The Online Photographer

Gone Fishin'

TOP is taking Monday and Tuesday off this week...back Wednesday!

—Mike, all-purpose functionary
and factotum

The Tennis GOAT (OT)

Most sports fans don't follow every sport, and not everyone likes sports at all. Even people who don't, though, will pay attention when something really spectacular happens or someone really special comes along—such as, say, Usain Bolt.

Well, it's that time, so perk up. The U.S. Open in tennis starts tomorrow, and one of the very rarest accomplishments in the entire sporting multiverse is, for once in a blue moon, ripe for the plucking...the fabled Grand Slam.

Good Mutt

Thanks to the time-stamps on old digital pictures, I've figured out that Lulu was older than I thought she was—she was actually somewhere near her 16th birthday when she died. That's old for a dog her size.

I reviewed a lot of pictures. All things considered, these are my two favorites. I've published both of them already—apologies if you've seen them before.

This was one of a number of shots from the first day we met her. I got her from my friend Gabi, who had found her wandering homeless and starving in a park in Chicago. Gabi had three elderly cats at the time, and the rescued puppy was not being viewed with approval by those established members of the household, hence the group email to her friends asking if anyone wanted a dog. I'd been promising Xander we'd get a dog for three years at that point, long enough that he had already decided it was a broken promise. After the introduction, the four of us—three people plus dog—went to the park after picking up lunch on the way. At this point Lulu is about nine months old, and her condition had been much restored by visits to the vet and three months of good food at Gabi's.

I love this picture and have ever since I took it. I'm not entirely sure why. Most pictures we love just tug at our hearts somehow, or intersect with deep feelings in some way. They tweak at something in the psyche. This light, the sky, the expanse of grass and the distant trees, her pose, her expression—the picture has a feel for me that brings something up. It must remind me of something deep, although I don't know what. I love it.

This second one is the opposite of a snapshot. In the cold Wisconsin winters, Xander would settle down on the couch to watch The Simpsons and Malcolm in the Middle, and Lulu, who had a very short coat, would ask to be let in so she could get warm and get some loves. I made a number of attempts to get a good picture of this scene over a period of months, but I was never satisfied. Finally I set up a monolight next to the couch, pointed it at the ceiling, and just left it there. When I wanted to try a shot I'd just plug the camera in and take a few quick ones. I finally got this.

Of course, no one cares how hard you worked, but this is more an example of the opposite—you work as hard as you need to. If you haven't gotten the shot you want, keep trying until you do. I'm 100% happy with this one too.

Both of these were taken with my first DSLR, the Konica-Minolta 7D. That was one of my three or four favorite cameras of all time. It was to me like the Nikon D700 was to a lot of other readers...the camera that did it all and did it the way I wanted it to.

As an honorable mention I might pick this one:

Taken with my first decent cellphone in 2015 when we were moving in here. Of course this one doesn't really say a whole lot about Lulu, except perhaps to me. She had a way of standing around when there was nothing going on that interested her. I'm sure I took this picture just for the light and sure enough, I like the light.

Old girl
Naturally, Lulu's age is just an estimate. She was a foundling from the park and we don't know for sure when she was born. But this is curious: we got her from Gabi on May 20th, 2006; Gabi said she'd had her for about three months, the time when she bedeviled Gabi's venerable felines; and the vet Gabi took her to when she found her estimated her age to be about six months. If you subtract exactly nine months—three plus six—from May 20th, you get August 20th as her birthday—which just happened to be the date of her death. If August 20th was really her birthday she was exactly 16 the day she died. But the "three months" and the "six months" are only an estimate and an educated guess, respectively.

Gabi managed to locate Lulu's previous owner, who turned out to be a pretty sketchy fellow. He kept wanting not his dog back, but money. Gabi actually tried to deliver Lulu to him. The best she could figure is that he was breeding fighting dogs in his seedy Chicago row house—his yard was full of the kind of training aids that are used to increase the aggressiveness of fighting dogs, and, from the barking that came from house, Gabi thought there were at least six and maybe as many as nine dogs inside. As to how Lulu escaped from her captor, we have only circumstantial evidence: 1.) the fellow had a cast-iron fence surrounding his side-yard that was topped with pointy metal spikes; 2.) when Lulu was found she had a leg wound, a gash on her inner thigh; and 3.) when Lulu was young she had a prodigious jumping ability. We just put two and two (well, one and two and three) together. Our conclusion was that she was a smart girl who knew a bad scene when she saw it and figured out she'd better get the heck out of Dodge—so she leaped the fence, cutting her leg in the process, and eventually made her way to the park. In any event, I always had it in the back of my mind to take especially good care of Lulu partially on behalf of her littermates, who didn't jump that fence and might have suffered worse fates.

I'm not going to get another dog, but I did spend some time last night filling in several online questionnaires about what breed might be best for me. I was just wasting time. The correct answer is probably "mutt" anyway. Like Lulu, who was the mutt for us.

Mike

Book o' the Week

Bystander: A History of Street Photography by Colin Westerbeck and Joel Meyerowitz (Laurence King Publishing, 2017). First published in 1994. In this revised edition, the story of street photography is brought up to date with a re-evaluation of some historical material, the inclusion of more contemporary photographers, and a discussion of the ongoing rise of digital photography.

The above is a link to Amazon from TOP. Here's Bystander at The Book Depository. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

David Raboin: "That was a beautiful write-up and excellent photos. Lulu will be missed. When our dog, Jack, passed two summers ago, I found myself mourning the passage of time as much as mourning the loss of a beloved family pet. We adopted Jack a year before having our first baby. Jack was with us when we struggled with a newborn and lived in near-poverty. Jack was also around when we bought our first house, had a second baby, and then bought our dream house. I'll remember Jack as my trail-running buddy with his bushy tail blowing like a flag in the fresh winds of California, but I can't think of that dog without having a flood of emotion about becoming a parent and surviving the trials of early adulthood. I imagine it's somewhat the same for you. Lulu's life coincided with the second half of Xander's childhood and watching him grow into an independent man. Go throw the ball for Butters and wallow in those bittersweet memories."

Kenneth Tanaka: "Lovely remembrance, Mike. Yes I remember those first two images. There is no higher purpose for photography than to help keep the dead alive in the minds of the living. No medium serves that role as well as photography. Our home is sprinkled with photos of a deeply beloved pet that we lost five years ago...but thanks to those photos he's still 'here.' Thanks for sharing this with us. Give Butters a big smooch."

robert mckeen: "Great pictures and memories. The one with Xander sums up what it is to have a dog in a family, more than any words could say."

Sylvain G.: "A beautifully written and illustrated little tribute. Sorry for your loss, and be proud of how she lived!"

Benjamin Marks: "What a wonderful life Lulu had! Not its beginnings, obviously, but in its scope and sum. It is in a dog to love unconditionally. Something about their natures, and ours, allows each to make space in its heart for the other—across whatever lines divide us. I often joke that our Moxie and I make an ungainly symbiote. She lends me her superpower by alerting us to the smell of strange squirrels who run riot beyond our fence. I lend her my superpower, which is planning for dinner. You will feel like reality has a Lulu-shaped hole in it for the next little while. But maybe on the other side of that balance beam can be all the satisfactions you brought one another over the years. Your remembrance suggests as much, and I hope it is so. Love, love, love the pictures."

It's Always Something

Fog
My neighbors, who are wonderful people, had family over yesterday and they asked me to come over and man the camera for a group portrait. I was happy to be asked. Ginny just wanted me to take a few pictures with her phone, which I did, but I also brought my X-T1 along as...backup?!

