# 6145 / kitchen sink ~ can't help myself

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ON THE PREVIOUS ENTRY, RE: TAKING MY GOOD FRIEND UP TO THE POINT WHERE HE might pee his pants, Geoff (thanks for the comment) asked:

“How do you know when your friend has (almost) reached that point - going beyond it could mean a difficult 'deep clean' of the upholstery?”

I know at the point when my friend starts making unintelligible noises that sound like a screeching barnyard animal. Then I know that it is time to dial back the speed and lateral g-forces. In any case, I don’t worry about having to deep clean the upholstery cuz he’s an old guy-mid-70s-and I just assume he wears “adult” underwear. But, enough of that, back to photography stuff…

There are times when the voice in my head says, “Enough already with the kitchen sink pictures.” Although, it is possible that the voice might just be repeating what I sometimes think that the wife is whispering in my ear when I’m asleep.

Regardless, in either case, I sometimes think that the voice might just have a point. That is, right up until the point I am standing in front of the sink and, once again, there is something going on in there that my eye and sensibilities will not let me ignore. And, despite the voice in my head, I have come to believe that ending my kitchen sink picture making ain’t gonna happen.

In fact, I am at peace with the idea that, if the gods of photography forced me to only make kitchen sink pictures for the rest of my picture making-days, I would be very OK with that restriction. Fortunately for me, there has been no such decree. But if there were to be, I could rest easy knowing that every day there will be a new arrangement-not all are picture worthy-in the sink.

Of course, there is a fly in the ointment, called the wife. Cuz, no matter what the photography gods might decree, if the wife ever decides to make sure the kitchen sink were to be kept spotless, I’d be screwed.

# 6144 / the new snapshot ~ wherein I go all gearhead

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THERE ARE QUITE A FEW THINGS I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. Picture making wise, I simply do not understand the obsessive fascination with gear. Or, worse yet, the idea that creativity in picture making is dependent on technique + gear. FYI, I will have more to write, re: creativity, coming up.

That written, for the purpose of this entry my lack of understanding is tied to things automotive. Specifically, why would anyone drive a boring-to-drive car? That is, a thing that is more like an appliance than a machine that gives fun and pleasure to the act of getting from point A to point B.

My wife and I have 3 cars, all of which are considered to be so-called driver's cars. That is, a car that has responsive steering feel, linear brake feel, a natural sense of balance to its handling, a well resolved, well damped ride, it must sound good, it must have good clean throttle response, a decent gear change and seats whose springing is in sync with that of the chassis. Throw in above-average horsepower + torque with a slightly aggressive horsepower-to-weight ratio and you have a recipe for a very satisfying driving experience. Especially so here where we live with its abundance of 2-lane, over hill and dale, twisty bits.

The Abarth pictured above has all the ingredients of a pocket-rocket and more. It is a full-blooded descendant of Abarth / Italian racing machismo. 130mph+ top end, lowered, track inspired suspension, unassisted rack and pinion steering, tuned, free-flow exhaust (sweet Italian-bred howl), brembo brakes. Even the wife loves it. She calls it “very mechanical”. Hell, even Michael Schumacher-7x Formula One Champion-has one as his daily driver.

So, for me, it is, go fast, be safe, and have fun. BTW, part of the fun is bringing my good friend along and taking him right up to the edge of peeing his pants.

PS I apologize for going all gearhead, albeit automotive style. It will be back to our regularly schedule programming tomorrow.

# 6143 / kitchen sink ~ different is as different does

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For the first several years one struggles with the technical challenges, making sure and steady progress ….But, eventually every photographer who sticks with it long enough arrives at a technical plateau where production of a technically good photograph is relatively easy. It is here that real photography starts and most photographers quit.” ~ Brooks Jensen

AS I AM CONSIDERING MY THOUGHTS AND FEELING, RE: blogging and this blog in particular, I have been contemplating the idea of what exactly is / has been my intent for doing this blog. The easy answer is that I simply wished to exhibit my work to the world. There is some truth to that answer but, digging a bit deeper, there is much more to it that that.

A few decades past, as I was moving away from commercial photography, my picture making activity gravitated to the making of pictures as Art rather than for commerce. While I had garnered some significant bona fides*, re: photography as Art, as is my wont, I was driven to explore the grand and messy world of photography as Art in more detail. Specifically, what exactly is it that makes a photograph a work of Art as opposed to being just a mere picture.

In the course of that exploration, I started a blog wherein I thought out loud, re: my ideas and ruminations on the subject of photography as Art, in hopes of encouraging input from others who read the blog. For quite a number of years, that hope was realized and there was plenty of lively conversation.

The net result of all that activity was there was no easy answer to the question of what makes a photograph be considered as Art. My take on it came down to the notion of, stop thinking / worrying about it, find my vision, get on with it, and let the chips fall where they may.

Re: It is here that real photography starts and most photographers quit - I never had much toil and struggle with the technical challenges of making a technically good picture. My picture making “challenge” derived from my intrinsic, preternatural drive to be an individual who did not “follow the crowd”. So, there was no way, from the moment I first picked up a camera, that I was going to make pictures that conformed to the prevailing idea of what makes a “good” picture.

FYI, to be very clear on that subject, I did not consciously adopt an attitude to be “different”. As I later came to realize, I just flat out see the world in a manner that differs from how others typically see it. Consequently, my “challenge” was to plunge ahead and do what came naturally, essentially ignoring any internal conflicts / doubts about being “different”. If I had given in to any doubts, it would have been at that point at which I most likely would have quit photography.

