e y e D a n c e

Toot!

2012-01-30T21:45:00.001-06:00

You know, I am so shy and reserved, I just do not know how I will ever adapt to a new workplace. Meeting people is so difficult. *grin* My new work cubicle is right next to the main door into our area, and I was feeling a little bit abandoned on my first day at the new job, so I took matters into my own hands.

Not surprisingly, it worked. At lunch people asked me about the very things I had on this whiteboard as an ice-breaker. Sometimes an extrovert has to do what an extrovert has to do.

Inside, At Night gala opening

2012-01-28T12:35:00.000-06:00

Last night was the hugely successful opening of the exhibit, "Inside, At Night: Origins of a Revolution", the photojournalistic coverage of last year's (Feb-Mar) protests in Madison, WI. More narrow in focus than 'crowds with signs' this show tells the story of those who - for lack of a better term - occupied the state capitol for 18 days and nights in an effort to slow the newly elected governor and his policy-friendly Senate and Assembly from ramming through significant changes to the Wisconsin political landscape.

The opening kicks of a three-month exhibit of the works of nine area photographers (including me) who were on hand, inside, during those tumultuous days. The show is at Tamarack Gallery, 849 E. Washington Ave, in Madison, WI. Hundreds came through the doors last night to see the photos and listen to speakers offer views of the way forward.

The speakers ranged from local political voices like John Nichols of the Nation magazine, and Matt Rothschild of the Progressive magazine, to a very young girl who stole the show when she opined that Governor Walker did not have enough love in his life and she hoped he found more love. Since it was videotaped, I expect it to charm tens of thousands, and perhaps even Walker's heart will grow three sizes as a result. [Turn up your volume to adequate listening level when you click that link!]

The show is up for three months. Prints of all the images are for sale, as is a book that contains all the images. All are available on a tiered pricing scheme to allow those who are underemployed to support this effort. Those who find themselves flush with capital can take the high road and pay the full price. At least 40% of the proceeds from the sale of books and prints will go to fund additional efforts to recall Governor Walker.

The conversation in the room last night was "What's next?" Assuming we successfully recall Walker (or do not), how do We The People keep this grass roots activism alive and in force? How do we keep our elected officials in line with the progressive Wisconsin so many of us want? There were no pat answers, but the dialog engaged many and keeps the effort alive.

This is an important story being told in this exhibit, one that was not covered by news or other media outlets. I urge you to go and see what happened, Inside, At Night.

There are more photos from the opening in a SLIDE SHOW.

Boudoir Portfolio Video

2012-01-25T17:58:00.000-06:00

I have been pondering changes to my eyeDance business page, and because I am an Apple iPad user I did not want to add any Flash-based presentation. I have experimented before with embedding slide shows from Flickr, both on the business page and this blog, and frankly Google makes it pretty ugly. The video is currently hosted on YouTube, though I am sure I could locate it elsewhere (like on my own site) and have the same effect. Here is the new video (there is no sound). It is perhaps Not Safe For Work.

The video was created using Apple's iMovie, iPhoto, and Photoshop Elements 10. Total time invested was probably two hours, though some of that was spent going in the wrong direction and having to simply start over. I have many images to draw upon, but I chose these because I thought they represented not only my style, but also emphasize that I work with men and couples as well as women. You will not find that with every photographer.

Feedback is appreciated, whether praise or constructive criticism. Thanks!

eyeCandy

2012-01-22T07:57:00.000-06:00

I love that some of my "work" involves playing dress up in fancy costumes and dancing or cavorting to entertain an audience. And did I mention glitter? Lots and lots of glitter! I knew from the first that being a member of Cycropia Aerial Dance would be fun and feed some part of my soul, but I surely did not realize what a banquet of desserts it would be.

Last night was one of those corporate gigs that we are choosing to do more frequently. In many cases our job is to simply "perform", being eye candy to the audience which consists of business people who are at a work function of some sort. If, like me, you have been at such events, you know that they can be pretty dull affairs. Sometimes, depending on the venue, we get to rig and do some aerial work. Last night was all ground work. The theme was Mardi Gras, so we paraded in while the dixieland band played "When the Saints Go Marching In". Then half of us served dessert while the others provided entertaining distraction. For a bit over half an hour we danced, cavorted, and generally tried to engage the audience and spark a little fun. I assured them that we had "silly" covered, so whatever they did on the dance floor could not possibly look as silly as we did.

What a fun way to earn a bit of money.

Happy Dilemma

2012-01-21T12:35:00.001-06:00

This morning I had a delightful dilemma. It is quite cold here today, and the outside temperature was -8 degrees (F) when I got up. Inside we set the temp to 57 (F) at night, but our down comforter is so warm that we are frequently too warm at that temperature. So the first of us to arise generally does not turn the heat up a lot so as to not cook the still-sleeping partner awake. I was awake first so I bumped the heat up a few degrees, made a cup of coffee, and sat under a blanket on the couch while I read the news. Regular readers may recall that I have a cat - Nala - who has been a long, slow project to get her socialized. We do not know what made her into such a 'fraidy cat (she came from a shelter) but over the past year we have made great improvement. Lately our morning habit has been that she joins me on the couch; she sits on top of the blanket at my feet, and she stays as long as I do not mess with her too much.

