Traveling Kindly
The trick is to go without wants.
Poetry
If music is older than language, then that’s probably a large part of it.
Makeshift Rangefinder
You know when you think about it — a 35mm lens on a reflex camera (knowing that you’ll crop in later) mimics a rangefinder experience by letting you see outside the frame while composing pictures.
5600ºK
If sunlight’s temperature sits between 5000ºK and 6500ºK, then 5600ºK is a good custom choice.
Taken Seriously
By all standards, I’m a lousy photographer, and that’s fine. 50mm might be the best focal length and 35mm the best lens — simply crop in a little.
Aspect Ratios
Focal lengths and aspect ratios correlate. A 50mm needs a narrower 4:5 to emphasize relationships between foregrounds and back grounds, and on the other side, a 28mm does better with a wider 3:2 because it emphasizes side-to-side relationships.
In the Moment
It transitions from play to art as we age, and in learning, it continues.
Lightweight
The less we make photography about something, the more it accommodates.
Taking or Making
In photographing landscapes, places, and found environments, perhaps the difference between making and taking lives in the focal length, where a 35mm takes, and a 50mm makes.
Enjoying the Day
Interesting places exist wherever we look long enough. Odessa is a real place, nothing touristy about it, so thoroughly palpable that it’s utterly clueless about itself in a good way, and that’s why I stay.
Keep Going
If you think it’s bad now, it used to be worse. That’s why I’m not too worried. You are a part of the change you would like to see.
Broken (please use other door)
A sign at a convenience store says, “broken, please use other door,” and then apologizes for the inconvenience.
I don’t know what to tell ya
Bad advice permeates. Everyone offers it freely. The rarest thing is something helpful. So don’t worry. Go ahead and make a wrong decision and regret it later. It’s perfectly normal.
Complaining (a how to guide)
Live a great life. From wherever to whatever, I love taking pictures with my camera. It’s an obsession — a small footprint: prints, posts, and film resting inside a trusty binder.
Film Emulation
It’s fine to digitally emulate analog. A box of monochrome 8x10 sells for $250 — a $150 rise from a decade ago, and some 35mm rolls fetch $15. Analog was once the primary photographic method.
Wooden Shutter Button
How nice would it be to have a camera shutter button made from mesquite?
Wooden Tripod
I serviced the tripod today. I repaired a loose hinge, polished the head plate, and applied mineral oil to its wood.
One-Eyed Dog
Photography is a gentle way to see oneself alive.
Experiment
Many people know that we have more to learn, and from the moment we realize that we’re not the center of everything, it gets better.
Tough. Friendly. Hardworking.
Odessa is a pretty good place.