Still Stewing

i do not expect everyone to like everything i post. but it gets somewhat frustrating and tedious, when not getting much input, the one input you do get is from a jerk in Alabama that blasts everything I wrote in prose form about the place we once knew. i would not have been as upset had he given constructive criticism, but to go off on saying i of had a troubled childhood to like the things of old, to make fun of the creak of the porch swing, to say, who would build a porch of lighter wood, and on and on. way too on and on. it miffed me to the point i blocked him from my facebook. the only other person i did that to was the girl in lakeland who totally did not get humor or sarcasm or double meaning and went off on me, calling me all sorts of things.
i suppose had the fellow knew the circumstances that led to the loss of the home place, of not having a place to call home, never able to go back, then perhaps he would have been a bit more sympathetic. i did not keep him an acquaintance that long.
i am not one that relished the old ways, i did not personally have to live through the hardships. we did not have hot water at the old place like home, we boiled water on the stove for baths. it was no hardship. it did not have central heat and air like home, but the wood stove was fine. and so, it was like going to hunting camp, or camping out, it was not our way of living, it was week-ends, vacations. we went back to the modern conveniences. \

A Lamp Rant

highly,highly over the top processed. the front yard at the end of the sidewalk lamp post. used at the john clare site to illustrate a poem by Anne Lindbergh. used also to illustrate that while one does not have to go beyond the end of the walk to get a shot, sometimes it helps. this one was a double exposure. first the lamp, then added the pine trees in the front yard swirling with a slow exposure. again, did not have to leave the yard, but sometimes it helps. if your work is becoming repetitive and boring, perhaps you are spending way too much time in one location, maybe stuck on the sidewalk. sometimes, all it takes to break the monotony of the same results, is to change the location. go beyond the sidewalk, beyond the end of the yard, beyond the county line, the state line, the ocean line. anywhere, just GO!

and....by the same token...if all you ever do is go,go,go....always going to that exotic location...even there you can become bland and ho hum in your always capturing the extraordinary....come home...simplify...spend some time on the sidewalk....there is more to life than always being on the GO!
so there...two perspectives on GO! now go...

Fine Art America

Wacahoota. Posted this today, with two others. So far with the Fine Art America site for $30 a year, I have added 79 photographs, 76 if you subtract the three gourd photographs for illustration. I do not have much hope of selling anything there, but if I never did anything, neither would I sell anything either. So we do what we can. I uncheck the send to Facebook box on most of the ones I added, not wanting to overly saturate, but that seems what one has to do. I added the cycling shots. I am as usual, probably in the process of over boarding, adding too much. But, it is easy to delete prints and add.
This week the old gallery is closed for the move downtown. I am still reluctant to go down and help. At some point this week I will need to go down and get the prints and move them to the new gallery.
Then, I will show up Saturday to take photographs.
I am waiting Amazon for some frames and prints. I again made probably a mistake of ordering too old stuff.

Gallery

worked my second four hour day yesterday. worked with Rex. was supposed to help downtown. the new downtown Gallery opens the 31st. rex called today, said they needed a cook. i suggested Herb. he called. herb will be the cook. i am the official photographer.
do not yet know what i will put in my 3foot 30 dollar for three months space. i took about six prints to carol today for her to cut mats. 10.00 a mat so there goes fifty.
the rest of the morning was spent finishing the many 4x4,6x6 blocks, painting and gluing photographs onto them, then modge podging over them. next to place name on back. one or two i placed a photo on the back as well. nice affect. not sure if these will be worthy to place in gallery.
but, they will be reasonable and maybe place them somehow in the gift shop.
trying, really trying here.

A thousand times!

I gotta love my sisters optimism concerning my photography. Yesterday she texted me a photographers work from the TPC who said, "All I did was post my work on Flicker, the jobs all came to me, I did not have to do anything else." She said, OMG, you are a thousand times better than him!
Maybe so, I do not fathom how one measures such, but one thing is certain. You can be a mediocre artist with savvy promotion skills and people will flock to you. I am the opposite. I shoot all the time, practicing if you will, all the time, for the big game, sitting on the bench, if you will, awaiting the starters to foul out. They never do. They never will. There will always be a new recruit. A thousand times the artist. The promoter.
I wistfully tell my sister I appreciate the confidence and go about my business, thinking, hmmmm...I may just have to post to the big easy Flicker and bring some of that fame my way......

