Photo Quote for May

“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” -Jonathan Swift 

For years I have written the following words on the back of my hand made photo greeting cards, “Through photography, I translate the beauty I see within and share this vision with you.” Just recently I came across Jonathan Swift’s similar quote and wanted to share it hoping to inspire some of you with your visions and dreams. How are you sharing your unique vision with the world? As Wayne Dyer once said, “Don’t die with your music still inside of you.” Get out in the world and express your gifts. The world is waiting for you.

See the beauty you wish to see in the world.

Many of you are already familiar with Gandhi’s famous quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” From a photographer’s perspective, I suggest that you “see the beauty you wish to see in the world.” In other words, what are you looking at as you go about your day? Are you noticing how dirty the streets are or the blossoming tree across the street? Are you seeing gum on the sidewalk or the patterns the grasses are making on the edge of it? You get more of what you focus on so focus more on seeing the beauty that is already there and you will see that there is beauty around you everywhere. Psychologist James Hillman suggested that “many of societies challenges come because we are cut off from beauty and lose our way as human beings.” With that in mind, let’s move towards more “beauty seeing” and find our way again to more “human being.”

Salsa and Chips Audio Track

 

My recipe for Salsa and Chips audio track

Creativity comes in many flavors. It can be really refreshing to try a whole different form of media than the ones you are used to. With that in mind, I made a play date with Garage Band and created this remix. Goes great with non-gmo tortilla chips and guac. Here’s the recipe:

Starting with Garage Band ’11 select Magic Garage Band. Click on Latin as your music theme and click ‘open in Garage Band’. With the Latin theme as the main ingredient, I added an assortment of tracks from the loops menu. Separating the track volume from each track, I was then able to fade in each ‘ingredient’ and adjust and blend the volume output of each one. In this piece, a total of 14 tracks were used: flute, percussion, clave, rattler, cowbell, percussion, bongo, techno kit, 2 types of jingles and 3 assorted vinyl tracks. Blend to taste et voila!

Which is the best camera? The one you have with you.

What do you get when preparedness and opportunity combine through a camera lens?  You get a great photograph. How many times have I seen “the shot”, that most amazing combination of color and light playing into a perfect pattern and missed it? Too many times. Rather than dragging around a heavy camera wherever you go, just shoot it with your compact digital camera, iPhone, Flip camera or other device that you can easily carry with you. Often it is just seeing the perfect moment and catching it quickly with the camera on hand… like a butterfly. But if you don’t have the net ready it will just disappear. Regardless, you can still enjoy those beautiful moments even if you didn’t ‘catch’ it and just be grateful for the perfection of the moment.

Photo Tip: Just Notice

Many people over the years have asked me, “Wow, nice photos. What kind of camera do you use?” Politely I answer the question but then I tell them “it is the eye behind the camera that creates the photo.” There are tips and skills you can hone to take better photos faster. This week’s tip for better photography is: just notice. What I mean by that is just pay attention to everything in your viewfinder. Is there a tree sticking out behind someone’s head in your photo? Then just move over so the background is better. Did you notice the minute detail in the center of a flower? Just notice it and shoot that interesting part of the flower. Did you see the shadows falling in a pattern on the ground? That can make very interesting photos as well. The good part of noticing is that it carries over into the rest of your life. You’ll start noticing more of everything around you and ultimately you may even begin to feel more alive and happy as a result! Happy noticing!

New Year 2013: 20/20 Vision

I love the new year. It represents such an opportunity to regain clarity and start with a fresh clean slate. This is the year I am finally going to get my website and blog going. This is the time. Put on your 20/20 vision glasses and take the first step in creating that project you’ve been envisioning for months or even years. Lao Tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.” I am looking forward to sharing the journey with you.