June 15, 2014


When we take pictures in today's mad race to create our lives through photographs, how can we even begin to understand the surreal nature of these photographs and its effects on our relationship with others.

There is an instinctive drive to take pics. It is a way to claim victory over the environment.  To capture those fleeting moments that pass by and still times march.

We see differently now, not a natural sight where we take in the whole of the scene and interact with it on a personal level, but now we put up a barrier (the camera) between us and the reality we share with others. We look to take photos of fragments of reality which limits our ability to give these pictures a foot hold in a bigger context. We don't want to interact with them but capture the subject like a predator and once we have captured them, we can expose these photos to the world without a true purpose.

This saturation of imagery begins to limit our ability to connect to an outside world.  We look to the picture to reaffirm our reality.  And as more and more images are uploaded we become numb to the violent rage in human nature, that nature that is vulgar and willing to do anything for attention.

We see on the streets of any city (no matter what size) the inevitable signs of the growing necessity to take pictures.  We  always have our phone camera ready for that unexpected moment when life's meager expositions are revealed in an instant, and then captured for no other purpose than to store on some social media site for eager eyes. And then easily forgotten.

The image capture is now a naive sampling of a subject without thought, a casual, random exploitation of the trivial as art.

June 1, 2014

Photography does allow us the ability to see deeper into our subjects, eliminating extraneous details that don't enhance our intended vision.

When I see a potential subject I always have in the back of my mind a close up image.  I like to yank the subject from its moorings in the visual roots we all share and give the viewer a new sense of the subject and its beauty.

Back lit leaf taped to a window and then photographed with a macro lens.  You have to make sure that your sensor is parallel to the leaf surface so you can get even sharpness through the entire frame.

May 11, 2014

Photography should be purposeful.  It should illuminate your subject in a way that express in visual content, an inner landscape,  that gives to the viewer a insight into your spiritual being.  Photography is an expression that adds to the conversation concerning the lives we lead.  It does not degrade life by useless information that exposes the raw sloth of the human condition.  We all know that life is to short to be distracted by these redundant copycat images that are so profuse now in the market place that it is hard to sift through the clutter to find an original expression, a unique vision of someones inner world.

Not every subject can make a good photograph.  The substance of a purposeful image is character.  A glimpse unknown at a new world of revelation.  Someones inner world brought forth to connect with the viewer on a deeper level. Everything photographed should not be broadcast to the world. If you don't think before shooting an image why bother with holding your camera to your eye..  

Why not attach a small camera to your lapel and have it fire off every 30 seconds or so a snapshot of your day.  We now have these types of cameras and it won't be long until our lives are not lived in the external world but lived through viewing images that document the surreal existence we all share in.  Live a life and explore and be mind present when you are making images.  

I have a series of images that I think gives you a good example of the evolution of a photo concept.  You see something interesting to shoot and then realize that there is something more present than meets the casual eye.  You look at the light and see that it had potential.  You looked at some of the details of the scene and realized that if you added a few more interesting props this image would become better. So you begin to add or subtract little details that worked or didn't work.  You looked for a better composition and then zeroed in on your true subject as you began to connect with the scene more and more. 

You saw something in the scene that spoke to you and made you stop and listen to your inner voice and forced you to study the possibilities to create a better image. And as you worked on your idea it began to evolve through light and composition until you created a meaningful image.

April 27, 2014

Burk Uzzle said, "Photography is robust, vital, and demands honesty. Pretensions are reflected mercilessly by the imprecision of a mentality that has no hiding place with an instrument so totally dependent upon its user for its character".  Uzzle goes on to say that the equipment needs guidance and to really see is the function of a complete and giving photographer.

In order for an image to have power and represent an insight into the character of the subject and the one taking the photograph, a photographer has to reflect on why he is attracted to the subject.  The photographer might not know at first the attraction, he might instinctively know he has to shoot it, but eventually he will reflect on it and try to understand his fascination with the scene. Whether we know it or not, we are in a relationship with the world.  Our time line, our choices move us in different directions. Because of this, we are allowed to see our own private perceptions form from our unique vantage point. In order to express these revelations, we must be in tune to our inner world and our perceptions of the outer universe.

What I think is happening in today's world of photography is an exploitation of the ordinary life.  The life we all lead has powerful influences on society and is shaping our future directions.  This ordinary life is attractive to advertisers because it reflects a deep seated moral consciousness in us.  I hear all the time from my photo agencies that they want something authentic, a natural feel. It has to look real, alive and the product placement must be validated by their happy involved experience.

