iPhone Diaries #301: "First wedding for 2011"

With the ravishing bride on my first wedding shoot of the 2011 season. Jan 30th.

The U.S. of A rocks...and thank goodness for that!

Excellent article by Neil Reynolds of the Globe and Mail. His piece talks about supercomputers but he may as well have written about the American superiority in other fields. (see attached below). There's a lot of talk about the decline of the American Empire, about the ascendance of China,  the rise of India, and the emergence of such middle powers such as Brazil.

As a goodfella would say, "foget about it". 

China will never be a world power; as a matter of fact, it will have a difficult time maintaining its status as a regional power.  A one party state will exhaust its energy looking over its shoulder and engaging in rear guard action (watching its ass?) with brush fires set off by the restless natives. Besides, China's economy has to be turbocharged and revved to the red line constantly; any let-up and the whole mahjong-tiled house comes tumbling down.

India doesn't have the infrastructure (in literacy, transportation, democratic tradition amongst the masses, equitable wealth distribution)  to maintain a hold on the label: emerging superpower. India as a superpower is a state of mind amongst the Indian middle class: a tiny percentage of the Indian population.

Brazil is much like India. It is an emerging economic superpower, for now...but that's about it.

And as for the European Community, with its aspirations to match the USA, superpower status was always just a dream. The individual European countries, with the possible exception of Germany, were only as powerful as their hold on their colonies were.  Wealth that financed  socialist experiments  flowed in from the colonies; half a century after the last African colony became free, these socialist experiments are unraveling... the ill-begotten money is gone. Mind you, multi-nationals have taken over governments in plundering the former colonies... it is in the interests of these groups to maintain corrupt regimes in Nigeria and the Middle East, wars in equatorial Africa, etc.

The United States of America is the only genuine world power that exists right now. Sure, it has its share of wackos: the ayatollahs of the extreme right such as the Palins and the Becks. It is also currently going through a painful economic restructuring. But this is the price of democracy; an imperfect experiment maybe but still the best game in town. The USS DEMOCRACY is the best ship to be on to ride out any storm, economic or whatever. It is the only country in the world that balances (or at least tries to) self-interest with altruism. It has rock-solid foundation in science and technology, in the arts, and in education. It believes in the equality of all people and in the equality of the sexes. Most importantly, Americans are culturally conditioned to be optimistic in the future. America needs to heed Barack Obama's call to once again believe in themselves!

02 Feb 2011

Notes from a parallel universe... a unique view

http://anonymousanimals.wordpress.com/the-animals/

Hersley-Ven Casero is a Filipino photographer from the Philippine island of my birth, Negros. Have a look at his view, his take, on the creatures that are  brought to life through the visions of local artists. We are indeed privileged to have folks who have an enhanced view of a world beyond our five senses!

"Desiderata - Words to live by"

To the artists and poets out there torn between their artistic impulses and the realities of making a living... and to everyone else trying to make some sense of their existence in a world seemingly gone mad with aggression and acquisition, this is dedicated to you:

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,

even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter,

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble,

it's a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.

Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love;

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,

it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life,

keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann was an attorney turned philosopher-poet who lived in Terre Haute, Ind. He spent his life wrestling with the realities of making a living and following his personal calling to a life of poetry, literature, and thought. He wrote A Prayer, which became a message of hope for thousands, but he is best known for Desiderata, which he wrote for himself, "because it counsels those virtues I felt myself most in need of." Max included this work as part of a personal Christmas greeting in 1933, and Desiderata's power and appeal have continued to reach out to and significantly affect readers ever since. 

He died in 1945.

iPhone Diaries - a description

A back-to-basics, less-is-more, photographic project. As photographers, we are inundated (and jaded) by the plethora of digital devices, the latest ones promising (but not delivering the goods) more megapixels and the latest super-ultra-extreme-XLT processor to (potentially) allow everyone to be the best photographer that they could be.

The most popular camera used by Flickr uploaders is the cameraphone (the Canon Rebel Series comes in second). For me, using my cameraphone is an exercise in purging the mind of clutter, as well as in actually shooting on a regular basis, as opposed to "binge" shooting (1600+ clicks on a typical wedding). The limitations imposed by the cameraphone (low resolution, fixed lens, severely reduced dynamic range) forces me to work within these parameters. For example, I have to use my feet to compose the image; I don't have a zoom lens. I am now a slave to how the camera thinks; I can't adjust the exposure to suit my needs. This is the digital Polaroid.

The best camera in the world is the camera that you have with you and that you actually use. The best advise for the "artist" is to practice their craft on a consistent basis. Sketch if you're a painter, sculpt if you're a sculptor, shoot if you're a photographer.

So I leave the 21MP FF Canon with the L lenses at home; I use my iPhone whenever I can.