It was hot and the air was extremely humid. Just from taking the magic 50 (meaning, the XF 35mm ƒ/1.4) out of the air conditioning into the humidity, the lens fogged over! I had to wipe it off twice. Which just goes to show, it's always something.

I've had lenses fog up when I bring them indoors from intense cold (tip: put camera and lens into a couple of plastic baggies before coming inside), but never the other way around before.

Both the phone and Fuji pictures "turned out" very nicely.

Lulu
I should mention that Lulu died last Friday. It went about as well as it possibly could have—she was relaxed and supported and not in any kind of distress. I could write a 5,000-word essay on the experience but I thought there might be a few of you who might want to know. It's been very different around our house this week. She had a good life and a good and timely death, for which I'm grateful. I miss her. After months of getting up in the middle of the night to take her out I'm having difficult relearning how to sleep through the night. I'll keep trying.

Melt-in-your-mouth melon
In food news, I scored a coup yesterday—Honeybee Dave from up the hill (you remember Dave) let it out that he knows who grows the best melons in the whole area. When Dave makes a pronouncement like that, my ears perk up. I got the directions to a Mennonite farm and got over there yesterday and bought two cantaloupe. The farmer (no picture, because Mennonite) explained to me in detail how to choose good ones. Well, they didn't look like much, but [eyes widen] I've now tasted the grail of cantaloupe—lordy, lordy. Melt-in-your-mouth and bursting with glorious complex flavor. A different level altogether from the supermarket version. I get to have the second one for breakfast as soon as I finish this*.

And I got to taste Dave's own "Standish Stilton" homemade cheese, too. Another incredibly complex flavor, another rare treat.

Life is good, and goes on.

Mike

*It was just as good. My word.

ADDENDUM: Darn, I forgot to mention this. Remember that Solar Seiko I bought in June? (Quartz watch, runs off a battery recharged by light so you never have to change the battery.) It's been running for two months and four days now, and it's not yet a full second slow. My other Seiko has been running for a little less than two months, and it isn't a whole second off either, but it's fast. Considering that Seiko claims an accuracy of 15 to 20 seconds a month, both these very ordinary watches are far exceeding their spec so far.

Book o' the Week

Bystander: A History of Street Photography by Colin Westerbeck and Joel Meyerowitz (Laurence King Publishing, 2017). First published in 1994. In this revised edition, the story of street photography is brought up to date with a re-evaluation of some historical material, the inclusion of more contemporary photographers, and a discussion of the ongoing rise of digital photography.

The above is a link to Amazon from TOP. Here's Bystander at The Book Depository. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Nicholas Hartmann: "So sorry to hear about Lulu. Maybe it went as well as it could have, but I’m sure it still wasn’t good. Treasure Butters, and all your two- and four-legged friends. Byu the way today is National Dog Day (our dog thinks that every day is National Dog Day, and that the particular dog being honored is him)."

Mike replies: Thanks to you and to everyone for the kind thoughts. I only wish my brother had been as lucky...to have lived to a ripe old age and then be spared suffering.

Robert Roaldi: "I'm 68 and I've probably never gone more than two or three days since childhood without eating cantaloupe, although I sometimes substitute other melons. It's probably only during vacations that I don't eat them because fruit is rarely on restaurant menus. I don't eat dessert; fresh fruit is my dessert. I know people who rarely eat fresh fruit—I find that bizarre. I'm saddened to hear about Lulu."

Giant Loyle

I got an app for my phone that actually changes the size of people and objects.

Here, my friend Loyle has been transformed into a near-seven-foot giant, and is seen making a shot on my tiny toy pool table.

He didn't like being 6'10" however ("how am I going to fit into my car?"), so I hit another button on the magic app, making him the size of an eight-year-old and restoring my table to its expansive nine-foot length.

(I was just playin' around. Fun with perspective!)

A serious aside: I can't prove this, but I've always believed that as the 182-year history of photography has made its merry way onward, the sophistication of the public in interpreting typical photographic distortions has increased greatly. I undertook a sort of survey of the literature of photography as a student, and it seemed to me that complaints about the various lens distortions were fairly common in the early years even when the distortions themselves were mild. As the decades piled up, people became much more sophisticated as viewers of photographs. We learned to tolerate greater and greater amounts of the kinds of distortions that tended to bother early viewers. The only one I really encounter much these days are complaints about unlevel horizons in seascapes. Tilt that horizon radically, however, and the complaints go quiet—in that case they assume it's intentional. 

As I say, there's no way to prove this. It's just something I believe to be true.

Mike

Book o' the Week

Bystander: A History of Street Photography by Colin Westerbeck and Joel Meyerowitz (Laurence King Publishing, 2017). First published in 1994. In this revised edition, the story of street photography is brought up to date with a re-evaluation of some historical material, the inclusion of more contemporary photographers, and a discussion of the ongoing rise of digital photography.

The above is a link to Amazon from TOP. Here's Bystander at The Book Depository. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Pen Waggener: "Giant Loyle reminds me of a photo my late father published in a rural Kentucky newspaper in 1977. He wrote a sort-of-weekly column for a few years, and his photo of a farmer with a seemingly gigantic pumpkin grabbed the attention of a reporter from the Louisville Courier-Journal, who called asking if it was 'trick photography.' Dad assured him that it was not, although he did admit that 'the perspective is somewhat flattering to the pumpkin.' You can see the photo here."

Brian Stewart: "No framed prints on the walls???"

Mike replies: The room isn't actually finished yet...the molding and window framing haven't been done (the trades are in demand here and it's hard to find anybody who will do such a small job). Plus, no lighting yet. So that remains a future project and probably will for a while.

Sroyon (partial comment): "I think you may be on to something here. In a 1971 interview Cartier-Bresson said a 35mm lens(!) is often used by 'people who want to shout,' and that the distortion is an 'aggressive' effect. What's an 'aggressively wide' lens today, maybe 21mm?"

Sean: "My sister has a portrait hanging in her home of her son and daughter taken by yours truly. They all joke about how my nephew’s forearm looks like the size of leg of lamb in the picture ( he was about six in the photo). I tell ya, I don’t get no respect."

Anton Wilhelm Stolzing: "I like this post, and I appreciate it very much. I have read a bit on the theory of photography, inter alia Roland Barthes, but not even he has brought up the interaction between photography and the development of the 'sophistication of the public,' which is also a kind of awareness, I would say. This opens a new field. Kudos, Mike!"

Albert Smith: "Just a reader's plug for Mike's 'Book O' The Week,' Bystander...if you have any interest in street photography across the entire time that it was viable (when cameras were able to be handheld to current times), this is the book. The photos are mostly chronological and nicely annotated with the shooter and the date. Additionally, and very interesting to me, is a long form interview with Joel Meyerowitz, who worked with everyone in the New York street photography A-team, Frank, Winogrand, Arbus, Friedlander and others...cool stuff for those of us of a certain age. Bought mine at Christmas and Mike's recommendation had me taking it off the shelf."

The Difference Between Youth and Age

A spread from Bystander, the
bible of street photography

I mentioned I didn't take any street photographs on Street Photography Day last Sunday. I'd like to expand a little on that.

The difference between youth and age is that when you're older, you've learned what you're not. Those rose-tinted contact lenses fall away from our eyes as the years wear on. When you're young, life is a sort of vague infinitude of casual impulsive ambitions that are going to be fulfilled magically one day. But with every additional year you get under your belt, well, there goes another one.

