Saturday, February 28, 2009

African American History


I worked an African American History event today for the Town of Babylon. It was an excellent event. The keynote speaker, Reverend Dr. Reginal Tuggle did a great job in delivering his message. It’s speeches like his that make me glad I do events like this.
My image post comes from this event. It’s an image of the traditional African colors one of the members of the Praise Ensemble had on. I liked the contrast between the black suit, tie and hankie.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Manorvillle Park

Pretty uneventful day. Did get some great news in the mail, Norwich University is offering Adam a nice sum of money for collage. What a blessing! He applied to twelve collages and six have accepted him. Two have offered small scholarships, but Norwich is almost offering to cut his tuition in half. Wow.
Today’s picture is from Wednesday’s walk in Manorville Park. This is a new place for me. It looks like a new park with trails set-up for horseback riding. I didn’t find it too interesting, maybe because I have had a lot on my mind.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Peggy

A friend of mine, Peggy Kraus, writes about healthy eating and exercise for examiner.com. I have Type 2 diabetes and she has turned me on to a fantastic book, The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell, PhD. While I have found it difficult to do everything he suggests, I have cut down my consumption of animal protein and have noticed a drop in my blood sugar levels by about 20%. This is a link to her very cool site. (I linked the page with my photo being the very modest person I am.)
http://www.examiner.com/x-672-Disease-Prevention-Examiner~y2009m2d20-Vegan-living-and-diligent-exercise-well-worth-the-effort
Today’s picture post of the tulips was made on Wednesday. These are the same flowers I posted on February 14.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Tuesday, Feb.24, 2008



I painted the bathroom walls today. I wonder what’s more difficult sometimes, making a living or keeping the property in good repair. Did I forget to mention the dog, cat, wife and three sons?
Today’s picture post is a double, Isabel is a retired greyhound, she’s eight years old and this is her second favorite thing to do, lie in the sun. Eating is first by far. Sasha is a rescue from the local shelter. Both animals slept the day away while I painted. So much for mans best friend.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Iced Puddles


Before work today, I went exploring and found some ice patterns that I found interesting. I wish I owned a macro lens. Anyway, it was a productive walk and I got a couple of keepers, which is better than some assignments.
The weather turned cold again and there’s been snow mentioned in the forecast. The past two nights have been very windy. Our house, sits higher than our neighbors and we don’t have any large trees. The wind comes right off Cold Spring Pond and it sounds like it’s ripping the siding right off the house. Sometimes it’s so bad that I check the sides of the house in the morning.
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Sunday, February 22, 2009

West First Street

There’s a big contrast between this ornate street sign and the shape of Oswego’s west side. I was shocked by the amount of bars and abandoned buildings. The nicest store in the village is a bookstore and it says something about this being a college town. It depresses me to see a place with a colorful history just get wasted away.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

The Icy Edge.


After a long and sometimes tense drive we made it home safely. Potsdam is about eight hours from Southampton, but the snow in the Catskill region added another hour and some stress.
I came across this photograph yesterday in Potsdam where Maple Avenue crosses the Raquette River. The web footprints of a goose as it finds some unfrozen river to swim in. It just looked funny to me. It reminded me of suicide, the last steps of someone before they went over the icy edge. I know, it’s a dark thought, but still intriguing.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Potsdam, NY

We got to Potsdam late yesterday afternoon. It’s so much nicer than Oswego. Oswego State is a big school, but the town is run-down, mostly bars, tattoo and body art places amongst empty stores and buildings. I use to think Potsdam was fairly depressed for a college town. There are two colleges in this small town and the economy is obviously supported by this single industry.
Stephanie, the owner of the hotel where we usually stay, said that because of the building of a new Lowe’s Home Improvement store they’ve been very busy. This is the off-season and they would have two or three units booked during this time of year. With the out-or-town help, they’re booking seven or eight units.
Anyway, today’s picture is from Clarkson University in Potsdam. While we were waiting for Adam to find out if he could sit in on a class or two, I went snooping around. There was this old phonograph and I loved the way the two windows lit it.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Traveling