Point and Post

The first light over the yard today, I waited until it hit the newly blooming amaryllis then struck out. Oh, there were others before that, the shot of Nathaniels little yellow rake, the flycatcher going into the wood duck box, etc. After the shot, took the Canon S95 to the computer and downloaded them. Then printed a few out and mounted them on the little boards ordered from Cheap Joe's. Instant art!
The process was interuppted by having to put the little kitten out of its misery. I had tried catching it for several days. I finally did by acting like a mother cat, purring and cooing to get it to come to me. It did. Melanie and Jordon took up with it immediately and mothered it, but this morning, whether Jordon slept on it and smothered it, or if it had another malady already, it died.
I then had to work at the gallery. While there Ron Pinner came by and we chatted about concepts and ideas, then went over to McDonalds for tea. Rex said I should be down at the Gallery downtown working, but I did not feel up to it. While at the Gallery, my leg cramped up badly. Funny to Rex and Ron seeing me dance around in pain.
I was going to stop volunteering and move my work from the new gallery, but paid thirty dollars for three more months with only a three foot, smallest space. I figure if I use the little blocks, it will hold enough.
Tomorrow I am going over to the framer down the road from me to get some mats cut for the prints I ordered for the upcoming Library show. If I should be so fortunate to win a prize, then my thirty dollars will be paid back. Dream on.

I must decrease

Facebook can be dangerous in that we are continually promoting ME. I grow weary of the self-promotion, of throwing out for the world to see, the continual updating of the inane activities of daily life. I am just as guilty, continually shouting ME via the photography, wanting a larger share of onlookers,admirers,followers,likers,comments....
And when that does not occur with the breadth expected, it garners frustration. The ME has a unsatisfied appetite.
In the decrease, something must increase. And as John the Baptist said so well, (the first tattoo scripture verse Landon placed on his arm) He must increase, but I must decrease. Satisfaction can only come in a dying to the ME, the self-promotion. To slay the flesh and its desire. The desire for the world, the shunning of things spiritual, Christ-like.
A most difficult task especially for the artist-types, who dwell much in the flesh, the world, the things of this world.

Art Dart

Arrived after seven downtown to the first annual Dart for the Arts 5K. Kim, the organizer immediately showed me a map of North Lake City with the route drawn out. She said she needed someone to lead the runners over it. I asked her, if it was marked, she said no, that she had been busy with blood bank. Uh Oh. I made a quick decision, four laps around the lake would be much safer and simpler, even if it would be 3.2 miles, not 3.1.
I did not tell her I used to direct races in the old days. I did well. I recall back when, when I turned over the reigns of the Blue-Grey 10k, that I showed up to see how things were going. They had forgotten the pins for the numbers. I went ballistic. Today, I remained calm and collected. Even though there was absolutely little planning, thankfully, the twenty who walked and ran got through it with a good work-out, a tee and a water bottle for $20.
I re-connected with Ron my photographer friend and all went well. Sometimes, it just isn't worth sweating over details. But....a little planning next year would go a long ways toward tripling the turnout and money raised for the gallery.
From there I went up to Lake Shore where we discharged my mom from the hospital and took her home.
It was a blessing to see her marked improvement and no need for any surgery or rehab nursing home.
She then came to our house for the afternoon where we watched the Preakness horse race, had supper.
We took her back to my sisters around 8PM after Jeopardy.
In the meanwhile, Melanie said that I need to get over the anger and all at everything, that I need to continue on at the gallery. So I suppose I will tell Rex Tuesday, I will go in the new gallery downtown.
Lord knows I am doing nothing else at this time.
Three prints came today I had ordered, odd sizes unfortunately, that I will have to get matted custom! But, I hate to crop my prints. I shoot too close to the corners I suppose and loathe taking anything out. I need, I suppose to learn somehow what aspect ratio to set the camera at so it crops to 8x10 and 11x14 without cutting off the edges.
Two I need for the upcoming June show, ten at least for the gallery. More expense....