Today she sat on my lap!

I cannot begin to describe what a delightful milestone that is. Even better, I had the camera within arm's reach. I popped off a couple of pics and reveled in the moment. Then the dilemma. I finished my coffee and wanted more. What to do, what to do?! I let it ride, opting to let her be in my lap for as long as she wanted to be there.

After about fifteen minutes she returned to her usual spot by my feet, meaning I could detangle myself from under the blanket and make a second cup of coffee. She even stayed through the whole process: Me getting up, the noise/activity of making espresso, and returning to the couch, rejoining her. Truly, it was almost like having a normal cat. A nibble of chocolate made everything perfect.

SOPA

2012-01-18T09:50:00.000-06:00

The US government is considering legislation that would censor the internet in the name of preventing piracy. Not only would this legislation allow them to block or disable a website *suspected* of piracy - not proven - but also any site that links to that site. So if this blog, or yours, linked to a site that someone, somewhere in our government suspected was engaging in piracy, it could be shut down despite having done nothing wrong.

It is tyranny.

There are more sophisticated and targeted ways to combat piracy. This legislation only benefits large media corporations by allowing them to raise a protest of a site, perhaps a small competitor, and have that site shut down with no proof whatsoever. The burden of proof rests solely on the defendant site to demonstrate its innocence. Such proof could take years and millions of dollars of legal fees. No small business could survive.

Contact your legislators today and voice your concern over SOPA.

Do not go quietly into the night. Thank you.

ONE MILLION SIGNATURES

2012-01-17T19:59:00.001-06:00

You might RECALL that we are trying to oust our Governor here in Wisconsin. If you RECALL, there have been massive, and steady protests which began just a month after he took office last year. I RECALL spending a lot of time documenting those protests and rallies. Today, the 60-day drive to collect 540,000 or so signatures ended with the delivery of ONE MILLION signatures. Game on!

Back in OUR HOUSE

The crowd starts filling in the room at the Monona Terrace Convention Center Expo hall

This is Wisconsin, so we have (free) beer while we collect more window signs and add our names to another banner.

The eviction notice is signed by the usual "union thugs", "parasites", "greedy public workers", you know, our neighbors.

I notice that THIS TIME the media paid attention. They could not be bothered last winter/spring.

In the crowd it was pretty thick; filled to the brim with happy protesters.

Viewed from above you get a sense of the crowd. It was shaping up to be a fine party!

Sayonara, Walker. Did you hear us all the way out in New York at your fund raiser?

Revisiting the Sparkly Dance World

2012-01-16T18:06:00.000-06:00

Just a few pics of dancing fun. Local belly dance instructor Arielle hosted a 'hafla' at her studio on Saturday night. A hafla is best described as a party, though this event had more of the feel of a recital and performance. Students of Arielle performed for their first time, and the guest instructor of the afternoon workshop also performed, as did Arielle and another local instructor, Mona N'wal, and a visiting instructor, Lacey Hale.

Both my wife and I studied belly dance (or more appropriately, Middle Eastern dance), she for a decade, and me for a bit more than a year. We are pretty well connected with the local dance community still and so it was a fun opportunity to see and visit with pals from back in the day. The light was atrocious for photography, so I did not get a lot of good shots with the equipment I had. The few I liked are HERE.

Snow...Saturday...Sledding!

2012-01-14T15:38:00.000-06:00

What happens when you mix fresh snow, reasonable temperatures, and a partly-sunny Saturday? If there are kids involved, you get sledding! One of Madison's nice sledding hills is only a few blocks from my house. I had to run to the ReStore to get a new light fixture for our entryway (the 70-year old one was failing) and my route goes right past the hill. I was not dressed for an extended time on the hill, but for fifteen to twenty minutes I would be fine.

There were 40-50 people there, representing a pretty wide range of ages. Some of the kids were really little, and some of the parents seemed more likely to be grandparents. But everyone was having fun!

With sledding comes crashes, in large part because it never occurs to kids to walk up the side of the area where they are sledding. Nope. The trudge right up the middle of the hill in everyone else's way. And, because kids simply cannot foresee consequences, the kids at the top launch down the hill. Frankly it is amazing that more kids do not get clobbered. Of course, it is also my observation that the parent-aged kids are most likely to get hurt as they rag-doll down the hill.

Today was uneventful in that I did not even hear anyone cry after a collision. Smiles were abundant and When I was done shooting I had a nice chat with a couple of dads. Then it was off to pick up that $4.00 recycled light fixture and get it installed while I had daylight to work with.

There are a big bunch of sledding pics from the day in a SLIDE SHOW. Enjoy!