This is why young boys argue about which supercar is best. Rob's going to have a Ferrari; Joe's going to have a Lamborghini. It's serious enough that they've had to learn how to keep the argument from getting too passionate because it could cause a rift in the friendship, and they both know that. What's never questioned is the assumption that they're going to have cars like that when they grow up. Because of course they are. The future is vast—and in it all things are possible.

I might be getting that example wrong. Maybe 12-year-olds today don't care about cars. I've heard that older teenagers don't. If they do care about vehicles of some sort, maybe Ferraris and Lamborghinis don't enter in. Even my plucked-from-the-air boy names are probably wrong: those are 12-year-old boy names of my era. Today's 12-year-olds would be named Ethan, Noah, Jacob, Aiden or Jayden. Joseph was only the 20th-most popular boy name in 2010 and Robert didn't make the top 50. In fact, I have no idea what boys of today aspire to. I don't know any 12-year-olds. But you get the point.

Jimmy
For males, of which I am one, the most reliable reality test when it comes to vague aspirations being shut down by the passing of the years is no doubt sports. I played tennis when I was a kid (it exploded in popularity as I passed through youth*) and while I never exactly thought I was ever going to be "all that" as a tennis player, still, age first impinged for me when players younger than myself were, first, playing in the big tournaments, and then winning them. Jimmy Connors was five years older than me (rank of the name James in popularity the year Connors was born: 1). That was the way the world was when it was the way it was supposed to be. Today the Big Three—the astonishing triumvirate of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic—are 24, 29, and 30 years younger than me, and they're all old. And I haven't hit a tennis ball since before any of them were born, except—and this is true—in my dreams.

So anyway: who am I kidding? I'm never going to be a street photographer. I don't have the personality for it. I would almost wager that if I went through my entire archive looking for one great street photograph—just one—which no one would disagree fit the category and the quality of which no one would dispute either—I wouldn't find that unicorn!

The difference is that when I enrolled in photography school in 1982 and honestly thought I was just about the luckiest guy in the world because I got to do photography all day every day, well, of course I was going to make great street photographs. If not immediately, someday.

At my age now, it doesn't take a genius to know that that "someday" is never going to come.

And that's all right. The real key to success is to figure out what you're actually good at. Without illusions. Doing so involves an honest and objective appraisal of who and what you are—but it also involves a clear-eyed view of what you're not.

Mike

*It's done very well during the pandemic, too, being a naturally socially-distanced activity.

Book o' the Week

Bystander: A History of Street Photography by Colin Westerbeck and Joel Meyerowitz (Laurence King Publishing, 2017). First published in 1994. In this revised edition, the story of street photography is brought up to date with a re-evaluation of some historical material, the inclusion of more contemporary photographers, and a discussion of the ongoing rise of digital photography.

The above is a link to Amazon from TOP. Here's Bystander at The Book Depository. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Knack Mac: "Figuring out what you aren’t going to be good at is so important at any age. When very young, I wanted to be an architect. When I went to college, I was in engineering rather than architecture, but I was given a photo assignment by the yearbook to capture first-year architecture students working late Friday on their assigned big project. They worked into the night, and I noticed a friend who was an architecture student wasn’t there. Later I asked him where he had been. He said he had finished the assignment Wednesday. He admitted he had talent for architecture those other students didn’t. They would be doomed to designing bathrooms when he was doing skyscrapers.

"I realized then it is unwise to compete against people with more talent. Better to find something that you either do have a talent for, or in which there just isn’t a requirement for much talent. I took that to heart and realized I was going to be competing against engineers who had more talent than I did, so I left engineering. I went into something that required less talent: marketing."

["Knack Mac" ended up as CEO of Miller Brewing—so maybe his talent for knowing what he didn't have a talent for is something talented young people would do well to listen to and learn from.... —Mike]

Phil S.: "On sports being the locale where many young men first give up a dream, there's an achingly beautiful song called 'Speedtrap Town' by American singer-songwriter Jason Isbell that features these lines:

Well it's a Thursday night but there's a high school game
Sneak a bottle up the bleachers and forget my name
These 5A bastards run a shallow cross
It's a boy's last dream and a man's first loss.

"I always thought that pretty well summed it up."

Sroyon: "Hmm, you (claim that you) are not good at street photography...but do you enjoy it? If yes, then why not do it anyway?  :-) 

"I get what you're saying, but I also think there's something to be said for pursuing something one is not good at, purely out of love. Maybe not as a profession, because most professions require some level of proficiency. But why not as an amateur (Latin: amare, to love)."

Mike replies: Oh, I do not enjoy it at all. It's torture. As I said, I don't have the personality for it; it's awkward and agonizing for me. I much prefer making pictures in situations where I have permission to do so, or at least where I feel like I'm not bothering anybody. I've written about this at length several times over the years. But I agree with you—if I did enjoy it, I would have no problem doing it just for the fun of it and the love of it. That's a good enough reason. But no, I don't enjoy it.

Didja Get Anything?

So did you get anything? Here's how to add a picture in a comment. If you want to, show us what you got on Street Photography Day.

I didn't make any pictures yesterday, sadly. (Actually "lamely" might be a better word than "sadly" even though nobody says that.)

Hey, look at that
Kenneth Wajda has a really great idea about what makes a street photograph—see what you think. Imagine you're walking with a friend. You see something interesting, so you tap them on the shoulder and say, "look at that." Would your friend know what you mean? Would he or she be interested?

"If you get my attention," he writes, "you better have something worth looking at."

It's a sort of basic litmus test for a street photograph. If you were walking with a friend, would the subject of your shot be worth drawing your friend's attention to? Does it meet that threshold of interest? "This is what I don’t like about much of the street photography I see both online and in gallery exhibitions," Kenneth writes. "It asks for my attention, and then it doesn’t give me anything worthy of my time." Whenever you see a picture that purports to be a street photograph, just ask yourself, if I called a friend's attention to this, would they understand? Would they know why I pointed it out?

I like this idea a lot. Here's the article. Kenneth gives examples, all his own pictures. I love that picture of the burning car. I would definitely call anyone's attention to that. As an illustration, the next picture, of the stairs, is brilliant. It's so much like a lot of "street" photography I see. Peter Turnley has another word for pictures like that stairs picture: he calls it "camera pointing." Just waving a camera around taking random shots of nothing. And Kenneth is right: if you tapped your friend on the shoulder and said "look at that" and pointed to that stairs picture, it's hard to envision anyone having any idea what you were looking at or why they should look too. A lot of what passes for "street photography" online is stuff that's just not worth tapping a friend on the shoulder about.

Mike
(Thanks to Kenneth)

Book o' the Week

There and Back: Photographs from the Edge by Jimmy Chin (available for preorder). "Filmmaker, photographer, and world-class mountaineer Jimmy Chin goes where few can follow to capture stunning images in death-defying situations. There and Back draws from his breathtaking portfolio of photographs, captured over twenty years during cutting-edge expeditions on all seven continents—from skiing Mount Everest, to an unsupported traverse of Tibet's Chang Tang Plateau on foot, to first ascents in Chad’s Ennedi Desert and Antarctica’s Queen Maud Land."

The above is a link to Amazon from TOP. Here's There and Back at The Book Depository. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Edwin: "I think a lot of readers were taking the 'tapping your friend's shoulder' too literally. It should be the moment you post your picture on Facebook, in a discussion forum, attach it to an email, or showing it as a print, that you are 'tapping your friend's shoulder and say "hey, look!"' When I am looking through these pictures, I have my finger over the scroll wheel on the mouse. If a picture can freeze my over-the-scroll-wheel finger, it is catching my attention!"

Sunday Support Group: What Are We Having?

