Sometimes we go out with our cameras in the hope of freezing the natural world with absolute clarity. Only to find that the light, the film or digital sensor speed, our ability to focus or hold still, produces less than the clarity we hoped for. Yet magic, if not photographic perfection, can occur. We may just find that we captured poetry rather than clarity.
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Leica R8/DMR, 350 Telyt
snow will soon cover the paths
walked with Sophia
and ice the river
from which this mandala emerged
her fourth fall
my sixty third
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Leica R8/DMR, 60 mm Macro Elmarit
August 2, 2009, Ann decided to take her granddaughters to see the Dancing Horses on Hwy 50, west of Lake Geneva, WI. Quite a unique and entertaining afternoon — most especially for the young girls who already ride and now dream of “being” what they saw there. (click on image for larger view – Slide show of additional images)
Traveling through the last few weeks with thoughts mostly of Ann and her upcoming birthday; which occurred on August 17th. It all began with a trip up the coast to Sheboygan, WI to introduce Jim Proue and David White. I’d thought it would be fun to have them sing and play at Ann’s little surprise family birthday celebration. They’d never played together yet hit the mark right from the get-go.
(click image for larger view – Slide show with more images from this get together)
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The night before the party we went to hear Tracy Chapman at the Pabst Theartre. Without doubt – the most incredible concert I’ve ever attended. Ms. Chapman (and her band) performed flawlessly; and actually “better than” the original studio recordings. (click image for larger view – Slide Show of a few “intermission” images)
Of course it took a few phone calls to invite the family; a bit tidying up, arranging for food and errands with Erin’s help; and then – the party sort of just happened. (click image for larger view – Slide show of additional party images)
The day after the party Ann did her annual Irish Fest. Below we see one of Ann’s customers — not showing off his hair cut — but rather performing a fine Irish kick. (click image for larger view – Slide show of additional Irish Fest images)
Then it was getting ready for a four day road trip to the beautiful Mississippi River hills and valleys in Northwestern Illinois, Eastern Iowa and Southwestern Wisconsin. (click image for larger view – Slide show of additional river trip images)
Duncan moved on out of this life Wednesday evening.
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Mary Kelly stopped by to show me
that 10 years after receiving a print from me as a birthday gift
she decided to frame it.
I was most impressed with my multi-color inking on my chop
Last Sunday (father’s day), before a lovely brunch, Sophia presented me with
an abstract expression titled “fireworks” (from her fever series)
after which Ann and I headed for her son Josh’s farm
where Cadence and Cassidy rode around the barrels and Clyde chewed on T-bone’s ear
(slide show of additional images from the farm)
beneath the lid
of the recycling bin for steel cans
this fellow
builds a condo project
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“Photography is not cute cats, nor nudes, motherhood or arrangements of manufactured products. Under no circumstances is it anything ever anywhere near a beach.” – Walker Evans – American Photography, 1984, 23 – 24. [“EW:100 – Centennial Essays in Honor of Edward Weston”, “Carmel: Beneficial to Bohemia” p. 48, Untitled 41, The Friends of Photography, Carmel, California 1986]
A basket full of goodies came as a Christmas gift. Now empty yet remaining on a kitchen counter; Cheech has claimed it as one his preferred places to rest.
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“You cannot carry nature with you, but you carry images of nature. When you go out to make a picture you find you are moved by something which is in agreement with an image you already held within yourself.” — Frederick Sommer
yesterday:
attached the 400 mm f:6.8 Telyt
to the Visoflex and M8
for the first time
then took the kit for a brief walk
this — hand held, without shoulder stock or pod,
cropped from about a quarter of the M8’s full frame
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“I said back off dude, just back away, nice and slow, that’s right…
yeah, now we both have something to be thankful for.” — Wild Turkey (not the beverage)
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“…the fact of putting four edges around a collection of information or facts transforms it. A photograph is not what was photographed, it’s something else.” — Garry Winogrand
My good friends at the Leica User Group have created a tradition called Friday flowers. I offer these in the spirit of that tradition. The blue flowers are a mere 5mm in diameter. Both of these were photographed with a 20 – 30 year old 65 Elmar lens on an M8.
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Last week I walked to the mail box and found five of these walking about in my front yard. This one seemed to be saying, “dude – like back off!”
Fall has arrived and new forms and colors delight the eyes.
Click this link to view additional images on these themes in a flash slide show