Watertown Lake

Made a sun setting stop at Watertown Lake yesterday evening before proceeding over to the hospital to check on mamma. There was a family with several boys fishing, one around three, who reminded me painfully of Nathaniel. It was good, but sad, to watch him trying to cast his little rig, the plug hitting him on the head, hooking him in his sleeve. He asked me, what ya doing? I said, I am out here trying to shoot eagles. He then hollered, Shoot them! Shoot them!
I was switching off between the 18-55 and the 180mm, depending on when the light would hit the eagle in the distance, or something would happen on the dock. It would have been better had I used the little point and shoot Canon S95, of which this photograph was taken, to capture the dock shots, leaving the long lens on. In the best case, I would have two bodies. On leaving, an old gentleman approached me, said he was Cherokee Hill, for New Hampshire, would I send him a picture of the eagles, as he wanted to do a story on where the eagles gather, from the New Testament scripture. He seemed more of a homeless type to me, but you never know about people. He had no computer or email, so I got the address of his son.
I was probably looking at my future in him. Lone man, far from home, dog for companion, living out of van, scraggly, making up stories of a past life.
Went on over to the hospital where my brother was just arriving. We visited our mom until ten, my sister staying the night. She is in for observation and tests, trying to determine if she has stroke, heart, or any other condition that is causing her weakness and all. My sister sent a text message this morning that she passed all the neurologist tests with colors. She always seems to thrive in the hospital. Its when she gets home that things seem to change. My fathers case was similar. We knew he needed basically baker acted because of his crazy, obsessive infatuation with the younger lady who took him for all his money, but when the evaluator came around, he answered all the questions normally and the evaluator basically said, he is normal, there is nothing I can do. Well, we lost everything in the process too. Thank-you.

the memory of calla

Selective focus. post processing. tools of the photographer. One is post processed, the focus is on the left Calla. Two, the focus is on the right Calla, no post processing.
An ongoing process. Calla's I find have been difficult to get a pleasing composition. They are nearing the blooming cycle, I must work quickly if I am to find that pleasing composition.
Perhaps by evening light, perhaps under driving rain, perhaps under full moon.

RAW

light upon light

Sunset yesterday i was in the front yard by the pond with the 180mm 2.8 manual lens, lamenting just having missed a lady bug flying from the top of the pickerel weed. The 180mm with the manual focus and manual setting of exposure is a difficult lens to try and capture quick moving scenes. A dragonfly sat upon the end of the pickerel weed stem and I shot away, perhaps two dozen various poses, trying to get the background right in relation to the dragonfly. This was the third of the only three I shot in RAW, versus JPEG. I mostly shoot JPEG for the smaller files and usually I am satisfied with the compression. RAW is when one opens the shot in a program like Adobe or Lightroom and all the exposure data and such are preserved in a larger file, allowing for greater manipulation of the image. Here, I simply converted it to JPEG so what is the use of shooting RAW for me at this point, seeing that I do not use fancy post processing techniques?
Just an evening form of exercise, Lord knows I need some form of exercise, seeing that I have all but ceased the running, the biking, the hiking. Like the D7100, the 10-24, the 70-200, the 80-400 I am going to purchase. Some day. Another day.
For now it is simply the D3100 consumer end camera, the 35mm 1.8 prime, or the old manual Nikon lenses, left from the F3 and film era.

Censored

Strexting

White man's burden

surrender

What do these photographs have in common? All were taken from a moving vehicle with the camera sticking out the window, not stopping or composing. What other thing do they have in common, beside the last photo? There is no interest in them. Again, in the defining of me, of who I am, people are hesitant to like or comment on the drive by shootings. I find them interesting. No one else, save Brent did. Actually, I only posted the first, of the man standing in the middle of Baya with his phone behind him, titled Strexting, a combination of street and texting. White man burden was a good comment on our present political correct atmosphere. Surrender was Tom Grubb riding his bike along Baya, me only capturing his flag, but in a way that seems the surrender flag is being waved over the wall. The cattle were on SR 121 out from Williston. It was about an hour after sunrise and I was speeding back to Williston for gasoline. I had been along the Wacahoota road taking photographing. I stuck the camera blindly out the passenger window going about sixty and shot. It proves that even a blind man can be a photographer.

As I told Tricia, a friend on Facebook, there are things I would rather post and do, but the friend base that I have would ignore it or not understand it or condemn it, a certain imposed censorship via ignoring it. I slowly try to add friends I feel will have sympathy, but so far, they too have ignored my efforts. I continue to like the work they do. Do unto others is not one of  Facebook motto's I am finding out.
And I am loathe to post such thoughts. I do not want to air my dirty laundry. If what I do is worthy of a look, a like or a comment, then it will happen. I cannot force it to happen.  David Carol, one of those recent new friends, in his post today, said all that he has ever done, he has had to make happen, no one has ever come to him and offered him a break. And that is true. David Carol is doing the street type photography I admire. A certain humor, black and white, captured moments, brilliant and thought provoking.
My audience responds for the most part to the safety of beautiful, pretty and nice.I appreciate that. Let is be known though, it is not all that I am about.