Michael Greger from How Not to Die:

How SAD Is the Standard American Diet?
As cynical as I've become about diet and nutrition in this country, I was still surprised by a 2010 report from the National Cancer Institute on the status of the American diet. For example, three out of four Americans don't eat a single piece of fruit in a given day, and nearly nine out of ten don't reach the minimum recommended daily intake of vegetables. On a weekly basis, 96% of Americans don't reach the minimum for orange vegetables (two servings a week), and 99% don't reach the minimum for whole grains (about three to four ounces a day).

Then there was the junk food. The federal guidelines were so lax that that up to 25 percent of your diet could be made up of 'discretionary calories,' meaning junk. A quarter of your calories could come from cotton candy washed down with Mountain Dew, and you'd still be within the guidelines. Yet we failed. Astoundingly, 95 percent of Americans exceeded their discretionary calorie allowance. Only one in a thousand American children between the ages of two and eight made the cutoff, consuming less than the equivalent of about a dozen spoonfuls of sugar a day.

And we wonder why there is an obesity epidemic?

'In conclusion,' the researchers wrote, 'nearly the entire U.S. population consumes a diet that is not on par with recommendations. These findings add another piece to the rather disturbing picture that is emerging of a nation's diet in crisis.'

—Michael Greger, How Not to Die, (Flatiron Books, 2015), pp. 261–262

How much do doctors actually know about nutrition?

A little inspiration refreshment for you this week. Always helps me.

This is the best time of year to live in the Finger Lakes. Fresh produce can be had from farmstands on almost any country road, you can buy a head of broccoli the size of a regulation basketball that was most likely alive and growing earlier in the day for less than $4, and the white peaches are in. I honestly don't think I had ever eaten a single peach in my whole life prior to moving here...if you've never tasted a peach that was a.) picked at the optimal time and b.) is optimally ripe, you really don't know peaches. I never did, anyway. Fresh white peaches are an amazing delicacy! Mmmm.

Don't forget that today is Street Photography Day! Here's a link about it that Kenneth Dixon sent me, from Orgeon Artswatch. Go harvest your pick (pic?) before midnight....

[posted by] Mike

Book o' the Week

There and Back: Photographs from the Edge by Jimmy Chin (available for preorder). "Filmmaker, photographer, and world-class mountaineer Jimmy Chin goes where few can follow to capture stunning images in death-defying situations. There and Back draws from his breathtaking portfolio of photographs, captured over twenty years during cutting-edge expeditions on all seven continents—from skiing Mount Everest, to an unsupported traverse of Tibet's Chang Tang Plateau on foot, to first ascents in Chad’s Ennedi Desert and Antarctica’s Queen Maud Land."

The above is a link to Amazon from TOP. Here's There and Back at The Book Depository. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Street Photography Day Is Coming Up!

Don't forget that Street Photography Day is Sunday, two days from now. It takes place every August 22nd, Henri Cartier-Bresson's birthday (this year is the 113th anniversary of his birth in 1908).

The deal is that you get your camera and get down into the street and take some street photographs no matter what you normally shoot or where. If you get a good one, you'll be able to share it here. There's also a Facebook page.

—Mike
(Thanks to Jan Kwarnmark)

Book o' the Week

There and Back: Photographs from the Edge by Jimmy Chin (available for preorder). "Filmmaker, photographer, and world-class mountaineer Jimmy Chin goes where few can follow to capture stunning images in death-defying situations. There and Back draws from his breathtaking portfolio of photographs, captured over twenty years during cutting-edge expeditions on all seven continents—from skiing Mount Everest, to an unsupported traverse of Tibet's Chang Tang Plateau on foot, to first ascents in Chad’s Ennedi Desert and Antarctica’s Queen Maud Land."

The above is a link to Amazon from TOP. Here's There and Back at The Book Depository. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Phil Martin: "Yay! Just as well I'm booked in to cover a community festival tomorrow which includes a street parade."

Will (partial comment): "I’d love to celebrate Henri (Cartier-Bresson) by heading into the streets of New York on Street Photography Day. Unfortunately, (Tropical Storm/Hurricane) Henri is scheduled to visit the streets of New York on Street Photography Day. So I’ll likely be doing all I can to grab a candid pic of the kids at play. Very much indoors."

Joe: "Come on. Every day is street photography day."

Percolation Time

I had hoped to have the Baker's Dozen done by now, to prove that I can get it done faster than, you know, 856 days or whatever it was. But, while I can do the actual work of compilation quickly, the selection and editing process just needs a little more percolation time. My experience has been that sometimes you can't rush that maybe as much as you might like to. Your "visual intelligence" works somewhat independently of your conscious intentions.

I learned years ago that this "percolation time" is an essential element of selection for me. I've told this story before: my habit in 1980–2000 was to develop three rolls of film at a time (35 frames per roll or 105 frames total—I deliberately shot 35 frames per roll instead of 36 or 37 because that's what fit neatly on one 8x10 contact sheet); make contact sheets (one sheet per roll); study the contact sheets with a lighted magnifier; mark between one and six frames on each sheet for workprinting (occasionally more or less if the work really called for it); and batch-produce quick full-frame prints on 8x10 paper from the marked frames. That usually resulted in 18 or fewer workprints per batch of three films.

Old workprints

Here's the interesting part. When I finished the workprints, at first I would think that all the pictures (they're called "images" now—that came in during the '80s and was established by the '90s, but I prefer the word pictures at least with film) were all more or less the same quality. Nothing really to choose between them. But if I taped them to the wall in a spot where I could look at them frequently, an interesting thing would happen, as if by magic. Within four days or so they'd sort themselves out. After a handful of days or or a week had gone by, a few of the pictures would interest me more, and I liked looking at them more, whereas many of the rest I'd simply be done with...they had no more "pull" for me and I just didn't need to see them again. So whereas at first I might have 15 pictures that all seemed pretty good to me, by the end of a week I might have three I really liked and a dozen throwaways.

How this worked I have no idea. But it gave me a great appreciation for this notion of spending a little time with something to learn how you feel about it.

I've never been able to work out a similar process with digital. It can be done, obviously. I've just never done it.

The process is more complicated with the 112 "Grandkids" submissions. I know what my first impressions were; but as I click through them again and again, a few "quiet" ones are rising in stature in my mind and a few that attracted me immediately no longer seem quite so strong. Also, I'm beginning to get a feel for how various combinations are going to look as a group, which is, of course, how you're going to see them.

A final comment: another thing I try to do is challenge my presumptions. Usually, a few pictures come in that I think are just great, that I like a lot, and that I just assume from the start are going to be part of the final set. But I try to identify these and simply question myself about them. Are they really that strong or are they just tweaking something in my own mind or my own memory that makes them work for me personally? Am I just responding to my taste? (Because personal taste and objective judgement can be anywhere from a little to a lot different when you're editing. Those who say such discrimination is simply a matter of taste are sometimes right, but not always.)

Most of those still do make the final cut, but I try to be fair.

Anyway, I love this process. The submissions this time are a real treat to work with. I'll have something soon, but it's going to happen on its own time, not necessarily on mine.

Mike

P.S. By the way, a tip for those still working with 35mm film: a deluxe way to make workprints is that with certain glass carriers for 4x5 enlargers, if you cut your negatives in strips of six, you can fit one end of three strips in the glass carrier together (you have to overlap the sprocket-holed film edges). Then you can make one 16x20" print of the nine negatives to get nine enlarged workprints at once. With six strips of six, it takes four sheets of 16x20 paper to enlarge a roll of film. Essentially, you end up with the equivalent of a 32x40-inch "proof sheet." Very luxurious to work with. I preferred individual prints, though. Also, my problem was that I began to work with the prints of nine images at once as deliberate prints! It worked nicely in some cases.

