In a place you only dream of, 
Where your soul is always free.
- Green Grass and High Tides, Hughie Thomasson 

These are lyrics from the 1975 song by the southern rock band, The Outlaws.  It kicks off a playlist I often listen to when I'm riding my motorcycle across the backroads.  This song's "vibe" has always  evoked a feeling of gliding down southern highways, of adventure and good times. Like  many  classic  southern rock songs, it feels like "summer" to me.  It makes me remember when I was small and the days were long, of warm breezes and  hot asphalt, windows rolled down and the FM radio turned up.  The song's true meaning doesn't have anything to do with any of that, it's just how it makes me feel.  These are the kind of songs that make the miles roll by, and the journey a pleasure. This song came back again and again on my playlist this weekend, and kinda captured the experience as I rode the Alabama and Florida backroads. 

Astride my Harley-Davidson Sportster S, my backpack stuffed with my Canon T5 Rebel and a change of clothes,  I set out to begin my next non-fiction book in earnest. The journey took me from the heart of the Wiregrass to the Gulf Coast. I paralleled  the Conecuh River until it changed names to the Escambia River at the Florida border, which in turn become into Escambia Bay and then Pensacola Bay.  

The book's concept is still fuzzy, but it's going to be a photographic journey retracing the steps of some of the Wiregrass's early pioneers.  In terms of the book's photography, it won't be exclusively focused on abandoned structures. Its also going to tell a story.  I don't want to give any more details because, frankly, I don't have any more details to give. In the short time I've been working on the project, the book's emphasis has morphed (mostly in response to research). I will say this project  is going to keep me in local libraries and archives a lot more than Abandoned Wiregrass. This one is going to require serious research.  I've set a personal deadline to have this book ready and published by 2024. Yep, it's going to take that long. 2024 is a hard deadline, too, as that year will have historical significance in relation to the subject material.

This weekend was a semi-serious start to this endeavor. Let's call it a light scouting expedition. I rode my bike instead of the truck because, well, its a lot more fun and gas prices. The weather was hot but perfect.  I learned a few lesson about trying to mount a photo expedition from the back of a motorcycle, the most important of which is backpacks suck. I'll need to invest in a decent saddlebag before I try this again. However, it worked out. The music played in my helmet, the miles rolled by, and before I knew it, I'd reached the Gulf of Mexico and expedition's end.
​ 
It started in the green grass, and ended at the high tides. 

It was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to do it again.  It also reminded me how much I love the place I live. 

Here are a few images from the journey. 

Day job and family has kept me busy this week, so not a lot of time for photography and writing. I've been helping my daughter learn to cook (Actually, I just drive her to the store so she can buy ingredients and then I eat what she cooks. I get the easy part.) 

We were at Wal-Mart, I noticed all the bare shelves. Like you, I've been noticing this for quite some time. I'm over 50, and this is a new phenomenon in my lifetime as an American. It harkens back to stories my grandparents told me of their childhoods, and it makes me uncomfortable to ponder it.  I don't like it. Not one bit.

​One can debate why this is happening, and I'm sure the reasons are complex. It's the baby formula that truly disturbs me. It hits me in a place only a parent can understand. The lack of outrage by the American people, and lack of urgency by our government, disturbs me even more.
 
I wandered around Wal-Mart and took a few photos of the bare shelves. Inventories were thin on many shelves that weren't completely bare. However, one section had shelves almost overflowing. Its that same section that never seemed to run "dry" even during the height of COVID lockdowns. 

No baby formula. Plenty of booze. 

It's just a snapshot in time, a few photos taken during one visit to a supermarket. ​I'm not sure what that says about us as a culture, maybe nothing. I just can't quit thinking about it.  You can draw your own conclusions.

See you next week. 

#babyformula #shortages #rationing #walmart #economy 

Senior photography should be exciting and fun for both the senior and the parents.  This should include the session and the final images. With this in mind, I now offer themed senior photo sessions. 

The theme can be practically anything, and not necessarily what the senior did in high school, or what they are going to do (or think they'll do) after graduation. It could be cosplay based on their favorite movie, book or video game. It could be historical period costume, or even a gag theme. It can be with friends and family. It's about fun, individual expression, memories and breaking away.  

​The packages can include graphic products (like the movies poster seen here) or short theme videos featuring highlights of session images. 

Nate graduates high school this year and is on his way to college.  During the initial consult, his mom showed me a photo of Nate in his restored classic car looking over a pair of Ray Bans.  It reminded me of "Risky Business" and suggested an 80s teen coming of age movie theme. Nate and mom were all in! 