Induced Vertigo

i do not think there is a reading. it comes too quickly. liking just to be liking. i am spinning. in control. a controlled spin. is there such a thing? at what time do i pull out? i have not flown this way before.
what is going on here? waiting for that volunteer hour to arrive to drive down to the gallery and hope today will be the day i decide whether i am staying or not. working on the blocks of wood i ordered, placing photographs on them, painting the sides, making the time go productively, sister hounding me, bring the play pen, check in, got the kids, mamma all alone, you going to come, on and on, messaging me.....
a photo set with the Basso bike and me, thinking of Basso bike gathering dust and missing air and pavement beneath his gatorskins, wondering what came of the miles we rode, so much circling in, missing,
and the print for Diane came, and i still say, it just is not impressive in the 9x12, it needed 30x60, but even money does not leave millionaires easily, and so we dream...and spin.
Since posting, this post has gotten two views. Two. I am in vertigo as to the quietness of it all. 

Lack of....

Due to a general lack of interest, possibly due to a desire to quit embarrassing myself, too much time on my hands, wasting time, i am not continuing the John O'Seen daily series. Much of it has to do with being basically bought to reality by a certain companion who seems to find little humor in my diversions, when she is working and just surviving to make it out at the prison....
and she is correct...
what am i doing with this time given?
laying on the floor thinking i am an infant and Joel O'Osteen? Like me to the grass eating old testament king Nebbucco....
Today maybe i will draw the words out and tell Rex that i am not continuing on at the Gallery. I went down yesterday, but Mary was there too, so in order to avoid double coverage and the ire of Jeannie, I left and had lunch with mom....
Actually....i am scheduled for the 22nd come to think of it...so maybe til then....
Learned from Jeanne my cousin in Mississippi that her husbands dental practice burned up last night. He saved the computers, but that was all. So today, I am not near as bad off as most.

Tuesday Selection

 Lesson Four from the John O'Seen Series....

 The Partisan Rangers

The Partisan Rangers Strike

How do I go about determining what to post daily? There is an almost unlimited, or at least, many selections to choose from. First I will go the latest shoot, yesterday or the day before. Sometimes I will choose one or move further back. On any given outing, even though I may only publish one from that trip, I have taken well over a hundred, so one or two worthy always remain.
If that fails, I then go way back, to the archives, again, many I have never published, or if it was published, few saw it back then as now. I think I could honestly post the same photograph daily, kind of like the lamp post or the sunset from the same oak tree and folks would not notice.
This is more an exercise in my own futility than it is an exercise to enlighten or inspire someone. Though that would be nice. I do not do it for the comments, I get few. I do not do it for the likes, I get few. I do not do it for the money, I rarely get orders or requests. I do it simply for the joy of being able to post the joy of being able to get out and capture something in a rough, unpolished way. If I connects fine. If not, fine.

The Professionals

It came to my attention that the professional photographers have a similar style, as seen in the two photographs. Same place in the stream, same slow exposure, same rock types, same lighting, same wide angle. The sameness is striking. This is repeated over and over in other type photographs. The 21mm to 24mm wide angle, the low angle, the slow exposure, etc. The first was no doubt taken with a full frame Nikon D800 with probably a 24mm 2.8 zoom, the second probably a Canon Mark 3 with the same lens from Canon.
Thus there is often the temptation to say, if I just go out and purchase the same equipment, my photographs will start looking the same. Perhaps. But more than likely not, as these guys are pro's, not only in the capture, but in the post process as well. I admire both shots, with a lean toward the bottom shot for the longer exposure and higher placement of the top of the stream. But the first is a close like as much with the quality of light and higher contrast on the rocks.

mOOdy mONday

I woke up to a don't give a durn day. Why is that? Made the coffee, fed the cats and dogs and chickens. Still it persists. Is it the lack of a good sunrise? Is it the hangover of all that baby shower activity from Sunday?
Either way, it manifests itself in not wanting to post anything to Facebook, knowing other folks will have the Monday mood and it will only make mine worse, when they ignore me, which usually is greater on Monday.
It is a terrible thing to be Facebook driven, kind of like those driven by crack or alcohol or cigarettes. We get our fix in whatever way we can.