I learned this from Arnie Gore, who was a professional photographer in Milwaukee when I was a boy. He and his wife Elly were friends of my parents'.

Book o' the Week

There and Back: Photographs from the Edge by Jimmy Chin (available for preorder). "Filmmaker, photographer, and world-class mountaineer Jimmy Chin goes where few can follow to capture stunning images in death-defying situations. There and Back draws from his breathtaking portfolio of photographs, captured over twenty years during cutting-edge expeditions on all seven continents—from skiing Mount Everest, to an unsupported traverse of Tibet's Chang Tang Plateau on foot, to first ascents in Chad’s Ennedi Desert and Antarctica’s Queen Maud Land."

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Gerard Geradts: "When I saw the header 'Percolation Time' I was hoping for another coffee story, a percolator being a type of coffee machine in my country. Maybe the English-speaking part of the world has the same meaning. You never know. But my hopes were in vain: another photo-related piece. I keep hoping."

Mike replies: Alas, I no longer drink coffee. I did some experiments and discovered it was aggravating my irregular heartbeat problem so, after 45 years (age 16 to 61), I quit.

Now I drink two mugs of white tea with a little lemon juice every morning. The first steeping supposedly has only 10% of the caffeine of coffee, the second steeping much less because most of the caffeine is extracted in the first steeping.

Curiously, I like my tea every bit as much as I liked my coffee all those years. I was surprised at that but it's true.

Sorry about all the pesky photo-related pieces.  :-)

Blog Note

I'm going to be working on the Baker's Dozen on Thursday.

This has been such a fun one. Hard to leave anybody out!

Mike the Ed.

Getting Up and Getting Out (OT)

The other morning, talking about my weekly pool group, I wrote, "This group taught me what I think is an essential trick for dealing with old age."

The "trick"? Regularly scheduled daily activities with friends.

This might seem as obvious as sunshine to some of you, but it wasn't to me at first. It wasn't the way I did things. I had never organized my life that way. With me, everything was always open-ended, provisional, negotiable...and always irregular, never regular.

Five years ago or so, my friend Jerry invited me to join his pool group. They met every Monday morning at 10:00 at the Moose Lodge, played for two hours, then went to lunch together. The winner got a buck from everybody else and got to choose where we ate—as long as it was McDonald's, on account of Lyle liked McDonald's. (Lyle left us a couple of years ago, at age 93. At least he missed COVID. They tore down the old McDonald's.)

My first thoughts in response to Jerry's invitation were: every week? What if we feel like playing an extra half hour? Don't we ever reschedule?

Nope. Same time every week, and we break by noon. And if you walked through the door at the Moose at 10:03, Loyle (yep, we had both a Lyle and a Loyle) would greet you with, "Well good afternoon! Nice of you to join us!" We typically had five guys so if one had to miss a week we could still muster two teams of two.

Loyle (now 92) and Norm (now 96) are both widowers, and, the way I heard it, the wife of one or the other of them made a request before she departed: don't just sit around the house by yourself watching TV after I'm gone. Get up, get dressed, and get out. Go do something with friends every day.

So they do. Pool one day, bridge another, a weekly dinner with just the two of them at the Moose, golf twice a week with a whole big group in the Summertime. Regular standing dates, same thing every week. It gets you up and out, gives you some regular contact with people, and lends your days and your weeks some structure.

Well, it seemed foreign to me at first, but it wasn't long before Monday morning pool was one of the highlights of my week. I loved it. Still do...even though I apparently never win any more: Dan won last week, Jerry the week before that, and Loyle the week before that. I'm supposedly the best shooter, but you wouldn't know it.

Of course, COVID-19 kinda put the kibosh on a lot of this—although we're back to playing pool, at my house now. And Norm finally got too old for golf, after a number of years of scoring below his age multiple times every year. But still, the principle is sound. If I ever retire, that's going to be one of my goals: one regularly scheduled activity a day, with friends. Week-in, week-out.

I've got the concept down now, thanks to the guys in Penn Yan.

—Mike

Book o' the Week

There and Back: Photographs from the Edge by Jimmy Chin (available for preorder). "Filmmaker, photographer, and world-class mountaineer Jimmy Chin goes where few can follow to capture stunning images in death-defying situations. There and Back draws from his breathtaking portfolio of photographs, captured over twenty years during cutting-edge expeditions on all seven continents—from skiing Mount Everest, to an unsupported traverse of Tibet's Chang Tang Plateau on foot, to first ascents in Chad’s Ennedi Desert and Antarctica’s Queen Maud Land."

This is a link to Amazon from TOP. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Kristine Hinrichs: "I agree! In retirement we have our Monday hiking group, Saturday photographer group, Sunday walking (used to be running) group, etc.

"When I retired, I decided that the key to a successful retirement is to continue (with purpose) to make new friends—and a big bonus if they’re younger. We have friends who are having their first children, gone to weddings of thirty-somethings (as their friends, not their parents’), been asked for job advice, etc. I think that you have to be purposeful about this—always pushing out. Otherwise, the natural course of things is for our world to get smaller and smaller as our same-age friends pass away or become less mobile."

Mike replies: My great-aunt Dickie, who died two months short of 102, did the same thing—she deliberately sought out younger friends (which led to new experiences—she took her first ride on the back of a Harley in her nineties) and even read People magazine cover-to-cover so she'd know who younger people were talking about. One of her activities was exercise class, which she did until her mid-nineties (if memory serves).

Anders Holt: "Dear Mike, I love your blog, have read it for at least the last eight years, and am a patron. I also love your book recommendations—although it makes my book shelf shrink more and more.... So, to continue the shrinking, could you use affiliate links from The Book Depository and not only Amazon and B&H? Those have so very expensive shipping cost! This book There and Back costs $14 for shipping to Norway, while The Book Depository has free shipping and lower prices. So since I like my shelf shrinking still, I feel compelled to save $20 and buy from The Book Depository and not Amazon. But I would like for you to get the affiliate cut, so if possible maybe you could establish an affiliate account from them too? All the best!"

Mike replies: Thank Anders—I am a Book Depository affiliate. Here's There and Back at The Book Depository.

Gavin Paterson: "Golf, nine holes, every Thursday, 9:00 a.m., same retired guys—terrific, better for mental health than any combination of pills!"

Michael Fewster: "Total agreement. For me it is tennis. Not every day but four times a week.Two of those days are competitive with a pool of about a dozen friends. One session is with a bloke I coach. One session is with another player where we just practice. I'm 78 and I still work on improving my technique and my shots do continue to improve. But you have to study and work at it."

Mike replies: One thing I've noticed is that Loyle (92) has gotten a lot better at pool since I started playing with him. And he only plays the one time a week...most of his improvement has been mental. He watches and learns and thinks.

James: "What a great investment your pool room has tuned out to be! I am actually smiling thinking about your 'gang' calling you 'young 'un' or 'whippersnapper.' Do they ruffle your hair and say 'Never mind kid' when you fluff a shot?"

Mike replies: I am the youngest at the moment, it's true. But I don't pull age on them so they don't pull age on me.  :-)

Peter Wright: "I think this is very true and not much understood. My wife and I (now in our early 70s) are Catholics, and I used to wonder why some people would go to mass every day. However, when COVID restrictions were lifted sufficiently to allow the Church to re-open, we started going daily. I’m surprised just how much I get from it. The same people tend to be the ‘regulars’ so we get to meet our friends, spend some quiet time, and acknowledge a power greater than ourselves. It’s a great way to start each day!"

