Daily thoughts – Page 87

Father’s day

“If there is a good thing about photography, it is that it can be easily enjoyed.” — Lord Snowdon

(Grand) Father’s Day brunch – 08 – lucky me.

(click images for larger view)

Flora now nests where fauna once did

“[I crop] for the benefit of the pictures. The world does not fit conveniently into the format of a 35mm camera [frame].”

“What use is having great depth of field, if there is not adequate depth of feeling?” — W. Eugene Smith

they appeared where once
I photographed a family
of feathered friends

(click images for larger view)

Storms, floods, visits, drives

“Saturate yourself with your subject and the camera will all but take you by the hand.” — Margaret Bourke-White

Last evening the storms roared through (again).

(click images for larger view)

The rain poured down most of the night – leaving our little town’s main street underwater (and the upstream water has yet to crest). Click here for slide show of Thiensville Flood.

A visit with Sophia and Tanya this morning.

On the way home.

Home town floods

“I didn’t want to tell the tree or weed what it was. I wanted it to tell me something and through me express its meaning in nature.” — Wynn Bullock

Last weekend severe storms swept through our area. Many families lost things, including some losing their homes. Our own Main Street was several feet under water. Today I stopped by Firemen’s Park in Thiensville. The Milwaukee River remains dangerously high. And new storms currently rain down upon us. The damn is totally under rushing water.

Passing down the clothes (or on to the rummage sale)

“It’s about time we started to take photography seriously and treat it as a hobby.” — Elliot Erwitt

May 28th brought my niece, Libby, to Milwaukee for lunch and to pick out clothing which no longer fit Sophia. She seems to be counting her new outfits.

(click images for larger view)

My nephew, Erickson also attended the lunch (as did their mother Mandy and my sister, Donna).

This past weekend Tanya and Sophia participated in the neighborhood rummage sale.

Sophia had to take a last ride on a too small toy.

and added a title or two to her library.

Take the time. Put your soul in the photograph.

“There’s no such thing as taking too much time, because your soul is in that picture.” — Ruth Bernhard

(click image for larger view)

Dad’s tool box

We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us. — Ralph Hattersley

Dad’s tool box: A gift from his father upon dad’s completion of his apprenticeship as a tool and die maker. My grandfather, a cabinet maker, built the bottom, four drawer unit for his son. My grandfather only owned one “power” tool, a small six inch table saw. The table is less than 14″ square, sitting on a box which contains a simple blade on an axle with a belt pulley.

(click images for a larger view)

Motivational videos returned by USPS as “possible threat” – wtf

I believe in self explanatory pictures. — Moses Oliver

So, I produce 3 DVD’s for a young man who lost his sight in a boat racing accident a number of years ago. The videos are to promote his work as a motivational speaker. I put $5 worth of heart stamps on the package and send them off. Yesterday the package shows up back in my mail box. Returned as a possible threat – “due to heightened security requirements.” What’s wrong with this world?

(click image for larger view)

Nature’s anxious to reclaim our dreams

Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still. — Dorthea Lange

dreams dug out of dirt
exposed for all to see
nature reclaims her

(click images for larger view)

When my father (and tool and die maker) died I moved his tools to my home. The milling machine sat in a shed for a couple years and nature’s need to oxidize quickly made it unusable. I felt a good deal of shame in allowing this to happen. On Sunday my desire to make an adapter which would allow me to mount my Hasselblad lenses on the Ultima gave me the impetus to get the mill up and running. A long, hard day with wire brushes on grinders, WD40, and grease put me straight with my deceased dad; and by 10 pm I had my adapter. He made the precision tables himself. Unfortunately the “jeweled” surfaces were partially destroyed by rust and my cleaning of same. Scars: evidence of my neglect.