urban ku # 143 ~ Black Brook

Black Brook • click to embiggenI live in the Town of Black Brook. This is Black Brook as is goes by the bowling alley and around the corner into the Au Sable river.

This section of Black Brook is just around the corner from my house - a wildness close to home. I mention this as a reminder - the Wildness Gallery is kind of just sitting there.

I also post this picture as an example of Brook Jensen's tidbit (from LensWork #50, Things I've Learned About Photography) - "What one photographs says as much about an internal and personal process as it does about an external bit of subject matter ..." - a notion that I've always felt to be true long before I read it by Jensen.

This idea, at it's simplest, goes a long ways in explaining why many take extreme umbrage when their pictures are called trite sentimental dreck or ubiquitous romanticist schlock by those who might be bold enough to venture such an opinion in public. (When I am confronted by such an opinion about my pictures, I just consider the person who uttered it to be a blithering idiot and just let it go at that.)

But, nevertheless, If you're picturing and it's not about an 'internal and personal process', what's the point?

decay # 4 ~ "have a rotten day"

Sunflower leaves • click to embiggenThis morning, the wife introduced me to a new way to start my day by uttering, "Have a rotten day." as she left for work. I took it to mean that she has finally decided to lend her support to me through my Period of Decay, photography-wise, as opposed to my period of decay, age-wise. Then again, maybe she meant both.

This is my first go at a non-edible form of decay, although I suppose one could eat sunflower leaves. I also spent some time yesterday chatting-up a friend who not only hunts (anything and everything) but also traps (anything and everything). He's guy who, while watching the NY giants on tv, will have a frozen fisher thawing in a bucket right next to his couch.

He has assured me, much to the wife's chagrin, that he has plenty of stuff just waiting to decay. This could get really interesting.