Albert Smith: "One factor that comes up in every article on longevity and mental health is to be connected to others. The people that pass the expected life span age are socially active with other people. This is a bit of a downer for me. I eat well, exercise, and watch all of the potential negative factors like weight and blood pressure, but I'm a loner, preferring solitude. I might be the only guy in America who never joined Facebook or any other social media platform. I guess I might live to an old age with my body, but my mind might be mush. Keep making your group meet-ups. It's good for you."

Mike replies: Actually, I think "regularly scheduled daily activities with friends" is a perfect strategy for those who are like you. Note that it doesn't have to be a social activity, necessarily; you could volunteer or tutor, or attend a 12-stepper meeting or a cooking class. Or, taking a cue from Peter and his wife, attend a church service or two every week. My friend Jerry created his own activity—for years he assigned himself to videotape local lectures and presentations, and gave DVDs to the relevant institutions and libraries in the area. But obviously it got him out to many of the lectures and presentations! There are all sorts of possibilities when you start looking for them.

Mike Cawley: "Bowling league. First week, 200 strangers. After 33rd week? Two hundred friends."

Michael J. Perini: "Re: Getting up and getting out…it is sort of great universal advice for people of all ages. Human contact is very good for us. Scheduling is the key because if you don’t, it is easy to have a month slip by—especially in winter.

"The other one is physical activity with hands heart and brain. Get a project, even a mundane one around the house is very helpful, plus every time you walk past it you get a little boost from having made your environment better.

"Creative endeavors are especially good for us, but like most things, the greatest inertia opposes the earliest steps.

"The other idea I use on myself is 'what will I accomplish today.' I find that enforcing the daily nature of 'moving forward' or ticking off an item of maintenanc , or making a photograph, or helping a friend or family member with something, sets a positive tone for the day. At the end of the week , you’ve done stuff to make your world a little better.

"And lastly, learn something new, or teach something—it’s like Medicine.

"This is an important topic for all of us; thank you for steering us in the right direction."

Henning Wulff: "About 30 years ago a good friend, Tom Abrahamsson, started a Friday morning breakfast/coffee get-together with whomever wanted to and could come. It was photography-based (Tom designed and produced the Rapidwinder, an improved Leicavit), gravitating to Leicas as that was Tom's main passion and work focus, but encompassing all other photographic areas and many areas beyond.

"At first it was mainly Tom and his good friend Chris and, as I had two jobs, very occasionally myself. Others would come and go as time and inclination dictated, including many from all over the world, as Tom had friends everywhere and sold his Rapidwinder to journalists all over, including many Magnum photographers. By the early 2000s, after Tom was diagnosed with cancer, I told everyone who hired me that I would only be available for work Friday mornings under the most urgent circumstances and I showed up at Cafe Zen regularly. Breakfast often lasted until 11 a.m. After Tom's passing a couple of years ago, we kept up the tradition.

"Now, every Friday morning we Zoom, with between six and 14 people showing up. Conversations are still photo based; possibly even more so. Brand of camera is totally unimportant. We might not have the in-person camaraderie anymore, but now we can show pictures much more easily. With screen sharing we each usually show between four and 30 photos. Street photos, work photos, family photos, vacation photos...whatever. Maybe from the last week, maybe from over a hundred years ago (my grandfather produced a variety of photos over his whole life).

"Another great thing about Zoom is that we now have regular visitors who would formerly only rarely drop in. Most of us are of course based in Vancouver, but I'm now often on Vancouver Island, one person is either in Phoenix or Point Roberts (just south of Vancouver on a little Washington State peninsula), one person who used to work in Beijing is now based in Oxford, England, one is in Hong Kong, one in Berlin etc.

"I should also mention that I know that some other readers of this blog have been visitors to Cafe Zen at times. I would be happy to hear from them if they might like to Zen Zoom sometime."

How to Rationalize Buying a New Camera or Lens

Where N is a piece of new gear you do not need but covet, begin by deciding you absolutely cannot afford N; you do not have the money for it and that's that. Conclude that you are not even going to think about it any more.

Next, suddenly realize that you could sell P, where P is a prized possession you already own that still retains a hefty amount of liquidity, such as, for example, a motorcycle, guitar, firearm, or fishing boat.

Research resale value of P, discover excitedly that it would indeed cover cost of N.

Think about it; decide conclusively that yes, you would rather have N than P.

Resolve to sell P.

Decide to go ahead and buy N even though you have not actually listed or sold P yet—it doesn't matter, as you are going to sell P, the actual sequence of events being a mere formality.

When spouse discovers N and once again expresses ongoing disbelief at your incorrigible inanity, protest that you sold P to get it so it's actually just a trade.

Should spouse ask inevitable question, say, "No, but I'm going to."

Procrastinate over selling P, a process which you foresee will be a pain in the butt even though it might not be. Reapply step above as needed. Commence being troubled by fantasized projections of seller's remorse over loss of P.

Let months go by.

Never sell P.

Voilà. Your work is done.

—Mike, who would like you to believe
he has never gone through the above

Book o' the Week

There and Back: Photographs from the Edge by Jimmy Chin (available for preorder). "Filmmaker, photographer, and world-class mountaineer Jimmy Chin goes where few can follow to capture stunning images in death-defying situations. There and Back draws from his breathtaking portfolio of photographs, captured over twenty years during cutting-edge expeditions on all seven continents—from skiing Mount Everest, to an unsupported traverse of Tibet's Chang Tang Plateau on foot, to first ascents in Chad’s Ennedi Desert and Antarctica’s Queen Maud Land."

This is a link to Amazon from TOP. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Kenneth Tanaka: "So did you buy that Sony yet, or not?"

Mike replies: You are astute, my Chicago friend. Alas, my powers of rationalization have deserted me, or my natural miserliness is exercising the upper hand for the time being.

Leon Droby: "This is sooooo creepy. How did you get inside my head?"

Helcio J. Tagliolatto: "I just did this last week. A flawless Mamiya C330s, latest model, seduced me. I already have an excellent C330...'f.' I thought: I'll sell the 'old' one (they're all old...), and I've noticed they sell fast on eBay. I received the 's' today and, on second thought, I decided not to sell the 'f.'"

Rob Griffin: "Your expertly detailed rational is exactly why I presently own six pretty nice acoustic guitars. I seem to do better at selling camera equipment when I have promised to, but the guitars keep hanging around somehow. If there was a KEH guitar company that came to town once in a while buying guitars, I might do a little better at keeping my guitar promises to my very patient wife."

paul in AZ: "My father had a simple solution for things we kids coveted. For something minor and inexpensive he would say to come back for the money later today or tomorrow morning. By then we usually forgot what it was that we had wanted. The bigger it got, the longer the interval got. Days, weeks, end of month etc. Amazing how much crap I didn't buy. I still use that on myself occasionally."

Mike replies: Wise man, your dad.

Photographer's Block

Monday morning I have my pool group, and today is my good friend Jerry's last attendance before his move to North Carolina. I've been joking that he's perfectly free to move, as long as he's at my house at ten o'clock every Monday morning for pool—how he's going to work that out is his problem. But in reality, this is the last week he'll be joining us, at least until next Summer, if he and Sue come visit next Summer. I'll be hoping. And by the way, he came in first last week—beat us all. We're sure going to miss him. He's a good friend. 

So just a brief update this morning.

