:pieces:

Most of last week's spare time was spent looking for and buying things for an upcoming photoshoot. Some supplies, some props. I would love to get better lights, but alas that is not financially possible right now. If money were no object I'd have my own studio anyway. But I think I can make the lights that I do have work. Finally have a proper backdrop and paper for it.

I like the idea of having props on hand, though I could see it as becoming more clutter at a time when I'm trying to get rid of it. One thing I was searching for was a standing mirror, I managed to find one and even talked the price down for it. One future idea of mine involves a series with a chair, and I'll know it when I find it.

A handful of photos while at an apple orchard this past weekend. Might've taken more if I weren't so uncomfortable, as I dressed for September and suddenly it was August again.

:communing:

This past week I went to my first Meetup with other local photographers. I'm hoping to meet and talk to more artists, art by nature is a solitary activity, and it helps to get some feedback and other benefits from others who are hopefully of the same wavelength as your own.

I'm glad that I did it but have still some lingering mixed feelings about it. I'm sure I'm overthinking things. One thing that I know I need to learn is the more technical aspects of my camera(s), but I think sometimes some of the people there were focused more on that than the end product. I'm not so sure they shared my love of "happy accidents." I can't recall the ISO or whatever I used on each individual shot, and I don't see why I should. I detected a bit of "oh, really..." when I said that most of the shots that I showed were taken with my point and shoot camera. What does it matter what tool you use as long as you get the end result that you want? Probably because of this I didn't even bring up Instagram.

In the above photo, the critique was that the horizon line wasn't perfectly straight. I was like, really? I'm not one for rigid rules. There were lots of pictures of dogs and flowers which, while technically well-taken, were not very interesting to me.

Eh. As you see, I may be taking it a bit too personally. I'm just, and have been for some time, trying to find like-minded artists, and it's been very difficult. I think at the very least I'll learn more technical skills, and there are other Meetups to try out. There's a group in Salem that I haven't made it out to yet, maybe those in a spookier town will be more akin to me.

:flesh and frame:

The most creative part of this past week for me was allowing my own flesh to be a canvas; got another tattoo. It's a text tattoo, so some may not see that as visual as most, but I see it as no less. Some people these days even tattoo their entire backs that way, but who has time to read that? Heh.

Me being me, I agonized over both the typeface and how it was arranged. I toyed with it being wavy rather than straight, but because of its placement on my arm, it would get twisted when I turned it anyways. The artist who did it (Tara at Good Mojo Tattoos in Beverly, MA) does a lot of text tattoos (which is why I chose her) and says she's had to explain that to many people.

Also me being me, I'll need another one on the other arm, because I like symmetry. No idea if it'll be text as well. Hell, this one just came to me in a flash only a month ago.

For those who don't get the reference, it's from a song by the Golden Palominos called "The Ambitions Are." It's pretty dark but I'm taking the refrain in a more positive light.



I've been intending to hunker down and improve my photography, but as ever, trouble finding the time...I need to change some habits if I'm going to use the little time "allowed" to me. Gearing up for a photoshoot in early October, need to make sure I have all I need and make sure the lighting is better since it'll be indoors. I think I did fine last time, but there was definitely room for improvement.

Also trying out various print options. This one was actually printed on wood, I'm going to see what glass and metal prints look like.

I also found a few frames in my pile that are square, perfect size for an Instagram print. So I was thinking that I could print the most popular one and give it away here. And yes, this is my way of trolling for comments. Why be shy? Go to my Instagram page and tell me the title of the one you like the best on the comments below, the one that gets the most "votes" I'll give away, in some fashion that I haven't thought up yet.

:wanderlust:

One thing that I did on last week's vacation, and has actually been an unspoken goal of the past year, was to find more places locally that I haven't been to yet. If I can't travel globally, I can at least see more of what we have have around here. Some day you will see the Pyramids in my Instagram, though.

Unsurprisingly most of my journeys took me to the ocean, some regular places, some new ones, like Singing Beach, where the water was amazingly warmer than usual. Usually you have to get used to the chill of the Atlantic up here, but there was no need that day. They don't make it easy for people who aren't locals to visit, though.

I also made it to Plum Island, which is actually a peninsula, and a gorgeous one at that. I only made it to a small beach area; looking at a map one can see that there is so much for me to explore there, and I intend to. I think it'll still be worth it in the upcoming fall.

Plans post-summer include really focusing on getting better at photography, and there is the possibility of a new photoshoot with somebody that I hope comes to fruition, I won't say anymore for fear of jinxing it.

:exact change:

This week has been a vacation week for me, which in my case just means a week off from the dayjob, as they still don't pay me well enough for me to travel like I should be. But I'm still getting outside and often to the ocean whenever possible. It's still a dream of mine to live by it some day, but the cynic in me also believes that when that happens, that's when the oceans will choose to rise. So best to stay put and let them come to you? We'll see.