We drove up to Syracuse New York, North Syracuse actually. We were unsure of the hotels in the Oswego area, our destination, so we stayed in North Syracuse for the night and left early for Adam’s appointment at Oswego State.
Today’s picture post was made at a KFC fast food restaurant last light. I liked the way the red seats looked and the neon sign and the fact that we were alone for a long time. When I got the image into photoshop the first thing I did was to flip it, so it would read correctly. But I decided to leave it the way it was made.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Rusty chain, Uniondale, NY

Yesterday were the Suffolk County Wrestling finals, Adam finished fourth in his weight class for his school’s division. I am very proud of him.
We spent the whole day at Hofstra University watching the two Suffolk County divisions compete. It’s fairly exciting.
Today we leave on a road trip to various colleges for Adam. I’m not sure if I’ll have internet, but I will have my camera.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day

I made this still on Thursday. It’s not roses but they are red. Enjoy.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Sag Harbor, NY

I had an assignment on Shelter Island today, which brought back a lot of memories for me. It was one on my favorite places to explore. It’s built-up now, but being winter there was hardly anyone around. I’m sure the summers are not the same as they were thirty years ago.
Today’s post is from Sag Harbor, on my way home from Shelter Island. I just found it odd to have the coin operated ride with the James Dean and Marilyn Monroe posters right behind them.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Painting the trim.



I just took a brake from painting the trim in the house. It’s a big job and I have the time before an assignment this evening. This picture is another view from the highway overpass processed HDR. Time for lunch now and then it’s back to painting. Anyone want to grab a brush?

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

No Hands

My post yesterday was so long I forgot to write about the image. I went to this highway overpass and recorded some images for HDR processing when I came across this graffiti, “Look Ma, no hands.” I thought it worked for a self-portrait; after all I made the image with no hands.
Today’s picture was made on Newtown Lane in East Hampton. I was out there on assignment and just had to stop in the village. It’s not often I’m out there.
I was intrigued with the white on white and how the undersides of the steps were in the warm sunlight and the top part had the cool shadow. Yesterday was my day for white. I also made an image of an empty store space with three white walls and floor.
Big difference.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Newtown Lane East Hampton


My post yesterday was so long I forgot to write about the image. I went to this highway overpass and recorded some images for HDR processing when I came across this graffiti, “Look Ma, no hands.” I thought it worked for a self-portrait; after all I made the image with no hands.
Today’s picture was made on Newtown Lane in East Hampton. I was out there on assignment and just had to stop in the village. It’s not often I’m out there.
I was intrigued with the white on white and how the undersides of the steps were in the warm sunlight and the top part had the cool shadow. Yesterday was my day for white. I also made an image of an empty store space with three white walls and floor.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Young Poets stale newsprint.


I did a job yesterday photographing young poets that were part of a mentoring program. Many of them were published in a small press book. Some even had books of their own. It was an excellent event; there was some fabulous poetry.
It made me think about the blog on note for February 6th, newspaperproject.org and the publishing industry as a whole. How blogs have given writers, photographers and artists a place to publish their work for others to see. In the past, this has not been an easy hurdle to overcome.
Now artist don’t have to grovel with anyone, the web accepts anyone no matter you’re your level of expertise.
For better or worse, the Internet has become the new place for the talented and not so talented, no editors and little in the way of critics; you can delete any comment you don’t like and you have instant worldwide distribution. I’ve spent my life selling photographs to the print world. I’ve put up with my share of rejection letters as well as published pieces.
Now the print world is gasping for ways to tap the revenue stream of the web because print now has real competition. They haven’t looked at changing themselves to a broader appeal; they look to adapting what they do to a completely different medium.
Yes, I am a victim and you can hear it in this post. A project of mine has been turned down because it’s too regional. The same publisher now is trimming staff due to the economic downturn and declining coffee table book sales. Am I crazy to think that a picture book that has local interest can make money on a local level?
Newspapers tout they double check facts. The New York Times and Judith Miller come to mind, an experienced writer and one of the cornerstones of newsprint. Not fact but published unchecked fact. More reliable that the web, that’s what they want you to believe. I’ve been told the truth comes in many shades and colors.
The world is changing and they’ll have to change with it. I surf through blogs and find a whole host of interesting information, photographs and art. There’s many blogs that mention God and talk about faith. I come across every hobby imaginable, and quite a few blogs about family or starting a family. Some are written by the very young and some are grandparents and great-grandparents. There’s a lot of freedom on the web. Maybe the print world should do some surfing on their own.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Prosser Pines after the snow.