Entries for the Baker's dozen are closed—thanks to everyone who sent pictures. I'm counting 111 submissions, not including one guy who didn't follow the instructions. I'm not going to name and shame him! But I know where his picture is. So 112 total. I've got a bit of a different idea for presenting the results this time, but we'll see how it goes once I get into it. I'll be starting later today.

Yesterday I asked you what I should do when I've got writer's block. But a much better question is, what do you do when you've got photographer's block? Longtime reader and commenter Stan B. has one solution, and his process was interesting to read about. I like the result, although Stan doesn't look like I had pictured him!

A walk with a camera doesn't necessarily do the trick for me, because I just take lonely pictures with no one in them and that just makes me feel more lonely. It's not the solution. I'll venture one axiom: when you go out to try to make pictures, it should be a situation where there's a chance of getting a good shot. I hate coming back from a walk not even wanting to look at the pictures I shot because I already know I didn't get anything. The last thing I want to do is go repeatedly shoot in situations where I already know I'm never going to get a shot I care about.

I've got to get started with breakfast and a shower before the guys come. This group taught me what I think is an essential trick for dealing with old age, which is now officially six months and nine days away for me. (Middle age ends and old age starts at 65, as defined in the DSM-5.) I'll write about that little insight later too.

Mike

Book of the Week

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. "Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence." A tough slog of a read, but full of revelations. And it reviews many strategies, both conventional and alternative, toward relief and healing.

This is a link to Amazon from TOP. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Bob Keefer (partial comment): "Creative block of any kind results, at least for me, from too-high expectations."

Sroyon (partial comment): "I don't think I've ever had photographer's block, but I think my secret is simply that I have low standards.  :-)  "

[I thought these were kinda funny, next to each other like this! For a lot of good ideas from a lot of different photographers, see the full Comment section. —Ed.]

Sunday Support Group—?

Does anyone have a request, or a question? My usually reliable idea-generator is cold and silent this Sunday morning. Normally it chugs along whether I need it to or not, but I'm out of ideas at the moment. I'm stuck. (I guess it's me who needs support this Sunday.)

This is the last day for submissions to the Baker's Dozen. There have been 102 submissions so far, and it's not going to feel good to not pick 89 of them! Because they are all wonderful in their own way.

—Mike the Ed.

Book of the Week

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. "Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence." A tough slog of a read, but full of revelations. And it reviews many strategies, both conventional and alternative, toward relief and healing.

This is a link to Amazon from TOP. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

John Bour: "I am a long time reader of your blog, since the early days, and thoroughly enjoy your writing and insights. This post triggered me to write something that crossed my mind many times before: please give up on these self-imposed 'Sunday Support Group' and other weekly schedules you might have. Every time I read about you missing a deadline, skipping a day, postponing a week...I could not care less. Actually I have still, after all these years, no idea about your 'publication schedule.' I wonder if I'm alone in this, or if there are other readers who really think..hmm..it's ____day, I wonder why Mike doesn't write his usual....

"As for the content of your blog...as a pro photographer from the same generation as yours (1961) I come here foremost for your photo-related insights. I don't mind the occasional stray into pool or watches, but I skip the dietary/health-related posts. It makes for uncomfortable reading (for me); it is too personal, and sometimes I disagree (which is in itself not a bad thing , to read different opinions...just not about personal health please). Also...more print sales seems an easy, unobtrusive way to generate some extra income; I am sure nobody would complain about a (bi)monthly sale! I hope you take this commentary in good stride; you feel like an old friend, with many shared interests and life experiences, and I am always eager to read your latest thoughts. Best wishes, keep up the good work! P.S. thanks for the honorable mention for my Bakers' Dozen museum contribution.  ;-)  "

Last Call Coming Up

We're coming up on the last call for the "Baker's Dozen—Grandkids" call for work. The deadline is end of day Sunday, but I'll have most of the post done by then so you might want to be a little earlier than 11:59 Sunday night.

Here's the post explaining what we're after if you haven't seen it. The pictures I've received so far have been wonderful and I have thoroughly enjoyed this past week!

Mike

Book of the Week

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. "Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence." A tough slog of a read, but full of revelations. And it reviews many strategies, both conventional and alternative, toward relief and healing.

This is a link to Amazon from TOP. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

To Ask

By Kenneth Wajda

I was sitting under a patio umbrella in my yard yesterday, reading an issue of Popular Photography magazine from 1956, when something incredible happened. I made a photograph. In my mind. I saw the final frame. It was fully conceived.

There was just one small issue. I hadn't made it.

I couldn't. The elements were across the street in the form of three generations of guys—my neighbor who is the grandfather, his son, and his grandson—the three of them tossing around a baseball, playing a game of catch with mitts and all. What a photo opportunity.

But I don't really know that neighbor, only to wave hello to when he's out mowing his lawn or he sees me mowing mine. But otherwise, we've never spoken. I decided then to go—I crossed the street. Now it was too late to turn back. My neighbor saw me and came over to the fence.

I said hello. Explained I was watching them play and how I so want to make their photograph, a portrait of the three of them, seated on the ground against the side of that garage, gloves in hand.

The neighbor, the grandfather, asked, "What do you want it for?"

What do I want it for? That was his question—this is where we've come with photography in 2021.

I said I wanted it to give to him. And to give to his son. To make the photograph and give it to them so they would have this photograph that will quickly age as that youngster grows up, but will be priceless in 30 years. But I explained I knew it wouldn't happen if I didn't cross the street and tell them.

They were glad to pose and grabbed seats on the ground alongside the garage, a nice white clean background. They each wore their ball gloves. I was all set when the neighbor's granddaughter ran over with her own glove, so I told her to come on, get in there, sit with the rest of them. So it's a different photograph from my vision, but it's sweet all the same. A shot of the grandpa, his granddaughter, his grandson and his son, all posed together for my camera, gloves in hand. Thirty seconds and eight frames later we were finished. They thanked me. I said I'd get them a print when it's ready and then crossed the street back home.

As a photograph it's more special than any portrait of a dignitary, politician or celebrity I've made. This one isn't selling anything—it's just a small moment in the history of a family. Delivered framed, this will hopefully last in their homes for generations of new ballplayers to come.

Kenneth

Mike comments: This impressed me! I know I'm jumping the gun by presenting this early, but the situation Kenneth described really resonated with me. I probably imagine doing something like this virtually every day of my life. But Kenneth actually had the courage to take action, ask, and get the shot. I never do—or almost never.

And I love that "What do I want it for? To give to you." Seems like that would please most people.

Book of the Week

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. "Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence." A tough slog of a read, but full of revelations. And it reviews many strategies, both conventional and alternative, toward relief and healing.

This is a link to Amazon from TOP. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Featured Comments from:

Patrick J Dodds: "Thanks for the powerful little story Kenneth / Mike. It has made my morning."

Daniel: "One important lesson from this. Take the shot when opportunity knocks. It may not be there later. Ask when appropriate—the worst they can do is say no."

Marvin Van Drunen: "When my wife and I are at a zoo, a botanic garden, a museum...really, anywhere and I see a family and the dad or mom is trying to take a selfie or a iPhone photo of their kids, I very often ask, 'Would you like me to use your camera or phone to take a picture of your whole family?' Usually, and I'd guess 95% of the time, the mom or dad or both get a big smile on their face and say something like, 'Wow, thanks.' I then do my best to get a nice snap, hopefully properly composed and I always get a big 'THANK YOU.' This doesn't make me some kind of hero, but I hope the families end up with a nice memory of their time together. It's very nearly the most fun a have taking pictures and I'm not even using my own camera. I'm sure lots of 'serious' photographers do this as well. I love it!"