All of the above written, call it vanity if you must, but I like to think that all of my blathering on-which, BTW, is likely to continue-about the medium and its apparatus might just possibly help, or has helped, some followers of this blog to-paraphrasing Brook Jensen-let go of what they have been told is a good photograph and start photographing what they see.

*acceptance of work in prestigious, juried group exhibitions, a jurist for many exhibitions / competitions (such as the final round of The Kodak International Newspaper Snapshot Competition), many solo exhibitions in art galleries / institutions, working with the author of the seminal book The New Color Photography, a stint as a photo critic for the New Art Examiner, et al.

# 6140-42 / around the house ~ never the same twice

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IT WASN’T UNTIL ABOUT 4 MONTHS PAST I BEGAN TO start making full-frame pictures with the iPhone PORTRAIT setting. So it was somewhat of a surprise that I “discovered” 30+ pictures made with that combination all of which fall under the label around the house. Hence a new gallery on the WORK page by that name. ASIDE while most of those pictures were made in the house, a few were made in very close proximity to the house. END ASIDE

# 6136-38 / people • landscape ~ it's all the rage

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JUST YESTERDAY, RIGHT THERE ON/IN THE NY TIMES, AN article titled, The Rise of the 0.5 selfie. A few excerpts:

..All of a sudden, one day, everyone was taking 0.5 selfies…Unlike a traditional selfie, the 0.5 selfie — so named because users tap 0.5x on a smartphone camera to toggle to ultra-wide mode — has become popular because it is far from curated. Since the ultra-wide-angle lens is built into the back cameras of phones, people can’t watch themselves take a 0.5 selfie…You really don’t know how it’s going to turn out, so you just have to trust the process and hope something good comes out of it…These images are best when they have “ominous, creepy” vibes.

Having read the article-with sample pictures-it was incumbent upon me, last evening while dining out, to teach the bartender how to make an 0.5 selfie. She done good, getting the wife, daughter and me well placed in the background.

Question: is there something in human DNA which causes people to get crazy / weird when making a selfie? - the question arose as I sat stoically by while the selfie was made.

Had a nice drive home after dinner. Happy to be a passenger which allowed for some on-the-go picture making.

# 6123-31 / common places (civilized ku) ~ thinkin' 'bout the good ol' days

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WOKE THIS MORNING TO A GREY DAY. IN AN EFFORT TO brighten up the day, I decided to get out and about, use the sky as a blank slate and make some pictures. Throw in some neutral grey road surfaces and, iMo, you have got the stage set for pictures in which colors come to the fore.

In a perfect picture making world, I would have grabbed my dad’s Kodak Brownie Hawkeye camera out of the closet, went down to the drugstore, bought a roll of color negative film, then taken a stroll around the neighborhood looking for something to prick my eye and sensibilities. Instead, I picked up my iPhone and headed out with FRANK BREUER on my mind.

6118-22 / civilized ku (urban landsape) ~ drinking in Brooklyn

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SPENT SATURDAY IN BROOKLYN ATTENDING A KINDERSCHULE graduation event followed by a private party. There was quite a sunset. The party was at a bar / restaurant called Pig Beach-BBQ pork their speciality.. Kinda thought that was a strange place to have a Jewish / Socialist party.

Pig Beach-no beach, just a name-is in Brooklyn along the Gowanus canal. The canal is one the most contaminated sites in the US of A. It is currently undergoing a clean up that will take 10 years. So, even if there had been a beach, there would be no swimming.

# 6112-13 / kitchen life • common places ~ malarkey on a shingle

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(embiggenable) ~ full frame / Portrait mode

RE: THE DEATH OF THE SMALL SENSOR CAMERA. I am not one to profess that I know what the future will bring. However, I will not let that stop me from offering a few thoughts on the speculative idea that small sensor cameras are on the way out.

First, let’s define “small”….best I can tell, it the current camera market, it seems that “small” is any sensor smaller than a full-frame-24mmx36mm-sensor. And, for some reason, camera makers seem to have decided that, surprise, surprise, bigger is better. If I put on my cynical hat, I would write that they think that the more money they can charge for a camera+lenses the better.

That written, the idea that small-sensor cameras are in a death spiral is based on the notion that, a huge majority of avid amateur picture makers will all want a full-frame sensor camera. A notion that I believe to be nonsense. cuz…

a) most full-frame cameras+lens are very expensive but, even if the prices drop over time…

b) …most picture makers, even avid amateurs, do not want to lug around large, heavy gear.

c) most avid amateurs who use “small”-format sensor cameras have an investment in lenses for their systems. Moving to full-frame sensor cameras means the significant added expense of acquiring new lens.

d) in addition to the expense of full-frame sensor cameras+lenses, there is, for many, the added expense of upgrading the computer in order to handle and store the larger file sizes, and, perhaps most significantly……

e) not all picture makers, including most avid amateurs, have the desire or the need to engage in the “my dick is bigger than your dick” competition.

All of that written, let me add my ultimate reason for why I do not give a damn about any sensor size. Simply out, I do not care one iota how or what gear was used to make a picture. I only care about the picture itself. And, great pictures can be made with just about any camera / picture making device you would care to mention.

FYI, the diptych in this entry offers a peek at the man behind the curtain. That is, the work I often put into the processing of my pictures. In the case of this picture, I probably-I did not keep track-employed more than 20 separate processing steps-most local as opposed to global-to achieve the final result.