The sessions include a mix of theme-based and traditional images.  For Nate's session, I also made a custom movie poster and a short video revolving around the 80s teen movie theme. 

If you're interested in a themed photo session, or any of my photography services, follow this link to contact me. Thanks for dropping by, enjoy the images,  and see you next week. 

I want to thank everyone who came out to the Piney Woods Art Festival in Enterprise, Alabama this weekend, especially those who dropped by my booth. The positive response to "Abandoned Wiregrass," as well as my prints and framed art, was overwhelming. I would especially like to thank the Coffee County Arts Alliance for hosting the event and allowing me to attend. Piney Woods has been a vital part of the community fabric in Enterprise for as long as I can remember. This was my first year participating, and I will be sure to return. 

My photo "Winter Chairs" was honored with Best In Show. This kinda blows me away, because there were some SERIOUSLY talented artists at the event. I am honored and grateful. 

It was great to see many friends drop by the booth, including old friends from college I have not seen in many years. I received an unexpected surprise when, in the festival's closing hour,  I heard a voice say "That's my shack!"  Sure enough, it was the gentleman who owns the cabin featured on the cover of Abandoned Wiregrass.  I had not seen Mr. Waters since the day I took that image. We had a great time catching up and talking about the shack's history, and other places around the local area that might be good candidates for future photos. 

I'm not sure when or where my next event will be, as the local art festival scene slows down in the summer. I'll be taking the  opportunity to keep writing my fiction novels, as well as riding the roads (on my motorcycle, of course!) looking for my next photograph.

Keep checking back for updates!

#pineywoodsartfestival #artfestival #photography #awardwinning

This blog post is for the photography buffs out there. Last weekend I had the honor of taking photos of Temple Monarc,  a fantastic L.A.-based band with original music and a classic rock sound.  Instead of just showing you some images, I'd like to talk about how I approach live performance photography.  I learned photography primarily by taking live music performance images. Due to the dynamic challenges of light, subject and composition, it is a steep learning curve.  It is a brutal way to learn the art, and I highly recommend it. Those lessons translate easily to any other genre of photography.

I'd like to share some of those lessons-learned today, starting with equipment and settings. 

Equipment
 
I'm using a Canon 6DM2 with either a EF24-70mm or a EF17-40mm. Any DSLR or mirrorless will work as long as you can shoot on manual. Can you shoot on auto or with a phone? Of course, but you will eventually "peak" in your image quality.  Here's why. 

Shoot on Manual

You can't fully exploit the light when the computer does the thinking. There is so much more light the camera captures than what you see "straight out of camera" (SOOC). If you shoot on auto, the computer will either hide or throw that precious light away. Second, try to shoot with post-session editing in mind. When I see a composition, I've learned to see the light as I want it to be, not necessarily how the camera initially captures it and processes it on the display screen. This is where saving your image in RAW format is critical. 

Aperture

I shoot at anywhere from f4 to about f5.6 because I want to strike a balance between low-light capability and reasonable aperture. For fast-moving bands, I don't like a lot of background blur. For slow-moving performers, and setting-dependent, I will go for more background blur.

ISO

 Shoot as low-ISO as possible to reduce noise. Low-light forces higher ISOs, but I detest grainy images unless I intend to go mostly black and white. Low-lit clubs and music venues usually drives me to somewhere between 6400 and 12500 ISO. 

Shutter Speed

I set my shutter speed as high as I can get it, even if that means slightly under-exposing the image. I won't shoot performer on low-lit stages under 1/125s. This keeps blurring down (unless I intend it). One can lessen the impact of under-exposing an image if you shoot with spot or center-weighted light metering. That means taking your light readings from the image cent er or where where your focal-point is. I use either of these settings depending on stage light conditions. I want my light-meter taking the light sample from where I want it, not where the computer thinks it should be. If the background darkens up, so be it. 

Focal Point

Focal-point control is everything in rock & roll photography. Focal point drives composition! Use the smallest AF point your camera will allow, and make sure you understand how to dynamically change your focal-point quickly. If you let the camera control the focal point, you'll throw away a lot of images and miss a lot of great shots. 

Image Speed

Set your camera to take multiple images at the highest speed. Also, make sure your data card is clear and ready for lots of images. All of this is important because of rock and roll. 

These settings give me maximum control of light and composition, and result in the best post-session editing options. Now, lets take a look at them in action. 

These two images were taken 30 seconds apart, yet that 30 seconds changes how each image was edited. In the first image, I chose black and white, yet in the second image I chose color.  Why?