Nothing new here, this is adman 101.  But what is different, is the changing landscape of the manipulations.  In the past ads used (think political ads) abstract ideas like freedom, respect and love of country to sell the product without getting into the actual details of what is underneath those abstract concepts. If you reflect on these ads you kind of scratch your head because really the ad didn't say much of about anything.  In fact, they were hiding their true motives behind an emblem to manipulate the viewing public.  Some would have called it subliminal advertising.

Now, however, there is a race to exploit the details behind the abstract concepts.  We are seeing a fragmentation of advertising from the general to a specific target with images that reflect a real bond between the product and the person.  There has been a conscious change in the way advertisers exploit the masses and social media right now is the engine driving information to the people.

In fact, advertisers are happy to exploit images that were created for personal family use.  These make the perfect realness they need to connect to a select population and influence them to buy the products.  Make no mistake about it, in this material world it is all about selling and profit.

I think we need to be more autonomous and free from the constant distractions and copy cat photography in web culture.  Your life is your life.  A family image becomes a piece taken from your world, abstracted from its place in time, and now posted on a social media site. Is this private experience becoming a public spectacle, devaluing the importance of the person in the picture?

This sharing can be obsessive. Are those connections really important to who you are and what you want to become?  Or, are they a distraction from living a life you want versus posting a life for all to see. Are we now finally experiencing the beginning of the me/now consciousness and becoming forever rushed in this reality of instant voyeurism, succumbing to the trivial and it's addictive power.

The real problem in photography today is the amount of pictures bleeding over into and influencing the behavior of young photographers who seem to think that anything is a photo worth taking.  Get this out of your head, be more selective, more purposeful and your images will be understood on a deeper level and have meaning for future image makers.

April 20, 2014

I talked about window light and how during the spring and summer months the sun light coming in our west facing bedroom window is a wonderful softbox. We have a white cloth blind that softens the direct sun and illuminates most subjects with this beautiful even and diffused light.  We also have this blind in our living room and I have used this window light to take portraits.  Finding good light is half the battle in creating good images.

April 20, 2014

Happy Easter to Everyone!

April 12, 2014


What I love about photography is the evolution of an image.  You start out one way thinking this is the best angle, best composition and then your mind begins to see other possibilities.  You delve deeper into the subject and then begin to add the necessary elements to make an even better image than you started with.  I have been guilty sometimes of throwing the kitchen sink into my photos but eventually I spare down the clutter and focus on the true subject I wanted to make.  It is just a matter of seeing deeper into your subject and then exploring the varying light, composition and props that make the image purposeful.

I could have photographed the Calla Lily the usual way by taking an image of the whole flower.  But where is the fun in doing that?  I like to create an image that can lead a viewer to experience maybe a deeper connection to the subject.

Here I am photographing a firm root in the ground but yet we are free and fluid to explore and spread our wings to see our true nature.

April 5, 2014 


Sometimes creating a good photograph is just putting your subject in the right light.  I like to use natural light when ever possible. During the spring and summer months the sun light coming in our west facing bedroom window is a wonderful softbox. We have a white cloth blind that softens the direct sun and illuminates most subjects with this beautiful even and diffused light. Sometimes in order to have alittle more contrast in my photograph I will put a dark reflector opposite the window light to give my subject a more Rembrandt look. When shooting indoors with soft diffused light you might have to use a tripod to steady the camera to get depth of field.

                     

March 30, 2014

Photography is a run and gun exploitation of the now. Shoot without thinking, capture the moment no matter what it is, be first on your block to post and reap the benefits of more followers.  This throw yourself at others and at the world is narcissistic.  We shoot to see if something sticks to the pop culture posting board and then you hope it will go viral and you will make a fortune and life will be good.

Photography should be purposeful, illuminating your subject in a way that expresses in visual content an inner landscape, that gives the viewer an insight into your inner being.  Photography is an expression that adds to the conversation concerning the lives we lead.  It does not degrade life by careless subject matter that exposes the raw sloth of the human condition for more clicks on a media site.  We all know that life is moving fast. To be distracted by these redundant copycat images (that are so profuse now in the market place) it is hard to sift through the clutter to find an original expression, a unique vision of someone's true life.

