Feb 28th

This week marks my new commitment to posting a picture everyday... we'll see how it goes, but nows as good a time as any to start. If anybody got to see the moon tonight you'll agree it was awesome, thanks to a tip from Eileen I decided to look for myself and ended up taking some pictures.  My pictures of the moon always end up really awful, so I try to avoid actually showing the moon, hiding it behind a cloud and using other composition to make the photo interesting.  Even though I was only out there for a few minutes it reminded me how much I love long exposures of nature in really low light, I need to go out one of these mornings, maybe see how my lake is doing... 

Then Came Adventure...

This is my second photo essay for my class, done in the style of Sophie Calle, she's a crazy French photographer who does some fun work by giving herself really specific rules and projects in order to make a statement of sorts about the world... So enjoy! :)

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When I was younger the most important part of the day was story time. My brother Eric and I would sit down around mom or lay in our beds and close our eyes while we were whisked away on adventures with the Swiss Family Robinson, or The Great Brain, even sneaking alongside Bilbo Baggins inside Smaug's lair.  The next day we would recreate our own versions of whichever story mom was reading to us, either outside in the sandbox and around the yard, or  in a little room above the garage accessible only via a small "secret" door in our shared room. Inside that room anything could happen; we could be on another planet, in a fathom deep cave infested with goblins, or piloting our X-wings above the planet Hoth. Inside that room anything was possible, anywhere existed, and everything that happened was just as real to us as our soft beds outside the door. One of the first things I can remember is story time, then came the adventures...

Surprisingly, it took us a lot of work to get my little sister and my little brother to enjoy story time and reading. Right now he is immersed in the story of Hiccup Horrendous Hadlock the Third as my mom reads "How to Train Your Dragon".  I hope that after his memories of story time come adventures like Eric and I had. Stories like the ones below are examples of adventures that came for us, and with those adventures we created the worlds we grew up in and that made us who we are today. Books can do that, but I don't think people remember that anymore. 

  

My reason for looking back at my first experience with books was born while reading some statistics that took me completely by surprise...
          - 1/3 of High School graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives
          - 42% of College graduate never read another book in their lifetime
          - 80% if US families did not buy or read a book last year
          - 70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years
This is shocking to me, because my life is so surrounded by books. I've loved to read since I was young, my favorite store is Barnes and Nobel, and there is nothing I'd rather do in my free time than curl up with a good book. At first I really didn't believe the statistics, but I found similar information in a few different sources. As I thought about it walking out of the library I realized I was in a place filled to the brim with books, but 90% of the patrons where on a laptop or other computer, and the other 10% where mostly reading textbooks. Without school forcing to us to read perhaps not everybody is the same as I am, perhaps not everyone likes to disappear on adventures like I do. 

Feb 27th

I know I've been lame at my picture of the day the last two weeks... I'll use my photography class as my excuse, but my essay has finally come together, I'll post it as I finish up... but for now I have another picture of my brothers guitar... cause he's cool like that... 

Feb 24th

Hey everyone! Sorry its been a day or two since I last posted... I'll post two pictures to make up for it. :)   Hopefully everyone is enjoying the rain, or whatever weather you're having. I for one really like the element that weather adds to a photo, this sculpture for example is pretty in good weather and catches my eye every time I walk past it... but when the diffused light is coming through the beads of water and her skin glistens... she comes alive and gets me to photograph her. I wish I would have had my tripod so I could use a longer exposure and capture the rain streaks, but I didn't, you can still see a few if you look closely at the top picture though...  Enjoy the rain everyone!

Feb 20th

I went to Payson today so a doctor could look at my arm and tell me I'm not dying to tuberculosis... But I didn't want to have driven all the way there for a 2 minute errand, so I went up the canyon there (even though most of it is closed for the winter)  and took some pictures on the side of the road since I had no boots.  I think of them all, these ones were my favorite.  The top one counts as the picture of the day, but I wanted to throw two other ones in as well...  I like the diagonal in picture one, I think it makes the barbs feel sharper.

 This picture is mostly here for its texture, I love the wood that is almost fraying like a shoelace missing its aglet.  Has anyone else heard that "the whole is more than the sum of its parts" quote?   I love that quote. By mistake (while trying to merge two pictures) I accidentally merged all of my open pictures from the trip. oops, but I smiled and listened to Five for Fighting while the computer worked and ended up with this piece of art... mistakes that worked huh?

