My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
You only know your true strength in times of hardship, for no man ever became strong by doing nothing.
I used the black and white film simulation for this jpeg. I’ve been playing with the different film simulations in the Fujifilm X-E1 to see how they look.
“Everyone is born with a special talent, you have to look deep within to find it, but no matter who you are, it is within.”
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
“You must breathe life into your dreams if you wish them to come alive, you must act to turn imagination into reality.”
“…painting is something you do. You make a painting. You don’t make a photograph. You see a photograph. Photography is seeing only, you see it, you release the shutter, you use your aperture, your machine and once you’ve seen it, that’s it. It’s done.” Jurgen Schadeberg
“A Hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”
Joseph Campbell
My youngest granddaughter graduated from high school this past week. Some consider it an alternative school but that is not an accurate name for it because I think it is a model of what school needs to look like. I am impressed with the school, the faculty and staff.
This graduation ceremony was a tear jerker for me and I’ve wiped my eyes a couple times writing this post. Rather than have a guest speaker attempt to urge these young people on to more success (however you define success: money, power, popularity, career, or just attaining enough credits to graduate), each graduate stepped to the podium with two white roses and offered those roses to two people who helped make their graduation possible.
Our body language, posture and facial expressions say a lot. They can speak loudly or softly. Through observations we make assessments about a person’s mood or situation. As I left a local coffeehouse I noticed this couples hands. Their backs were to me so I could not see their faces, only the hands. My focus was pulled to the message of their hands as part of their conversation. It’s always a risk when asking people if you can take their photo and not just because you may be told no. We take the risk of interrupting a serious conversation or situation. Her touch suggested the need to comfort, to encourage or persuade. But, I took the risk and interrupted. After asking they admitted it was serious mood. Oops!
I explained what I observed in the language of their hands and wanted to photograph their hands. They were intrigued about the X-E1, thinking I was shooting film. After a short conversation they agreed to let me take an image. One shot was all I needed. I showed them the image and told them I would probably convert it to black and white. He suggested I make it sepia and so I did. We talked briefly about the camera and then I quickly left so they could finish the conversation. As I left I noticed they were still touching.
“Illness and the limitations of old age can help us become more focused and reflective, more creatively introverted.” Thomas Moore
To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place…. I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them. Elliott Erwitt