Not everything can make a good photograph.  The substance of an image is character.  An image gives us a glimpse of what is first unknown, but now revealed.  Someone's inner world brought forth to connect with the viewer on a deeper level.

Real life is growing and maturing and delving deeper into your experiences. Finding some harmony between your inner and outer world. We seem to live in a shallow life of distractions without purpose. Posting the minutia of your daily routines and hoping for approval. Nowadays, if you were to give life a purpose, it is to try and capitalize on your seconds of trite expressions to others. Never seeking a deeper meaning that is waiting to be discovered.  Never wanting to seek a different expression that has substance.  Now the shallow expression is king.

We might think we are expressing an image with substance, but really what is the purpose and the effect of this image being posted on a social media sight?  Is it to express your deep connection to the subject and your wish that others share your underlying feelings? Sometimes, yes.  But more often we are hoping for a few likes or maybe a comment or two that expresses empathy for your photo record.  And if you don't get any responses, are you then sad that your image was discarded and never fully appreciated? Do you feel lonely and sad that no one understands you or likes your life?

Social media is advertising pure and simple. You become shrills for those moments in your life you were never meant to share and you react to the response like ad agents doing the sales history books.  "This worked so let me post more of the same...  And if I get more looks and likes then I can show ads on my site and make pennies on the dollar"...doing the same old tired thing. Your happiness depends on the reaction to your post and not the intent of the post.  Or maybe the reaction to your image post whether good or bad is your intent.  In order feel alive we need a response any response to our existence.  If you post something sad you might get a reaction of empathy.  If you post a happy image you will get a happy response. We think this is a connection but it is just a click on someone elses web site without background information to fully understand the purpose of the image. We connect now on a shallow playing field, where redundant automated responses are welcome to verify our lives as useful and meaningful.

But this doesn't get to who you are and what is your drive and goals in life. We all want to be seen and heard, that is life's necessity.  Without others, we would go mad with the sounds of our own inner mosaic, as Minor White expressed it, "The sound of one hand clapping."

As we lose our status through economic loss, we are tempted through needy desires to be visible to this physical world in some capacity.  Social Media is waiting to accept your information greedily, and exploit your images and words for its own profit.  We give ourselves away and then wonder why we continually feel, in some hidden corner of our brain, that we are being used.

This ordinary life we try and lead now, was a revolution from the abstract concepts of good and bad dictated to us through religion and men of power in the earlier centuries (1600's to the 1800's).
A transition from top down management to the people becoming aware of their purpose and their dignity internally. While braking away from the remote ideals of authority that give us glimpses of a perfection that we can never fully grasp or understand, therefore, we could never really live up to.  We now know that we have a dignity and a responsibility to live a life, and create a better world for all in the here and now.  Through marriage, raising children, morals and ethics we find purpose in our lives and work hard to find our calling.

But now a new master has risen and it is working overtime to exploit the resources and energy of the masses for profit....

Erick Kahler, the philosopher said "This thoroughly collectivized capitalism is not likely to rescue our world from peril of becoming a total collective; it is, on the contrary, training the people for it.  Capitalism has ceased to help us to human ends.  No longer does the adventure of personal success carry a general, pioneer meaning.  It has become a purely singular, private striving for material advantages, money, objects, status and influence.  The degeneration of the American drama is pathetically pictured in Scott Fitzgerald's, Great Gatsby and in Arthur Miller's, Death of a Salesman."

What we see on social media sights is this sanctity of life reduced to images of absurdity, which were never meant to be exposed to the world. When we see them we react to the craziness and laugh at the absurdity of this world.  We disconnect from our own purpose in life and are diverted from our own personal expressions that are waiting to be unearthed. We have been lead astray from the creation of our own life's powerful message.

This flippant disregard for the sanctity of the ordinary life is continually undermined by the overexposure of content that is nonsensical, and as we see more and more of this absurdity in everyday life broadcasted on the web, life itself loses its value.

We seem to love distractions, especially in this hyper economic depression. We are overwhelmed by meaningless tidbits of knowledge that we share almost on remote control as conversations become redundant news clips and our lives get further and further away from us.

Social media discord misinforms us, makes our lives less real, more agitated without taking action to control our own lives. No longer do we hear our voices talking to each other with inflection and feeling.

All this useless counter productive information keeps us insulated from our real world.  We are the new gods witnessing the human misery and madness from above.  Looking down at our hand held device instead of looking at someones face and into their eyes.