Feb 19th

One reason I don't like people pictures is I never know when I'm going to get in trouble for taking them... well, when a big scary (but actually very nice) Polynesian comes over and tells you to stop photographing the students you know you're in trouble... such is the life of a photographer, taking risks without that much hope for reward, but the law is in my favor because this is public land and no one can expect privacy...   aside from that fun story I really like this picture for its lines, but also for the human element in it.  I think we all need to take a break on the sidelines sometimes and watch the other skaters go by until we catch our breath.

Feb 18th

Post two of my SLC trip... also conveniently free of people, I promise my next one will have someone in it.  I really like this one though.  The orange cone was cool in color, but I ended up posting the black and white version because it actually says what I noticed when I clicked the shutter.  I noticed how out of place the cone was but I couldn't quite put my finger on why, when I saw it in black and white I noticed the lines in the tiles, and the diagonals... everything in the pictures is a perfectly straight line except that cone, its tipped over, broken, non-linear... I just like the contrasting statement the picture makes...  

Feb 17th

So, It's obvious I don't really like people pictures, and I'm even more cowardly when it comes to actually being out on the streets. While I was in Salt Lake today I actually got out and parked, and then walked all over downtown, I really did make the whole loop from pioneer park and around the temple and back... and it was great, except scary, because I feel like I'm... I don't know, I just don't like it, I like taking pictures, but I'd rather do it with no one watching, much less a bunch of scary people... so, out of the two hours I managed to get a few worth looking at and they will be the next few posts... Enjoy!

Feb 16th

I mentioned that I really like the little details that catch my attention, and maybe thats just an excuse for my lack of skill when it comes to faces... but in any case I like the little details like the doughy hands and vanilla bottle in the background because thats how I remember things.  I remember the dough was really sticky and we still had to make frosting for the cookies. I also remember there being a momentary cheese shortage... probably because we got more on the counter than on our pizzas... :)  So, the details like that are what stand out to me in this picture. 

Feb 15th

Obviously I haven't been able to post for a few days... terribly sorry, but school has to come first eventually.  Needless to say, if I haven't had time to post it usually means I haven't had time to take pictures. I did get to go to a random pizza party on Monday though.  I've decided that my "people pictures" need a lot of work... I guess they're still pictures and they are fun to look at... but some people are great at capturing people in the moment... I still need some work, but it was still a really fun time.  Here's on of the details I noticed. The slightly browned edges of the cookies, thats how I usually cook. :) I think they make a cool texture though.

Feb 14th Happy Valentines Day!

Some people think Valentines day is just a marketing sham... and maybe they're right, but I still like it anyways. :) Even though we shouldn't need an excuse to tell people we love "I love you" I suppose there is no shame in taking the excuse to either. So to all my friends and family, and especially Eileen, I Love you.  Happy Valentines Day Everyone! 

Feb 13th

Forgive my slacking everyone... I actually do have a good excuse though, I got my wisdom teeth out...  so there's my excuse.  (just FYI Sean Connery doesn't make a good surgeon, my doctor looked just like him... but with blood spots when he finished...)    Today's picture though, is not about scary actors who bought their way through medical school, its about springtime... which is kind of like valentines time... but today's is about springtime... and new beginnings. Every seed has to be planted, and wait, survive the winter, wait, survive the deer, wait... bloom, share, grow, and shine... point being there is a lot of waiting involved in springtime, but its worth it. :)   

Feb 10th

All right, I apologize, there is no picture today, however, I have a story. :)  So... my favorite place in the library is the periodicals... specifically the photography magazine periodicals... So I was down there, with every intention of doing homework, and I found a really good issue of my favorite magazine Lenswork... when i got to the end of the issue i was reading the hillarious endnotes from the editor Bill Jay and started laughing so hard I had to put it down so as not to disturb the early morning students. :)  So... here is what I was laughing at... Enjoy. :)

Photography is non-denominational, adherents to any religion or belief system can justify taking pictures

