  We managed to buy only gas and arrived at our destination in time for one of Bret’s wonderful dinners and began our visit with him, Rachel, and the world’s best grandchildren. And we still weren’t far from Route 66.  One of these days I’ll have to do a thorough pilgrimage to all the Mother Road icons in Albuquerque!

Albuquerque - flowers and Sandia Mountains

Albuquerque – flowers and Sandia Mountains

Nothing Is Fresher Than Spring…

21 Saturday Mar 2015

Posted by sillisoup in Photography

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

blogging101, flowers, spring, the daily post

…and nothing says Spring like the first crocus.

flowers-2-101In my part of the country, Southwest Indiana, spring can drag its feet, but it usually arrives some time in March.  March can also be dreary, rainy, cold and stubborn.  But as soon as the sun peeks out and temperatures rise a little, up pop the crocuses.  Mine are almost buried under the encroaching underbrush of the woods behind my house.  But sure enough, they poked their little heads through the dead leaves today just in time for the official first day of spring.  Green is coming!

flowers-2-100Funny, Day 11 of Blogging 101, which BTW I’m doing a few days late, instructed us to reply to a prompt in the Daily Post.  I went there looking for the writing prompt and saw the daily photography prompt, which was Fresh.  Immediately the photos I had taken this morning of my crocuses popped into my head.  So here they are.  I’m doing a happy dance. (No picture of that available.)

Blogging101 Day Four – Identify Your Audience

06 Friday Mar 2015

Posted by sillisoup in Art and Creativity, Photography

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

10000 hour rule, blogging101, evansvill photography group, fine arts camera club, gladwell, photography

Note: Wow, this is a tough one.  I’m not sure who my audience is.  Really, though, the assignment is to write a post “that someone in particular will see (and appreciate).”   The idea is that even if we are writing just to write, which to me means writing to either express my thoughts or to figure out where they are going, there’s some particular person or class of persons we are speaking to.  I don’t know.  Maybe this is one of those instances where I’m just trying to figure out where my thoughts are going.  I hope to know by the end of this post who I am writing it for. At this point I don’t feel overly confident of that.

Photography, Guilt, and Self-Appreciation

It’s a beautiful, cold, sunny, snowy day and I’m feeling guilty about not being outside with my camera attempting to make some snow images.  Ever since I decided to get more serious about my photography I’ve been fraught with guilt. (I’m so excited to have an opportunity to use the word fraught!)

As a component of my resolution, I have reactivated my membership in the Fine Arts Camera Club and have begun attending meetings of the Evansville Photography Group.  Both of these groups meet once a month and have Facebook pages where members can post their work and share and discuss all things photographic.  I’ve learned a lot from these folks so far and have enjoyed the learning and the gatherings.  And their work is inspirational.  And it’s also intimidating – both in terms of quality and quantity.  Hence the guilt.  I feel guilty about not sharing my work.  I feel guilty about not taking more images.  I feel overwhelmed about the vastness of what I have yet to learn about equipment, procedure, post-production, software.  Gaaaaaaah!  And, of course, I’m afraid that if I do share my images they won’t be good enough.

One of the first things I learned when I began taking photography classes is that it’s not about the camera, it’s about the image.  In other words, vision trumps equipment.  Now, I’m not sure if my instructors and book authors really believed that, or if they just wanted us to get hooked before we realized how expensive this hobby (or profession, in some cases) really is.  The digital divide does exist in photography. Now that we’ve graduated from film to digital photography more and more of the control of the ultimate image moves from the photographer and the darkroom to the camera and the computer.  Cameras and software are changing and improving almost moment to moment.  If your camera, like mine, is seven or eight years old, its sensor has been surpassed dramatically by more recent models.  And if you are, like me, still on a sharp learning curve with photo editing software use and acquisition…well, you get the idea.  And the new stuff is EXPENSIVE.  And my old stuff was EXPENSIVE, so I don’t want to have to replace it all.

So, that was a long rant and sounds way more negative than I usually try to be.  When you really get down to it, the main problem with my photography is that I don’t do enough of it.  We all know that in order to be good at something you have to do it and do it and then do it some more. Right Malcom? [As an aside, in seeking out a link to Gladwell’s 10,000 hour rule, I found far more links to sites that “debunk” it.  However, I hold firmly to my belief in its value in principle…with certain modifications like adapted practice, obviously. I’m sure even Malcom knows that.]

cadillac ranch 6

Cadillac Ranch

So there are a couple of solutions here.
1. Focus, excuse the pun, more on making photographs.
2. Continue to learn from and be inspired (not intimidated) by my fellow photophiles in the groups that I joined.
3. Continue to learn more about the software and equipment that I currently have and use.
4.  Don’t be so dang vain about sharing.

Well, there I went from “what on earth can I write about” to self analysis.  And really, although this is MY blog, I don’t want to be entirely “I” centered.  That’s just boring to that unidentified reader I am supposed to be writing for today.  Which brings me to the realization that this post was mostly written for my most appreciative reader – myself.  Nice job, Jeanne!  If you’re still with me, thank you! I’ll try to be less self-centered next time.  I promise.

A Little Bit of Everything

Here to share photos, thoughts simple and profound, and to chat about books, food, and the state of the world.
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Recent Posts

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Follow sillisoup on WordPress.com
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abyquilts

Sharing the joy of quilt-making

Kimjww's Blog

Just another WordPress.com site

The Wayne Chronicle

Inclusive & Unbiased News - Nationally Focused, Internationally Viewed.

Renard's World

My Personal Space On The Web To Post Anything That Tickles My Fancy

Image Pixels Explore Photography

When imaging and pixels merge we make art

#HOPEJAHRENSURECANWRITE

books and things.

Ochwoman To The Rescue

A teacher in search of ways to save ourselves, our classrooms, and the world

Paper Pencil Life

Comics & Illustration by Summer Pierre

Clumsy and Stupid

Blog about Canada and travels/ Blog o Kanadzie i podróżach

GalaxyJane Cruises the Universe

Bad Movies, Good Metal, and Not Enough Travel

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