• Art/Design,  Black and White,  Cityscapes/Urban,  musings,  Plants,  quotes,  shadows,  trees,  writing/reading

    One Must Not Take Photos

    Shadows #1
    Shadows #1

    “A photograph is neither taken or seized by force. It offers itself up. It is the photo that takes you. One must not take photos.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson

    When someone sees me with a camera I am quite often asked if I have “taken” any good “pitchers” today. I find that difficult to answer. First, I carry a camera as if it is a part of me, a creative tool. I only compose and press the shutter button when an image appears. My belief in that grows more and more each day. One of my tasks in life is to have a camera with me and to be present and observe. I must see with my eyes and the eyes of my heart and soul. And, there are days when I never press my shutter button, most likly because I was not present.

    Shadows #2
    Shadows #2

    Secondly, what I consider a good image may not be good to someone else. If Cartier-Bresson is correct then a photograph given to me has a purpose of nurturing my soul and change something within me. And for me the beauty of this is the desire to share some of these images with you, whether they are liked or not.

    Thanks for listening. Monte

  • Black and White,  writing/reading

    Books

    20141218_DSCF5605-Edit

    I like books. I have used them to enrich, entertain, nurture, guide, and enlighten my life. I’ve discovered favorite genres and authors. Even though I mostly read on an e-reader I still enjoy “feeling” my way through a book store or library. Prior to my seven year stint of flying I had a decent library. It is now down to 75 books or so. My library is now my e-reader as I carry it everywhere, just like my camera.

  • Black and White,  lifestyles,  musings,  quotes,  writing/reading

    Love of Books

    Love of Books
    Love of Books

    It is a good rule after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between.

    C.S. Lewis

    I bought a kindle e-reader about five years ago and fell in love with it. It ignited a fire to read more. Prior to this purchase I read few books, 2-3 a year. Most of my reading consisted of reading books required for school assignments, books on spirituality/religions and a few photography books in my attempt to improve at the craft. I was never interested in novels and still that way. I may read a novel every couple years.

    I now have an appreciation for books. I love spending time at the library (that’s where I’m at now) or a book store getting my hands of a few. One of the draws to the Bean Cycle Coffeehouse in Old Town is the nonprofit book store they have. Sometimes I’ll take my latte upstairs, grab a book and skim through part of one. I’ve bought one book from them and donated a few I’ve finished and do not want to keep in my library.

  • Black and White,  journal,  musings,  writing/reading

    Another Journal

    Another  Journal

    Started another journal on October 5th. This is my 22nd book since my first journal entry back on October 7, 1990. The first entry consisted of five sentences at a time of struggle. There was a lot going on inside mading it difficult to express myself in any coherent way.  I wrote about a struggling marriage, family issues, job changes, entering into another unnecessary war and the downward spiral of our society. That was 24 years ago. The marriage ended 9 months later. There are still family issues, I’m now retired, we’re still senselessly killing and our society still has a broken thinker.

    I’ve noticed my writing style has changed. I’m not writing to necessarily find answers but to pursue other questions. My journals are a mix of diaries, writings to a Higher Power (God) and co-authored with him. My audience is for family and friends as well as myself. The journals have been therapy for me. Some things I write and then read back over can enlighten me to a deeper knowledge of myself and allow for an acceptance of the world around me. I find it brings clarity, focus, slows down my troubled thinker and helps organize it. It has become an important part of my life. Now, if I could put words in some sort of coherency instead of feeling like I’m babbling.

  • Black and White,  Documentary/Street,  street photography

    Sunday Morning

    20140914_DSCF4383-Edit.jpg
    Street Clock

    It’s Sunday morning in Fort Collins. Start the day with meditation. Make and enjoy my latte. Watch sunrise from my window. Take a refreshing walk in Old Town. It’s 8:40. Temperature is 46 degrees. Streets are empty. My coat keeps me warm. Hands are in my coat pockets. Camera is around my neck. I breathe and stay present, accepting whatever image is given.

  • Black and White,  People/Portraits,  quotes,  Self-portraits

    Dark and Mysterious

    One Light Portrait
    One Light Portrait

    “There’s just something unsettling about studying your reflection. It’s not a matter of being dissatisfied with your face or of being embarrassed by your vanity. Maybe it’s that when you gaze into your own eyes, you don’t see what you wish to see—or glimpse something that you wish weren’t there.” 

    Dean Koontz, Deeply Odd

    I again called upon the older guy to model for me as I played with some exposure and lighting effects.  Shot this in the afternoon with window light only. I wanted to use the camera and flash to darken the background. I set the camera on manual at f2.0 and a shuter speed of 400th of a second.  This darkened the background while I used off camera flash, set on manual, and powered at 1/64th to light only my face. It is through using myself I learn about flash and how to play with it. It takes longer to experiment. After I feel comfortable I can then use a different model. Black and white conversion was done in Silver Efex Pro.