FYI ~ SL photographer lands show at Chelsea gallery ...

Sometimes, the most amazing and totally unimaginable things happen ...

Read about it here - SL photographer lands show at Chelsea gallery

FYI ~ I wouldn't give my troubles to a monkey on a rock

This afternoon, Monday, is my first day back on feet on a very limited basis. I spent the last 4 days in bed or on the couch dealing with what must be the flu - very high temps, massive headaches and a few other symptoms that I won't describe.

Suffice it to say, high fever and no food make Jack a weak boy. I may (or may not) feel well enough tomorrow to sit at the computer and get back into it. Here's hoping ...

Hell, I even missed Hugo's birthday party.

PS - this weekend's Landscapist canoe outing is postponed. Except for next weekend, I am available to re-schedule at everyone's convience.

FYI ~ JIm, you're not alone

I was so busy on Tuesday that I didn't have time to let everyone know that I'd be away for a couple days. I even meant to bring a few pictures to post  but I didn't have time to get that together either.

And lest anyone think I'm having fun, I am, instead, suffering through a couple days of insufferable heat at the south Jersey shore. I've been making a few pictures but I also forgot to bring any method for getting them off  the camera (card).

In any event, I'm outa here tomorrow and I'll pick up where I left off.

FYI ~ guest host

I have just turned the Landscapist reins over to Chantal Stone for the next week. Stay tuned. She's free to take it where ever she wishes. Should be fun and when I sneak into Inlet from the island, I'm going to the library to take a peek at the proceedings. Maybe even make a comment or two.

In any event, much thanks to Chantal for keeping the fires stoked. Have fun.

FYI ~ link update

Aaron's new and improved Cinemascape site.

FYI ~ Imagination

Imagination is more important than knowledge. ~ A. Einstein said that.

Imagination is how we connect the dots of knowledge. ~ I said that.

Update on Wednesday, July 4, 2007 at 09:06AM by gravitas et nugalis

Featured Comments: old ness wrote: ""imagination is the archeology of the the future" i said that.

FYI ~ Pavlovian response

'Conditioning' is sometimes very hard to shake. Back in the old days, did you ever open a camera back without rewinding the film or not knowing there was film in the camera? I did a few times and that moment of recognition creates a very nasty feeling in the gut. You slam the back shut and pray. Not sure what you pray for ... like what? ... that the film was not light sensitive for a moment or two?

In the digital age, all that's behind us ... except ... every once in awhile, when I open the CF door, I spontaneously have the same feeling. I can't seem to shake it. I still get a little weak in the knees whenever I see something open on the back of a camera.

FYI - one of life's little photo lessons

I have always been amused, bemused and occasionally annoyed throughout my life in photography by the equipment geeks. Seems like they can never get enough about pixels, photosites, arrays, edge sharpness, noise, startup times, lens comparisons, and on and on and on and ...

Good for them. If they enjoy that kind of stuff, I say, have at it with all the gusto you can manage.

For the educated and experienced, it's all rather harmless. However, for the neophyte and inexperienced it can be ... well ... if not actually harmful, confusing, distracting and quite beside the point of learning how to make good pictures.

Case in point - Aaron, of recent exponentially expanding Cinemascape fame, who definitely qualifies as a neophyte. He purchased his first camera and began picturing in earnest about 6-8 months ago.

After an exceedingly quick and short tour around the photography-style block, he has settled into his Cinemascape MO. His most recent cinemascape is not only made in a cinema, but also features a cinema person, Steve Buscemi. How Aaron was able to pull this off is another story and not germane to this story.

Aaron made this picture within a day or two of our conversation about his desire for a new camera. He had done some internet photo forum/tech review searches and arrived at the conclusion that his current camera wasn't good enough (for a variety of equipment geek reasons). He was seeking my advice on a solution. My advice was to keep taking pictures and get on with it - advice that he wasn't all that eager to heed.

Fast forward to a small private dinner with Steve Buscemi where Aaron cornered him and presented a few of his Cinemascapes for the purpose of luring him into doing one. Obviously, the mission was accomplished.

His mini-portfolio also attracted the attention of the other guests and the result was; an intro to a LA rep who handles 'hot' new shooters, a request from another cinema person, James Tolkan (the principal from Back to the Future, the cigar-chomping admiral from Top Gun, and an occasional golfing companion for me), to have a cinemascape done of himself and a request from a wealthy entrepreneur to stay in touch because he likes to support young artists. Not bad for an evening's fun.

The other result, which I really like, was a stroke of unintended marketing genius/luck. After the closing party at which Aaron had a Buscemi cinemascape print to show around, he was feeling in a celebratory mode. He adjourned to a local watering hole, aptly name The Waterhole, were he again showed the print around. Before you know it, patrons (complete strangers) were going out to an ATM to get cash to purchase prints. One individual purchased 5 prints which he said would be sealed and conserved until the day Aaron was famous.

So, all of that said, here's the point. Not one person in any of the aforementioned activities mentioned a single thing about resolution, pixel count, noise, etc., etc. - they just liked/loved the pictures.

I think Aaron learned something. Me, I'm going out tonight to a bar and see if I can sell some prints.