Subject and composition are directly tied to focal point.  In both of these images I set up my focal point on my viewer's far right, with the intent of using the vocalist as my subject.  Specifically, I am following the singer's left eye in both images. Based on my camera settings, the singer is the subject, I've automatically framed my composition, and light meter is reading the light reflecting off the singer's face. FOCAL POINT ANCHORS YOUR SHOT. Rule of thumb: The lower the light, the lower the aperture, and therefore the tighter the focal point. 

In image 1, composition and contrast are most important, so I selected black & white to accentuate this. In this instance,  structure and subject interplay trumped color.   Do you see all the triangles and arrows in Image 1? The bass player is visible behind the vocalist. The three performers heads form a triangle.  Both he and the singer are facing the guitarist, who is looking at his guitar neck, which is pointed right at the lead singer (triangle)  If you draw a line from the top of the singer's head to the bass player's head, it forms a line that points at the guitar (triangle) which points right back to the lead singer (arrow). If you look at the bassist's instrument, it protrudes from behind the singer on a straight line, as if the vocalist is being pierced (arrow) by the guitarist.  The singer is looking at the guitarist's face, who is looking at his guitar, which points right back to lead singer (triangle). Now, look at the spotlight. It is simultaneously a triangle and an arrow piercing all the other triangles, and pointing at the center of all of Image 1's triangles - the guitarist's left hand. 

Leaving Image 1 in color, with all the different colored lights, would have been distracting. The image draws its power from composition, not color. Image 2 has a far simpler composition. Here, we have only one triangle. The guitar forms the base, and the performer's heads point to the apex. The bass player is hidden, and the image is uncomplicated, and color does not distract. 

In Image 1, the lead singer's face is fully in the blue-green spot-light. Behind him, the bass player is visible, he is facing us, and his light source is the same color, and close in illumination, to that bathing the singer's face. Therefore, the camera handles the white balance for both performers the same. When converted to black and white, the two performers' faces will handle editing identically. The guitarist, however, is getting different light and the light metering is not "seeing" him.  Therefore, he's darker. He is also dressed in a color similar to the stage lighting and blends in, but his guitar is more reflective and has a higher albedo.  By going black and white, his guitar "pops" and forms a high-contrast bottom for several of the composition triangles.  Bottom line, I get more bang for my editing buck for Image 1 in B&W, and Image 2 works as-is. 

In post-production editing, it quickly became clear Image 1 would have far more impact as black and white.  Using the BW Mixer in Photoshop Camera Raw, I can covert colors into contrast. By increasing illuminance on aquas and blues, I can make the singer and bass player's faces brighter, as I can with the reds in the lead guitar. This reinforced the composition triangles and gives the image more clarity.  Image 2 needed almost no editing, other than a change from 6x4 to 8x10. 

Two images, 30 seconds apart. Same subject, same focal point, same settings, and two entirely different outcomes.  I hope you enjoyed this week's blog. 

#photography #photo #camera #photoediting #photoshop #music #musicphotography 

Some on you know I'm a big Godzilla fan. After doing some research I discovered, like many other celebrities, Godzilla had his own set of demons. I had no idea. 

Since the Baby Boomers entered the world in the years immediately following World War II and were old enough to snatch the microphone from the Greatest Generation, they proclaimed how different they were from all who had come before. They heralds of the Age of Aquarius, the Real Thing. The Boomers came of age in the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the history of our species, following the bloodiest and most savage war in the history of that same species. They knew they were smarter than their parents. They knew they would usher in world peace, right the wrongs, and make everything fair and equitable. In retrospect, it didn't quite turn out that way.    Like their parents, the Boomers did great things and had glorious failures. However, they weren't truly any different from those who came before. 

The 20th Century was different. Vastly different. It was the century that changed everything about humanity, and nothing. The Greatest Generation set the century in motion, but the Boomers were stage center for most of it. They WERE the children of the 20th Century. Greasers and Sock Hops gave way to Hippies and free love, and that gave way to Yuppies and bottled water. During the height of their reign, they created the 1970s, which forged the modern culture we live in today. They even invented the concept of the "Generation Gap." 

The term "Generation Gap" is a modern construct. In the millennia before the Industrial Age, little changed from generation to generation. It is only as result of breakneck technological change since the late 19th century that our humanity has definable mile-markers to record the pace of change within a human lifetime.  The broad-brush strokes our culture uses to paint and label an entire generation aren't necessarily accurate or fair. Generations are made up of individuals, no different than those that came before, only exposed to a different set of circumstances. Same fallible humans, same rules of behavior, only with new toys and trapped in the prison of their own time. Baby Boomers weren't any different from the Greatest Generation, they only had a different starting point and faced different circumstances. The Gen-Xs and Millennials were the same, too. However, I think this might be changing. 