Mike replied: Richard Avedon used to tell a story about a time this happened to him when he was the highest paid fashion photographer in the world. It occurred to him that it was ironic because normally people had to pay him thousands of dollars to take a picture for them. He didn't mention it. The people didn't recognize him. Somewhere there was a family who had a unique original Avedon and didn't even know it! Although it probably looked just like an ordinary snapshot anyway. Kinda funny though.

Albert Smith: "I'm so envious of those not afflicted with shyness or having introverted tendencies. I enjoyed reading this and liked the photo very much, but I'd rather run a marathon solo than interact the way Kenneth did with his neighbors. I can't ever generate the bravery to approach semi or full strangers to ask for a posed photo. These days when everyone is paranoid about ill intent, I never have an answer to the inevitable question, 'What are you going to do with it?' I see these potential photos often, always have a camera available and just can't get it done. I salute your boldness, Kenneth."

James Pilcher: "This post brought tears to my eyes; don't ask me to explain. Such a wonderful slice of humanity. Thank you to Kenneth and Michael."

Open Mike Update

 

Lulu

Thank you to the pet lovers for your commiseration and sympathy. I'm happy to report that Lulu had an unusually good day yesterday—no accidents, and she was moving well. (Her decline has been punctuated by these temporary rallies.) She spent a lot of time outdoors—it was summery and sunny—and a lot of time indoors sleeping peacefully. She ate all her food and had a clean poop—on the grass, thank you Lord—late in the evening (10 p.m.) so I didn't have to worry about getting up in the middle of the night to take her out. I got a longer than usual night's sleep, which I feel like I needed.

Lulu has taught me a lot about dogs.

Open Mike: 186,000 Racing Photos

...I knew I forgot something yesterday. I had to do errands and I rushed that post. My days have been busy lately...I've been troubled, so I've been doubling down on my 12-step program, on account of it makes me feel better, and my poor dear Lulu is in her end-of-days and she's requiring a lot of attention and care.

She has no feeling in her hind end any more, and apparently never knows it when she's going to poop. Her back legs are extremely weak. She has trouble holding "the pose," so she has a tendency to poop, collapse into it, then thrash around in it as she struggles to get up, getting it all over everywhere. I never know what I'm going to find when I go out and come back home again. I've been keeping my time away from the house to a minimum. The record for cleanup so far is three ever-lovin' hours, but yesterday's accident was two hours out of my morning and it was no piece of cake. The dear old lady did not like her hose-bath—very undignified. But I have no choice: my house has one shower, inaccessibly located, no bathtub, and no laundry sink. General assertion, in passing: a house needs a bathtub and a utility sink. My cousin Hammy built his dream house and included a custom-built dog-bathing station in the oversized garage. What I wouldn't give. My neighbor Ilene quoted Bob Marley: "You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." It's not like other people don't have it much worse.

All this pales against "the" decision. I've never been through end-of-life with a dog before, and I don't know how to make the decision. I've been preoccupied by the idea of it. Talking to other people about it only goes so far. You can of course err on either side: you can put them down too early, which is cruel and seems selfish, as if it's for your convenience; or keep them alive too long, which is also cruel and also seems selfish but in a different way...because you love them and you don't want them to leave. And there's no such thing as the perfect decision. You just have to do your best. I'm dreading the day, and it won't be long now.

The only problem this morning was minor. I call it the water-bowl axiom. These days, if she drinks, she's going to upset the water bowl and spill. I don't know how she does it. The water bowl is never safe no matter how safe I think it is. You'd think she could come over to the water dish, drink, then move away from it again, as she has been doing all her life, but no, not any more. I've gotten wise and only give her water out on the deck now. After she finished drinking this morning she was standing placidly on the deck about six feet from the water dish. I was sizing up the situation and thinking, naw, the water bowl is safe. Just as I was contemplating this she lost her balance, staggered violently to the side, covered the six feet in about a second and a half, and, falling, wildly stuck out a paw, which smacked the edge of the water dish and sent it spinning up into the air, most of the water missing the deck and coming down on her.

No harm done—the water doesn't need to be mopped up out on the deck, and I can dry her off with a towel—but it's uncanny. She just has a knack. Once, from the kitchen, I heard her peacefully lapping up water, and then the noise stopped. So I walked over to check on her, and I found her turned entirely around and collapsed with her bottom in the water dish. When she collapses she can't get up on her own. So she was just sitting there looking up at me mournfully, as if to say, so sorry, boss, but, uh, I'm going to need a hand here....

I'm taking time every day to let her know I love her. She's still her.

Jutta Fausel-Ward, from her own archive

Anyway, here's the one I forgot for that "Around the Web" post: a great article from Autoweek called "186,000 Racing Photos and the Woman Who Shot Them All," subtitled, "Photographer Jutta Fausel-Ward was a friend and confidant of many of the great drivers from several generations." By Mark Vaughan. You can get a good idea of things just from the pictures and captions, but the writing is good too. Who says there aren't great woman photographers even in domains stereotypically thought to be for men? I'm happy to learn about Jutta. She had a formidable career. Sorry to leave it out yesterday, but it's one of the nice things about a blog—you can always add more.

Mike
(Thanks to Jim Hayes)

Book of the Week

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. "Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence." A tough slog of a read, but full of revelations. And it reviews many strategies, both conventional and alternative, toward relief and healing.

This is a link to Amazon from TOP. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

darlene: "I wanted to add as a 63 year-old female commercial photographer, I never had a difficult time finding work. Since I first started working in NYC ad agencies as an advertising artist in the 1980s, I learned a lot about the business of commercial art professions, and acquired the necessary 'tough skin.' It had always been a man's world in ways back then, especially when it came to pay scales which I accepted if I wanted to 'work for someone else.' After I grew tired of hearing the popular pay scale discrepancy excuse: 'a man had to support his family' because I came from a single mother home with no financial support from a man whatsoever, I decided it was time to break out on my own and charge the same as any other photographer did. It was the best thing I did, but only after I learned from the school of hard knocks."

[Thanks to everyone for the kind and helpful comments about Lulu. I won't "Feature" any of those, but I appreciate them. —Mike]

David Lee: "Thank you for the link to Jutta’s work. I didn’t know that she was there when Pedro Rodriguez crashed and she refused to sell the photos. I am a big fan of Pedro."

Around the Web

A few choice tidbits from hither and yon—

Regarding the Fuji XF 35mm ƒ/1.4, Albert Smith provided this link to some work shot by Alessandro Michelazzi with the lens on an X-Pro2. Fine work and lenticularly supercalafragilistic. One wee cavil, though: those are not portraits. That's a model modeling. I would call it fashion/editorial. Pretty ironic I should say this right now, eh? Given that just the other day I was grousing about pigeonholing pictures into categories. Still, portraits those are not.

Clayton found the real winning cellphone contest shot. Shoephones rock?

Alan Berkson suggests two modern hand-colorists: Kate Breakey and Brigitte Carnochan. I would love to see a real print or two...I suspect JPEGs are approximate renditions only where these two photographers are concerned.

Mike
(Thanks to Albert, Clayton, and Alan)

Book of the Week

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. "Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence." A tough slog of a read, but full of revelations. And it reviews many strategies, both conventional and alternative, toward relief and healing.

This is a link to Amazon from TOP. The following logo is also a link:

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Albert Smith: "Finally, a cellphone photo with sole!"

hugh crawford: "Probably any discussion of hand colored photographs should at least mention Edi Baskin who did the portraits for Saturday Night Live from very near the beginning until 1999."

Mike replies: Wasn't it spelled "Edie"?