The Communist: Everyone owns one camera; all pictures are equal in merit and belong to the state.  The Capitalist: The one who dies with the most cameras wins. The Environmentalist: Cameras can be used to record nature, except those with batteries.  The Darwinist: Pictures are not created, they evolve. The Zen Master: A photograph of a tree is not a tree unless it is a tree, photographed.  The Pentecostalist: Hallelujah for talking picture frames.  The Catholic: It’s OK to buy a new camera as long as you feel guilty.  The Hari Krishna: Photography while dancing is allowed but use the non-tambourine hand and a fast shutter-speed.  The Existentialist: Photography is boring, and your pictures bore others, good. The Confucian: A camera dropped in the sea is no longer dry.  The Christian Scientist: I am a camera.  The Muslim: It is permissible to take pictures of patterns.  The Jew: He who bought his camera for the lowest price, wins. The Jehovah’s Witness: Try selling your prints door-to-door. The Spiritualist: Look for ghosts in clouds, trees, and window reflections.  The Voodooist: Keep sharp objects away from self portraits.  The Buddhist: The desire for approval, a grant, or an exhibition causes suffering. The Fundamentalist: I don’t know anything about it, but if it gives pleasure it should be banned. The Aryan: Blacks and whites should not appear in the same picture. The Politically Correct: All colors must be equally represented in every picture. The Conservative: Only the rich and powerful can be trusted to take photographs.  The Liberal: The government should provide free cameras to all. The Survivalist: A camera, especially the Nikon F, makes a serviceable hammer, and a lens can start fires on sunny days. The Atheist: The spiritual does not exist so the camera cannot steal the soul. 


By the way, can anyone think of a good one for LDS/BYU culture? I couldn't think of any off the top of my head, but there has to be some good ones... :)

Feb 9th

So this picture is obviously a little old, seeing as there is not really any snow anywhere anymore...  but I needed a picture of the day, and today I ordered a bunch to be printed, and this was one of them, I'm not sure why I like it... it just reminds me of something you could buy in a nice little frame and put on your wall, so I printed it and we'll see what I actually do with it, but its fun to see them printed anyways. :)

The Tales a Library Tells

This is the kind of post that just came together... While doing homework at the library, yes we sit in the isle amidst the rows and columns of books, I pulled a random book off the shelf and started reading. the title was "Strong Wings". All I read was the first page and a half, but it was enough for the irony to kick in.  The book looked to be about two high school aged girls who had to travel a lot with their parents (whom I think were actors looking for work). One of the girls hated having to leave school, worried she would fall behind. The other sister was thrilled to be out of school because it meant she could take pictures all day... :)  I could definitely relate. :)  So I pulled out my camera and started taking pictures.

One thousand and one stories... enough for years of bedtime entertainment, but how many children have read these tales?  Perhaps we have seen Aladdin... but I doubt most kids know more than that...

 

 I've never actually hear of the Tumble-bug, the Snow Queen, Bomba the Jungle Boy, T. S. Arthur, or the End of the Rainbow... but I was itching to read all of them... and all these books were found in a single isle.. out of hundreds... I had to think about how many stories humans have published, much less come up with... but then I had to wonder who would ever read them?  Especially now that we have X-box's, Cable TV, Ipods, laptops, cellphones... who needs books?
My next photo-essay is supposed to say something about ourselves or society by placing restrictions on ourselves... such as making our horoscope come true, or living by our fortune cookies, or eating only a single color everyday...  I don't know what all my classmates will come up. I had a great idea, developed with some help from Eileen, that I should take a really old craft book, and make a craft everyday, or pick a hero from a random story and go on his adventures everyday... I'm not sure what I'll end up doing, but I definitely like the idea...   

Feb 8th

So I was going to use this in hand with my other post, but it didn't really fit in... so I used it as my photo of the day! :) Lucky Eileen... I do like the picture for more reasons that just the fact that Eileen is in in though... I love the symmetry, the lines and perspective... all the lines seem to point right to the empty wall, which is just an empty wall, I like the irony there. and I like the story at the bottom, I mean, who studies in the isle of the library?  (I actually highly recommend it... but for the sake of the story...)  nobody does. :)  and there's two backpacks... if it were a picture of strangers I would be dying to know who owned the second... as it happens I know just who the lucky guy is... :)  so yea... Feb 8th...

Feb 7th

Today's picture is actually black and white! How about that?  I think I'm going to have to hit a few parks and take pictures, because they're really kind of fun, lots of memories, lots of variety, lots of color, but also lots of texture... That's what I picked today's picture for is the texture, I love the dings and potholes on the metal surface... something about broken metal makes me like things, its like a statement by nature that even the hardest things can be broken... I also really like the words "game time". Perfect because every time is game time to kids...  I think I need to retake it without a minivan though... I hate minivans... but still worth posting... happy Sunday everyone! 

Feb 6th (And 50th Post!)