Not too much happening today. Thankfully, the weather was much warmer than yesterday’s hi teens and low twenties. But the sun is not out and if it were a bit colder I’d take a guess at more snow. But the weatherman says that we’re in for a mild weekend in the mid to high forties. Nice.
Today’s post is from Wednesday. This is Prosser Pines in all its glory. At the last minute I decided to change it into black and white and tone it. It gives me a feeling of nostalgia.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Keep Out

Earlier today I went looking for something I need for an up-coming photo. I didn’t find what I was looking for, but I did find today’s picture. I was in Patchogue, NY now famous for the murder of an Ecuadorian immigrant, Marcelo Lucero. Seven teens have been charged with the murder and with other hate crimes. So why did I think it was strange to find a quarter acre corner lot with a hand-painted KEEP OUT sign?
It’s fairly obvious that people and animals cut through the lot to save time or steps. It looks like a short cut to the water to me. Maybe there’s some drinking goes on, there’s a bottle in the lower left of the photo. There might be more hidden under the fresh layer of snow, I don’t know. The bottle could have been discarded from a passing auto. It just seems silly to post KEEP OUT.
I grew up in the woods. I can’t believe you can tell a boy to KEEP OUT of the woods. Maybe no littering, or no hunting, but woods are there to be explored and every young boy knows that. It’s like having a blog with a posting that says NO VISITORS.
The hate crimes murder and the KEEP OUT sign don’t have anything to do with each other except that they both happened in Patchogue. They both just aren't right, that’s all.
Sorry I’m just ranting.



Wednesday, February 4, 2009

White Fingers

Another day, another dollar, so the saying goes. I spent the whole day yesterday on one job and a good portion of the day driving home in the snow. It was a slow drive. Today I was able to get over to Prosser Pines and make a few images before work. I don’t know what was worse: walking through the deep snow or the seventeen degrees weather. As least there was no wind. But I did get cold quickly.
I made a few images today that I liked; this was the first. The branches looked like fingers to me. It was beautiful at Prosser Pines and I was not the first one there. It’s comforting to know others take the time to enjoy nature, and a nice brisk walk in the woods.

Monday, February 2, 2009

There's no place like home.



Well, it’s good to be home. It’s always nice to visit with my parents, brothers and sister, but as Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home.” I’m not a big fan of Florida’s weather. I like the four seasons. I think I’d like a shorter winter, but I still like winter. For many years the winters here on Long Island have been mild. This is the first winter that has been bitter cold and snowy. Maybe in a few years, when father time plays his dirty trick of age, I might feel different.
We moved my parents from a gated community for seniors in Ocala to a regular new community in Lakeland. They are closer to my sister Luanne and her husband Bill, both in the medical field. It will be good for my parents, they are getting on in age and my father’s health is in poor shape. It was very difficult for me to watch him not do things he use to do, even simple things.
I hardly get together with my family. We all have such different, busy lives and I live so far from the rest of them.
Today’s picture post is my first double photo post, which posted backwards from how I uploaded them Sooo…the second is a silhouette of me at the airport Thursday morning and the first is a shot of the morning sky out of the Jetblue window coming home Sunday. I did photoshop the window scratches out of the image, but the color is true. The curvature of the window added a soft focus effect.