Showers of blessing

Finally...after what seemed would never come or end, Jessica and Eric's baby shower and announcing of the gender. We missed out on church today to go over to my sisters to get my mom ready, load her in the car and make our way out to Allison's. They had scheduled family shots at 1:30 and we were there by noon. Melanie helped with the preparation, I milled about, taking some shots.
All family that were family arrived and the photographer, Holly with her Nikon D700 took the group shot along with breaking the family down. We then went in and did shower stuff, then opened presents and such. They let the pink or blue balloons loose determining whether a boy or girl which they kept. And so the blue flew.
We loaded meme up in the car and took her back to Paula's. Melanie got her ready for bed. We are tuckered out. Too much work these showers.
That was my contribution, the sign along with one welcome yall...creative huh?

canopy of tranquility

tonight, about five i would say, i became antsy. it had been a day of rain, lasting well into the two hour. earlier i had piddled about, starting on the two poster signs for Jessica's baby shower tomorrow. computer piddling, posting, talking. i even found the time to set up the photo umbrella and backstop, taking twelve selfies. this is going to be the start of the May project, mimicking Joel O'Steen as John O'Seen, with off shoot quotes adapted to photography. inane and silly, but fun. there is so much seriousness about. people needing a sense of humor, or at least, another perspective than the literal, sober,seriousness assaulting daily.
to cure some of the cabin fever, as i said, about five i went to the familiar Alligator Lake Park. i walked toward the woods, looking for a particular tree that would complement the tree from the big shoals. i found it. i also, in the waiting for the sun, found some decent shots of three folks in a bass boat along one of the canals. i took the Register boys email and sent him a copy. all in all, not a bad outing, if the goal was to cure the cabin fever. i found myself having to hurry to make it back to the car by seven and park closing.
i am finding the need, not a dire need, but a desire for a wider angle lens. i keep waiting for Nikon to produce a prime DX wide angle, in the 20 to 24mm range. i do not think they will ever do it.
but i wait. may have to go the Rokinar route.
got back from the lake and finished quickly the poster, painting in the lettering, the rabbit and the carrots.
i was going out to Allisons for a visit, but the time got away. tomorrow we will skip church and go out with meme and get things going for the party. i was unable to download onto a CD the slide presentation so it is hoped Eric will know a solution. peace out to whoever reads this dairy.

Mismosa beneath rolling thunder

Another proof one does not need travel to the heights of paradise to take decent photographs. Taken in the front yard over the privacy fence. If I go back and look up the EXIF data, I would not even be surprised if it was taken with the point and shoot Canon S95 or similar. I take most of my shots with a lesser camera.
Lately I have even limited myself on the Nikon to the 35mm 1.8 prime lens. It makes me compose. I cannot zoom it in or out. I have to either move or make do. Takes me back to the beginnings when I started out with a fixed focus 135mm lens on the Yashica JP, later a 55mm on the Pentax Spotmatic.
It was raining out this morning and I got out the two umbrella set up with backdrop. Took some photographs of myself. I am going to do a tongue in cheek of Joel O'Steen this month, relating it to photography. The idea came when there was an ad on facebook to take a course in twelve or so easy lessons, settings on the DSLR where you will always be assured to take good photographs. It basically said, it was the camera's fault that you are not taking good photographs. Laughable and ridiculous. Worthy of satire.
I already have twelve in cue awaiting the daily post. I am sure it will go right over the heads of most, be ignored by even more. Such is the nature of Facebook. Unless it totally knocks the socks off, it is given passing attention, and then from the few consistent followers.
If a living depended upon folks liking and commenting, I would be poorer than I already am.
I am awaiting the paint to dry on some signs I am painting for Jessica's shower tomorrow. I hope possibly to take some photographs of Claire in a black surrounding, experimenting.
I have put together a ten minute slide show for Jessica tomorrow with the Vivaldi Four Seasons as a background music. It is on Utube under Jessica Johnson if anyone wants to look. Go to John33Stokes to find my video's. May have to scroll through as I have many.
Oh well, its my best life now, for now.

it was good

and from the ground
the zinnias came
and then the beans
later the grapes
and it was good
and they stood
and gave thanks
for the plants

and the man said
let there be blueberries
and pears
and persimmons ripe
and it was so
and it was good
and they stood
and gave thanks
as they should.

and the child said
let there be strawberries
and black berries
peaches sweet
and fig upon fig
and it was so
and it was good
and they stood
and gave thanks
to the giver of plants.

May One Day