Earshot

The theory of sound goes that if there is no receivers to hear, even the greatest noise would fall silent.

This is yet another trip-off in the task of stock sound images, but part of my mental exploration of the project, had a busy day on other fronts and all but will do the photo grind work too, but will spare you all the pics here most probably. Been having good witnessing adventures and lives changed and seeds of faith taking root in people’s lives, which is my real job. But this is what I do for fun, sounds good :P, and an interesting topic to explore conceptually.

(click to enlarge) …and a blupper of my “elaborate set” and shadow, just for the fun of it.

Hearing Shadows

Yesterday I got a curious email from a great gal and fellow photographer to help with some pics of sound and music and restful pics as a favor, so I will be doing what I can. I played around a bit this morning with headphones and things I had around. As I was outside for natural light I had to make sure my shadow was not in the pic, then a thought came to me “why fight it, use it”, so I did for some. I don’t know if these are what she wants but they were fun “out of the box” photography norm that I liked them. Pray I get ideas and time for this little project for a Flora and a book on sound and peace.

(click on image to enlarge) Only earphones and my shadow, no PS. my shadow leaning over a whiteboard surface with the earphones on it. Not the easiest to get my hands and DSLR camera hidden in my head shape, could not see the pic as I was taking it, just had to guess and hold it still, just photo fun.

uncut look

Christmas Presents…

No, I have not forgotten what time of year it is. I was going to start with a, “nothing is wrong with my head”, but that would not be totaly accurate. I know it is not Christmas, but there was a little contest posted for Activated Christmas covers for ‘08 so I thought I’d use it as a learning thing. I love pictures, I even enjoy taking them of everything, but oh how I loath setting up studio-like sets and photo shoots. Being that I do not live in either of the arctic poles and the fact that I waited nearly a day before the May 1st deadline there was no snow and not much but heavy leaves of spring in sight outdoors. I settled on pulling some Christmas decor boxes out and seeing what I could play with.

I take comfort in George Bernard Shaw’s logic of trying something over and over again till you finally get it right. In photography I am not there yet, but still trying. These are some attempts I sent in, remember, saw them first here.

Two different ideas, taken in three different shoots.

Here is a behind the scene look at my “set” (minus the messy room), to show you that you can do anything with nothing if you really want to.

By candle light.

Source material is a printed out pic from my shoot the night before, it’s an original idea, I think.

Baby and me, that’s really how it happened folks! Not the first Christmas of course, but the wee hours of May 1st in my room. Click to enlarge images.

Have fun, and enjoy the fact that it’s not Christmas time yet.

Helping Hands

Recently we helped with some repair work on a friends house. This was out in the rural countryside and we took a visitor with us to see what life is like. They had a broken floorboard and plumbing problems, and we helped them install linoleum flooring and cupboards, cut some other shelves and helped out. We will probably be back to do some painting in the future. The wife is semi-handicapped and the father very old so it was nice to use our talents to help them like this.

some of the work

view from the window of the mountains and village homes, most more then a hundred years old, and the first WW.

and we’re done… for today.

Light Looking

Sorry for the lack of profound inspiration and thoughts of late (as if i ever had any), but I’m just trying to coup and find the light in things and situations particular to me. Here are some pics of simple life in the light and spring, as I strive to be too.

Painting Still

These are dedicated to the lovely Sonia Lee, a wonderful painter and artist. Just some old painting things I found around the house.

Colors n’ Cowboy

Well, I still have not got myself to commit trying to “take a picture a day”, it seems I always plan to do it tomorrow, but here are some pics I have taken as I do take opportunities that come and like to keep my eye sharp, learning an reading a lot but not much time for practice with all the other work I have to do.

The other day I went for a walk in the forest intending to take some pics, most of them did not work out, took some wrong turns and got to see some other villages and paths I would never have seen, walked a few more miles then I would have liked as well. There also was this weekend cowboy that came through the woods that I took a few pics of, upon coming home I found they were not real keepers on their own so I made them more era pics with PS, always a picture saver.

folds and grung, kinda retro looking

Tintype looking work on this one

10 star paid = fruity

Well this is not a whole album as it only has 6 songs and no cover (above is my work modifying one of Ryan’s fantastic pics from the Anthem shoot), but I thought I’d comment anyways.

It’s worth more then a mention, remember Phil (Princess) he has all grown up and shares his thoughts, rhyme and experiences as a new father in Magic. He’s not alone in this as Ryan (Beautifully Broken) writes but does not sing Dance, and Aiki contributes and sings Anthem, Seasons, Candle, with Anthem being the single with the MV of the same name. It’s hard to tell if this is actually a new band or supporting band/promo for these artists as these are just studio tracks, time will tell. In the meantime we have these tracks to groove into our ears that are refreshing, light, polishe,d and well produced to add to our musical playlist entourage from young artists hailing from Nippon adding to singer/songwriter alum like Steve, Masa, Florence, and Jesse.

Enjoy and download here and official MV for Anthem here. Don’t be a afraid to play and sing around the house, this is good fun earworm tunes for the whole family, shout out the Anthem!

While I was messing around with a fantisy cover I did one with other old mediums like vinyl and tape, Enjoy!

Friendly Feature

This pic of mine was just featured by another member of DA in a fantasic set of pics with kids from among the members, it is on point #9 towards the end, so many other great pics to see there too and it is nice to be counted among them in this way.

Special thanks to model Jordan for his patience, he was only about 2 1/2-3 at the time and now one of the newest little missionaries to India, GBH!

Precious Little – album review

For those that don’t know this newest album (2006) from Jeremy Spencer it is because it has not been done by Aurora label but Blind Pig of Norway.

There are many reviews on the web for this as it is a mainstream album and can be bought on Amazon and other sites with all the technical words for this kind of music that I honestly do not know so I’ll review it a little differently.

This showcases what I have been fortunate to know all these years, I was reading the jacket tonight and read what the album producer Jostein Forsberg said about hearing his songs when he was young and then missing it for 33 years, well I consider myself fortunate to have lived and heard Jeremy’s music all of my 31 years. It’s interesting how our perspectives are so different but appreciation the same, he is a legend that I am glad the world is finally able to know and enjoy free from all the rock scene and band lures for big bucks that befell previous attempts of his to record commercially. He has hit the right note this time in just using what God has given him in the simple style and rhythm and gift of sound for the Lords glory, and that is what is sending reviews around the world.

For those of us that have seen him on various videos (someone dug up old “Forever Young” concert video the other night from 1990 that was fun to see again) and CDs and India concerts he has been a mainstay and a founding father of our unique music history but I think I will always mostly remember all he went through, one of the few who had a career that joined in the early days and it meant little to him for the great rewards he exchanged it for, I’m sure his musical influence and artwork have had an impact in each and every child over the last 30 years and will continue to for generations, we are the precious little he sings of, and the biggest winners here.

Though the media is saying this is his comeback album I think it is just a little blessing for all his forsaking. God say what we forsake he will repay in this life and in the next and this is a little bit of blessings for him and blues lovers everywhere, his love and passion for Him (Dr. J) and others (Serene Serena, Precious Little) flies off every note.

With 12 tracks of blues it is seldom that you feel it is not enough, but that is Precious Little. Will there be precious more? Let’s hope so; we know he’s good for it.

Hear samples here. Also cycles on The Glitch radio. Though this is one is mostly for the world of blues.