Gen-Z, or whatever culture is labeling those who follow next, are truly different. The technology that surrounds them isn't just changing, its changing them. Boomers and Gen-X's birthed the Information Age. Those who follow are being assimilated by the Information Age, transformed in every way imaginable into something truly new. It's happening now.  You are seeing it.  Humanity is on the cusp of permanently  changing: mentally, spiritually and physically.  ​Some of it is happening by circumstance, your children are becoming it mentally and physically wired. Yet, it is also beginning to happen by choice. 

If you're under 30, you were practically born holding a personal electronic device (PED). All of this device usage is changing us. German researchers found too much smart phone usage actually shrinks parts of the human brain. This damage is similar to effects of drug-addiction.  In children, this rewiring is more pronounced, and may forever change how a child will  develop into an adult. Hungarian researchers found children who spent at least 15 minutes a day on a PED for over a year processed information differently than children who barely even used a PED.  Device-wielding kids tended to see small details first, and seemed to miss "the big picture" when it came to problem solving. Being mired-in-minutia wasn't the only change in PED-using children.  Screen time also affected happiness in teenagers. A San Diego University study found that happiness rose steadily with screen time. 

Information technology might be unintentionally changing the next generation, but what if they want to be intentionally changed? We've seen the rise of body modification and trans-genderism.  Body modification is evolving beyond tattoos, piercings and even sex-change operations. ​Now enter the "trans-humanists." We entering a time where people are beginning to cybernetically modify their bodies

Robotic and computer augmentation of the human body and mind is becoming more common and more advanced. From sophisticated prosthetics to computer chip implants, humans are beginning to alter their own evolution. Much of this has been driven by medical necessity, such as helping amputee victims and those paralyzed, Now, it is taking on a  cosmetic and voluntary element.  Long speculated about in science fiction,  The next generation is apparently moving toward embracing TH. Why? Well, why not? If one can readily change physical appearance and  genders, what physiological or cultural barriers remain to changing the physical essence of one's traits as a species? 

Body modification comes in many forms. Perhaps the easiest and most accessible form is cosmetic body alterations. Body alterations have existed for thousands of years, and often have cultureal and religeious significance, such as neck elongation and circumcision. Body alterations are usually not transhumanism, but transhumanism is always a body modification. Body alterations such as tattoos and piercings, logically may become a gateway to greater modifications.

​ In 2017, John Hopkins University found up to 42% of all adolencence already had a tattoo or piecing, and over 50% were interested in getting one.   The growing phenomenon of extreme body alterations crosses the line into transhumanism.  While mostly cosmetic and having no practical purpose, extreme tattooing, implants and appearance-altering surgery, and self-mutilations have the effect of physically distancing an individual from their traditional humanity. Some may argue the effect is intentionally dehumanizing. Cosmetic body modification is only "skin deep", but is perhaps symbolic of deeper changes in the modern culture. " If a generation is so open to cosmetically altering their bodies, how much farther would they go? Another gateway concept into transhumanism is transgenderism. 

Transgenderism is defined as one feeling different than the gender they were born as. A transexual is a transgender who  chooses a sex-change surgical procedure. Sex changes are body alterations, and not transhumanism. However, they are indicative of a growing acceptance of permanent body changes in our culture. In 2019, over 11,000 Americans underwent sex change operations. This is growing by almost 15% per year, and by 2030, the gender-reassignment industry will be approaching a billion-dollar market. Gender fluid is a term unheard of only a few years ago, and now is now a way of life. 

Body appearance and sexual identify were concepts that, only a generation or two ago, were rigidly dictated by culture and considered permanently assigned at birth. Now the fluidity surrounding these concepts are embraced and celebrated.  Appearance and gender are plastic, temporary concepts changed at individual whim. So why not the concept of "humanity" itself? 

TH comes in many forms, and science fiction has explored many of them, from cybernetics to genetic engineering. Now speculation has become reality. Many of these enhancements and changes can be seen in medical fields, but as the technology advances and becomes more affordable, it is spreading into the consumer market - and then it becomes a choice. 

Choices become new realities. Medically, genetically and cybernetically altered humans will live longer, be stronger, faster, more intelligent than those who have come before. They will simultaneously exist in the real and virtual worlds. They will become specialized and highly differentiated as we branch out into the solar system. These changes will happen earlier in the human lifecycle, perhaps even before birth.  Humanity may even split into new species. 