March 15, 2014


I recently took photos at a Vietnamese Temple.   The Temple was built in honor of the great Ksitigarbho Bodhisattva for his vows of compassion.  This was a perfect example of getting to a place and being overwhelmed with the subject.  Everywhere there was a bombardment of color, statues and incense burning. There was so much to see and be part of that I had to take a step back and decide how I wanted to approach my subjects. I knew immediately that I couldn't interfere with the people who were coming to worship at the shrines and pray for their loved ones.

First off, my tripod was put back in the car.  Then I put 3 lenses (24mm, 50mm and my 105 macro lens) into a smaller shoulder bag.  This way I was more light footed and could go with the flow as more and more worshippers arrived.

In these situations if you are sensitive to others and respect their space you still can get in close to your intended subjects without imposing a barrier between you and the people coming to show their devotion to the colorful shrines.  However, one time I did get caught up shooting one shrine and didn't hear the quiet voice behind me asking me to move.  I apologized and she smiled and moved toward the shrine to pray.

It is a good idea to look for natural barriers that you can stand by and shoot your subject from. This way you become part of the scene and you don't have to worry about people running into you while you compose and try and make a photo.  Also, because I was hand holding my camera, I set my ISO a little higher and used a shutter speed around 250-320 of a second.  This gave me good depth of field and I still could stop motion if necessary.

When you are shooting in crowds it is a delicate dance to capture the subject you have been hunting and not make your presence an annoyance to the other people who are there to enjoy themselves as much as you want to make pictures.  You must anticipate movement around your intended target and move quickly to get closer and take your photograph and then move away again.  Have your exposure and shutter speed set and the lens that works with your intended vision.  As you move away you can regroup and take another look at your intended subject and then decide if there might be another, better angle to shoot from.  Also, maybe changing the lens this time will work better with your subject and off you go again and again if necessary as you explore your subject, experimenting with composition, lens and perspective.

Over all it was a wonderful experience and next year I hope to get there when the Monks allow visitors into the temple at night.  I have heard it is even more spectacular than the daytime beauty when the colorful lights are on.

March 8, 2014

Erich Kahler wrote in his book, The Tower and the Abyss, of the fragmented knowledge we are gaining and without syntheses of this knowledge we are unable to make a meaningful whole of our purpose in life. He says, "we have lost all control over the state of our learning, all orientation in the vast wilderness of factuality and, since there exists no whole any longer in which to determine anybody's or anythings position and the role in this world, our hugely expanded knowledge ends up in suggesting that, apart from practical purposes, everything is meaningless".

No one studies photography anymore, now they just shoot pictures, millions of pictures, billions of pictures exposed on the worldwide web each week. Ever more burdening our minds with fragments of other peoples lives and useless information.  Some of these images are funny and positive and these milliseconds of info puts us in a good mood in a day of redundant work and dreary silence. But more and more human nature takes over and these images are cruel and embarrassing to the one being photographed.  We laugh openly at the stupidity of others and once again feel good about ourselves that we are superior to those fools.  We are dumbing down our sensibilities to others as we move further and further into a realm of instant reactions to stimulus without concern or thought for the people in the photos.  We are walling off ourselves from others and are treating the outer world as a play thing and for our entertainment to satisfy our need to be and feel better than another.

Photography is the perfect vehicle to identify the fragmentation of our lives.  A photograph captures a moment in time.  Yanks it from the time sequence and fatally creates a separation from the flow of visual continuity.  The picture now is a flat two dimensional surface that is removed from its timeline and now can be viewed as an abstraction from the real world we live in and thus has no purpose but to delight the senses and enslave the viewer for more and more gratification from the ever increasing visuals that are evolving humans into fragmented voracious voyeurs.

We must gain control of this ever widening gap between living a life and viewing a life.  When we create images we must have a deeper purpose and an intent to inform and enlighten each another to our inner universe.  Pictures of happy faces are an abstract concept under the guise of a meaningful purpose.  These are ads for ones life as you wish you could live it.  But if we were to delve deeper into the person in the photo then we would begin to see the complexity of their life and a more meaningful, deeper understanding of that smile.  

March 2, 2014


I was driving along some back streets in Seattle and spotted this guy working on his red mustang.  The sun was rising and I had a choice to make, go to my intended subject I wanted to shoot or stay and make pictures of the mechanic.  I liked the feel of the image and what made up my mind was his orange work clothes.