The weather outside today was absolutely phenomenal! Eileen and I seized the chance to "do homework" and go outside on a quest for some swings... needless to say we succeeded. :)   Isn't she beautiful? and the blue sky and the sun.... it was a good day... I definitely suggest everyone have someone they can play on a playground with, it makes sunny days even better. :)


PS: FYI this is post number 50, I now have 26 followers, and just passed 200 views...  So thanks everyone for reading my blog!  I really like doing it, as well as reading all of your blogs!  Happy Posting Everyone!

Feb 5th

I'm very sorry there was no new picture of the yesterday... got home kind of late you know... :)  But we had a wonderful game of risk earlier that evening... In which I was the victor... well, I'm sure I would have won if we'd had time to finish, I crushed Denver and left him for dead, then finished Tairsa with a little help from Eileen... it was a good game, and of course, I had to take some pictures, most of which were terribly embarrassing and said subjects would hire hit-man to come after me if I showed them...  However, this one did show me winning (I'm red) as well as Tairsa's famous bean dip... :) So I thought I'd post it today...  Enjoy!

Feb 4th

Today was Absolutely beautiful outside!  I got to my car after class and it was hot inside!  I loved it...   It was definitely a spring day, so here is something that was buried in the snow, but is now free! :)    I'm fairly certain its a bouncy-ball... but I was afraid to touch it because I think she'll yell at me. :)  Enjoy the sunshine!

Feb 3rd

I debated doing a post of the day today, mostly due to my other post today, but partly because I didn't really feel like doing anything but stare into the fire today... kind of counter productive considering my thoughts largely revolved around how much I have to do in the next two weeks... sometimes you just have to stop and stare at the fire for a while though... so this is my latest self portrait... I think the last one was Life as a Train... long time ago, I should try taking more. I came across a blog once of a guy who went somewhere new everyday, set up his camera, and then put the timer on 10 seconds to see how far he could get, and that was his whole blog... interesting self portraiture, as is all self portraiture if you ask me, because it makes you think about yourself, just like looking into the fire makes you think about yourself.

The Tools They Use

For those of you who don't know, I'm a guinea pig for a new class called "French & American Values Through Photography"  Its an awesome class for sure, I love it, and the professor is great.  For our assignments we get to go take pictures and "recreate" old famous photographers in a way. I don't really know how to describe it, but basicially we are copying a theme that a famous photographer used and creating a photo essay on said theme.  Our first assignment was "Small Trades" based on Eugene Atget's work.  

First off I owe a thanks to all those who helped out, including those not pictured, I very much appreciate ya'll. Second, the class focuses a lot on reading photographs without the text, so aside from this there isn't much there, just remember the point of an essay is to make a point and I'm sure you can all figure it out. :)  So, here it is, Tools of the Trade, Enjoy!

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When I thought "small trades" I saw the people in the background who don't get noticed. But I thought a few people probably thought that, so I went deeper and thought about how we do notice the people in back, but we don't see who they are, all we see is what they do. The tools they use.

Caretakers, be they doctors, dentists, nurses, or even geriatricians have something in common. We love what they do, but we don't know them. We see them when we are in pain, or because we have to; through that mask all we can see is the tools they use.

Where would our world be without the person on the other side of the computer or telephone?  We dread calling tech support and expect secretaries to answer our every question. Sure it may seem like easy work talking on a phone all day, or sitting behind a desk answering questions; but do we even hear their voice half the time? Or do we look at just the tools they use?

Maybe one of the most thankless jobs beside parenting... cleaning. We might notice the spotless tile, or the crumb-less floor but we certainly don't get up at 3:30 in the morning to come thank the ones responsible, More noticeable are the few mistakes, a pile of crumbs the vacuum left, a spill the mop only swept the top off, or window streak left from a rag... the failures of the tools they use. 

Feb 2nd

Caution! Life Gets Slippery!   :)

I came out of my Art History class one day to see the sunset shining through this caution sign and had to pull out my camera...  I've decided that 17 credits might be perfect for the lulls of college life... but its a lot when they all get busy at once... :)  I happen to know that it is the slippery times in life that make one appreciate family, friends... all the important things really... :)  

Feb 1st

The first post of Feb and what else would I post but sunshine... what funny weather we have here. :)  This is a picture from my cruise in 2007... definitely what you'd call my "earlier" work. :)  But this is what I felt like today, the beautiful blue sky, the warm sun on my neck, the light as you looked out a window... it was great. So I thought I'd post this one...  If I remember right it was taken after getting off our ship the Westerdam at Aruba... but it might have been Curacao... actually I think it was Curacao... Enjoy the sun while it lasts everyone!