This is happening now.  Transhumanism and the "Age of Humanity X" is rising. Soon we will be defined as versions associated with alterations, and not the time period we are born to. What they do, the history they experience, and how they see themselves will not only be associated with shared culture and history, but by their similarities and differences down to their core being.  There may even come a day (a day many who are reading this blog may live to see) where a future generation may no longer consider themselves human at all.  We ourselves become the AI. We may become "The Rise of the Machines." We ourselves may become the alien invasion, or our own saviors. 

It all begins with a simple choice, and then the generation that follows truly is different than what came before. 
#cyborg #transhuman #transhumanism #human #humanity #essay #transgender #trans #bodymodification #generation #generationgap #genx #babyboomer #millennials #genz #bookofbobafett #bionics 

I used to teach pilots to fly.  I'd always ask my student pilots the same question, "Do you want to be a pilot, or do you want to fly?" Most didn't get the question, so I rephrased it in the words of the immortal fighter pilot Colonel John Boyd, "Do you want to do something, or be someone?"

This is a lesson, a concept so profound, I dearly wish I had learned in my youth. If you're looking for a label, a status symbol, you will never be truly fulfilled as a human being. If, on the other hand, you are seeking a path to self-fulfillment and personal excellence, you will be a happier person. The titles and labels will occur as a result of that journey, not as a goal. I would tell my students that if they were chasing a label, I couldn't help them. If they were choosing a path that would lead to a love of flying, then I could help them along on their path.  Then I would flick my fu-man-chu  and ask them to snatch a pebble from my hands (if you got that, then you are old as dirt, too.)

The title "pilot" was just a milestone along the road, not the destination itself. So are the labels "author" or "musician" or "photographer" and why doctors use the term "practicing medicine." Attaining a title or  label always leads to the perplexing personal question, "Now what?"

Back in my Underground Book Reviews days, I once attended a writers' conference hosted by a major university, where I encountered a memorable individual. He was not a only a writer, but also an English professor.  It was his opinion there were way too many writers, most of which had no talent and wrote awful books. He felt there should be a way to keep these independent authors from publishing, because they made it more difficult for readers to find the good authors like him (of course).  He was dead serious. It never occurred to him that he may be among the ranks of those great unwashed hordes of terrible independent authors. They shouldn't have an opportunity to publish, but he should. The professor had a point, albeit a twisted one. 

Someone once said talent is cheap. My life experience teaches me this is true. My life experience also teaches me  information is cheaper.  If something is made or distributed with a click of a mouse, its cheap.  The Information Age has dramatically lowered barriers to entry for creators and artists of all genres. In other words, its made content creation cheap.  Anyone with a internet connection and a word processor can be a writer. Anyone with a smart phone and a Tik Tok account can be an influencer (whatever the hell that is).  Anyone can create. The barbarians have crashed the gate.  That means there is a lot of crap out there. Go browse Youtube and Tik Tok and you'll find crap content. You'll also find much more mediocre content. You might even find  a few gems, but you have to wade through the slush pile first. 

This is simply a fact of life in the 21st century. We are saturated by information every minute, every hour, every day. There are no more real gatekeepers for information.  If you're a writer or a musician you know this better than anyone. Writers learned this first when Amazon and Kindle came along. Now with the advent of streaming services like Spotify,  musicians have followed writers down this over-saturation path. Long gone are the days when getting published meant something.  There are still traditional publishers, but even their books are harder to sift through. There are far more books in print and digital than ever before. The title "author" is cheapened by being so common, so accessible. To this I say, so what? Because it is the act of creation that is truly precious. The experience is priceless to the writer themselves. 

It goes back to the question: Do you want to do something, or be something? The act of creation can be a reward unto itself. In fact, it MUST be the reward unto itself if one wants to endure and improve.  No one reads books to get famous, we read for pleasure and information. Writing can be the same. ​

I take my inspiration for being a writer from several musicians I know in local bands.  They practice regularly to continually improve their art, and are always striving to be better. They play in the same local club circuit to the same enthusiastic crowds.  They have day jobs to pay the bills. They play for the love of playing, for the experience of playing. Stardom isn't their goal. They are musicians, not rock stars. Create. Improve. Repeat. This is the way. This is the bedrock from which everything else springs, whether that results in commercial success, or simply your next gig or independently published short story compilation. 

Labels are cheap. Information is cheap. Talent is cheap. The journey is priceless. Do something. Embrace that something with all your heart, passion and energy. Immerse yourself in your art, and you shall transform and become something. 

#writing #creation #publishing #kindle #amazon #contentcreation #writersjourney #content  #selfimprovement #anyonecancreate