It wasn't meant to be a week off from art, and it wasn't completely, as I have a camera with me at all times as usual. But this week has also been, in my mind, a sendoff to summer and the laziness it can cause (even though summer doesn't officially end until late September, as I have to remind some people who are curiously looking forward to being cold again), with hopeful plans to better many aspects of my life with the arrival of the fall.

I seem to be doing more photography than other types of art these days, and that's not a bad thing, and I don't intend to give up on other media. But I know I need to step my game up as far as photography goes. With a camera in every phone and other devices and nearly every phone owner thinking that means Instant Photographer, and sadly some possible clients believing them, making a living as such is more and more difficult unless you really stand out. Which is something I need to work on, both learning my cameras inside and out and making those photos really amazing. I get a fair amount of praise, with all humility, but that doesn't pay bills. Not saying that I do this for the money, but it's the best way to show appreciation to an artist, in the end.

I had actually gotten a query from the BBC asking if they could use my photos of the Robin Williams memorial in Boston. I said yes, but silly me, I also asked if there would be any monetary compensation, and got no further reply. So presumably they went on to somebody else who was willing to do so for free. I didn't demand it, but was simply asking. I'd like to think the BBC could afford to pay. But as is more and more usual, people like art but don't want to pay for it if it's at all possible.

I've made these plans & intentions before, I just need to find a way to really stick to them. My life is not awful, but I know it can be so much better. I want to be in a much better place by next year. So I have to wean off habits and maybe some people that are preventing me from meeting these goals. Hopefully you'll stick around to watch.

:squared:

Most of my creative endeavors lately are still involving photography. Sometimes I feel guilty that I'm not doing my "other" artwork, but hey it's still art, right? At least I try to make it so. I regularly switch between my actual camera and Instagram on the smartphone. One thing I like about the latter is that it's in a square format, which makes you think more about composition. Unless you just use it for food or selfie pics. But I've been finding some pretty amazing photos on there. Now if I can figure out this hashtag nonsense, maybe more people will see mine.

I've been trying to visit places I haven't seen already. Massachusetts isn't a large state, but there's still plenty that I haven't seen, including the various islands in the Harbor. Here's Spectacle Island, with Boston in the distance.

I also visited the ominous-sounding World's End, made even more so by threatening clouds in the sky that day. You can't tell from these two pics but it was a very green place. Definitely hope to do a photoshoot there, if I can find a willing model.

And I regularly end up at Nantasket Beach in Hull, which isn't far from World's End. I wouldn't mind living in this area, but only if I also worked there too; commuting to and from Boston would well and truly suck.

Next week I have much-needed time off from the dayjob; sadly they still don't pay me well enough to afford to travel like I should be, so I'll be seeking more local adventures. 

I suddenly came up with a new tattoo idea (not the previous one that I'm still stuck on), so maybe I can get that done as well. It's text-based, and the biggest problem so far has been choosing the right font, since I have hundreds of them on my computer, from my club flyer days.

:barbaric yawp:

In the awful coincidence department, a few weeks ago I was writing here about an illustration that I unearthed of Robin Williams, then, this past Monday, we hear of his death, one that is pretty much being attributed to suicide.

I was shocked to say the least. I rarely let celebrity deaths affect me, but this one has left me a bit numb, probably because I had probably followed his entire career, from "Mork & Mindy" onwards. When I discovered his stand-up comedy performances, I was hooked. I wore out my cassette tapes of those shows. True, he may not have consistently made the best movies every time, but I feel that like Bill Murray, he still captured one's attention even in the bad ones. And of course probably supplied hours of deleted scenes of him just wildly improvising.

Now some people seem to be intent on making him an poster child of what depression can do to you, even with all external appearances seemingly the opposite. This is not the the only example of a comedian having this sort of life, there's something about that sort of personality that makes one try to make others laugh to hopefully drive away the demons within. I myself was more likely to be a class clown than not. But when your "audience" is not around, you're left with yourself and sometimes that's not the company you want to keep at certain times. People are rightfully shocked that someone so high-profile and seemingly loved by so many wouldn't reach out for help, but so far we don't know the final straw in this case.

A park bench in Boston's Public Gardens that was part of a scene from one of his most loved movies, "Good Will Hunting," became the site of a memorial not long after his death was announced. I visited it yesterday, the bench was covered in flowers and gifts, and the walks surrounding it were covered in thanks, quotes and love written in chalk. Proof of his multi-generational appeal were evident, from "Mork & Mindy" to "Good Morning Vietnam" to "Aladdin" to "Hook" to "Dead Poets Society." I even saw a quote from "Popeye." Of course I added one myself, something from his stand-up act: "Joke 'em if they can't take a fuck."

Sadly it rained all day today and probably washed all those messages away. I'm sure they'll be replaced by others soon enough. It doesn't appear that his memory will be washed away quite so easily. Laughter is something we need almost as much as oxygen.

More pictures on my flickr page.