February 22, 2014


Years ago we traveled along the West Coast of the United States in a motorhome. We did travel east a bit as we planned interesting subjects I wanted to shoot and subjects my photo agencies wanted me to shoot as well.  We would usually stay a minimum of a week in each place, but sometimes depending upon weather and subjects we could stay much longer. As a photographer, this allowed me time to absorb the terrain of the city and countryside and find those unusual subjects that are both personal and fun to photograph.
One of the places we visited was Palm Springs. One day, I was scouting areas east of Palm Springs and ended up on Dillon road. The road started out normal but as you traveled along you would come to these up and down hills along the highway and if you pushed the speed up a bit your stomach would begin to float as if you were rising up on a small plane. You really couldn't go too fast because as you came to the top of one the hills you never knew if a car was down in the dip.  Immediately I knew my daughter, who was around two years old at the time, would love this road.  So I went and got the family and we went on a roller coaster ride in the deserts of Palm Springs.

Another fun spot was the dinosaur park off Interstate 10, northwest of Palm Springs. 

February 16, 2013



Human identity is changing rapidly in this no holds barred social media frenzy of content and more content.  We are losing touch with the sacredness of the ordinary life our ancestors revealed through hard work and human sentiment.  

By being quick to judge, interpret, and take photographs, we are limiting our ability to learn and understand a photographers purpose in creating an internal image and our connection to that purpose.

Expressing emotions is both physical and verbal.  When we see a person crying we react and think, oh, what has happened.  This physical representation is just a moment in time and we assume certain things have happened to this person and that is why the tears.  But what is really going on down underneath this persons physical presence? When that same person begins to laugh, we think those tears were not tears of pain but tears of happiness. We missed a moment before the tear event that would have given us this clue.

In still photography the image is yanked out of its time sequence and we the viewer can become disoriented wondering what the meaning  of the photograph we are looking at is.

We need to relate more personally to the image in order to see the clues the photographer is giving us.  What symbols is the image creator using to connect the photograph with the viewer on a more intimate level.

When you look at an image, do you ever truly see the photographers real motives, his emotions, the why an image was taken in the first place?  With scenic images, we know that the photographer saw a beautiful setting and decided to take a picture of it.  But why did the photographer choose a certain composition over another?  Why did this particular scenic image succeed and that other one fail?

When a photograph grabs us emotionally, we become attached somehow to the image creators impression of a scene.  The image holds our interest and we can sit and contemplate the information given.  But we still don't know all that is going on in that photograph.  We start by exploring the surface meaning of the photograph (color, perspective, composition etc..). This is not a fast paced sprint but a meandering over the two dimensional surface of the image, studying the subject looking for details that at first we were missing.

If the photographer connects with us on a deeper level through his photograph, then we are able to get a better gestalt of the images purpose and find a meaning for ourselves that might not be exactly what the image creator expressed, but allowed us to connect to the image on a deeper, more personal level. 

This inner world under the surface of things is what I believe makes a great photo come alive.  It is hard to dig deeper into a scene pulling out details that represent an inner expression, if it was shot casually.  Casual photographs are okay, they give us a moment in time, a fashion statement easily forgotten.  But what we are looking for, hungry for, is a true depth that creates a conversation between the creator of the image and its viewer ie: can you see me truly, see my image as a reflection of my inner world and perhaps represent a part of you as well.

I think that photographers that wrestle with this inner expression and outer detail are battling the good fight for better images and an evolving in themselves to make better more personal images with a broader appeal.

Composition/Technique alone can not bring life into a subject that has no relationship with the photographer creating the image.  Without a relationship of some kind with the scene you only have a shallow two dimensional record of a reality that is just surface reflections only, without depth and the ability to connect with your viewer.

Technique can only go so far in allowing us to express ourselves photographically.  Composition is important but so are the details that become symbols of our inner fears, doubts, happiness. etc...that the photographer can add to his scene that make or break the image.

February 16, 2014

A few years ago we had a family of moles  digging in our back yard.  Each morning new mounds would rise.  These moles were in worm heaven and were very content crisscrossing my yard with their tunnel waste making traps for unsuspecting worms that fell into the narrow passages.  Just for a humorous image I stuck an American flag at the top of one such mole hill.  I was surrendering my territory to them and giving up the battle.