Take Your Sunshine With You

2012-01-07T10:10:00.000-06:00

I raced through a proof-of-concept shot last night. I was meeting friends and had only about fifteen minutes to mess around in the studio. The idea was to suss out how to do something I wanted to use for a later project. It turned out to be both easier and harder than I thought. The idea was to have a subject under an umbrella, but with the light source (at least the primary source) inside the umbrella. There is a single speed light taped into the top of the umbrella firing via an IR sensor. I ended up taking only five shots, and chose this one to mess with.

Obviously I have manipulated the photo significantly. I had a white backdrop up in the studio, and no time to fuss with changing it. To reduce the whit impact I used an aperture of f/16. I added a tiny amount of key light bounced off the white wall camera left to bring out the top part of the umbrella and add some detail on my jacket. A "hair light" on the umbrella might have worked better, though it might have made it too obvious that it was in the studio. If this were for real work, I would probably mount two speed lights inside the umbrella, aimed in opposite directions and firing at half power.

Bringing the image into Photoshop, I first created a background of midnight blue. On top of that I layered a woods-with-path shot and reduced the brightness and made it 75% transparent. The next layer was me with the umbrella, and I erased around me to let the background show. I also took the transparency to 78% to let me 'ghost out' just a touch. The final layer added a filter to add the rain effect. Transparency on that layer was down around 30%.

As a proof-of-concept I am quite happy with the results. It was a slap-dash effort, with a total time investiture of about an hour. Fun!

Tonight I fly and then I dream

2012-01-03T19:15:00.000-06:00

The fun never ceases. Yesterday, dancer Tara Brandel of the Croi Glan Integrated Dance Company of Cork, Ireland, taught a beginners workshop for wall running to members of Madison's own Cycropia Aerial Dance troupe.

The workshop covered an introduction to wall running, a form of aerial dance most notably performed by Bandaloop Project (sample video). A few of the dancers had tried it at least once or twice, but there was no real familiarity with the form. Everything was hard.

Posture is the first thing to master, and it is not simple. The dancers are wearing a rock-climbing harness and clipped in to a rig that includes a grigri climbing device which allows them to control their height on the wall. The rope is attached to the gym ceiling 22' up and about a foot from the wall. So "standing", sideways, requires the dancer to hold herself straight which requires a lot of core muscle. The body wants to fold forward at the waist/harness, so to compensate for this the dancer continuously pushes forward with the pelvis, arches a bit back with the chest, and pulls the thighs together. That is what it takes to stand still. Those of us who have some experience assisted with these basics as we had four dancers on the wall at a time.

Eventually everyone got a turn at standing, then running. The rope acts as a pendulum so the dancer defines an arc on the wall. Once the basics of running are established, turns are introduced along with other (eventually) elegant dance moves. By the end of the workshop pretty much everyone was able to do a back flip, though we had spotters to help each dancer to prevent rude crashes into the concrete wall.

Everyone had fun, and Cycropia benefits by having another dozen people exposed to this new-to-us form. Tonight is the advanced techniques workshop, also by Tara, and I get my turn to play and learn some new moves. I cannot wait! I probably will have some photos, but the camera is secondary tonight. Tonight I fly, and then I dream.

There are more photos here in a SLIDE SHOW.

Altered View of January

2012-01-02T15:43:00.000-06:00

We are having a strange winter here in Wisconsin. Chalk it up to a fluke, or global climate change, but we have had almost no snow this season. The lakes are still open water and none of the skating rinks are open. I imagine the ski hills are having a rough year.

I wanted to try something a bit different to capture the feel of what I see around me. The colors are not a completely uniform gray-brown, yet a normal photo just looks like November. Rather than a straightforward shot, I thought I'd dial the aperture down to its smallest setting (f/22-29 depending on focal length) and the ISO to s-l-o-w (100). This forced the shutter down to 1/5th of a second or even a bit longer.

I like the results. It captures the mood and the bright gray of the sky, dark gray of the lakes, and the bare trees. I looked primarily along Lake Monona for the images I wanted to capture, and as there are many parks and walking areas, there is also some playground equipment to add some color. Again, I hoped for the suggestion of what was there more than the thing itself.

I took about twenty images and got five that I liked. Not bad. I think I might try the same technique at Olbrich, perhaps with the Thai Pavilion as the subject, on another day. These were all 'targets of opportunity' along my drive home from an errand. [If you do not have your camera with you, you cannot take pictures!] I like this last one because an obliging walker was coming down the path as I was taking the shots.

I hope you enjoyed my altered vision as much as I enjoyed altering my mind-space to go for the effect. There was no Photoshop used, merely a bit of adjustment to brightness, levels, and saturation. Oh, and this is an excellent way to discover if you have dirt on your sensor! It really stands out. *grin*

The Reason of the Season (or complete lack thereof)

2011-12-28T17:42:00.000-06:00

It is that time of year. I went in to pay my property taxes, which of course increased over last year. And for that increase I get a Governor who wants to slash all funding for the Arts (which I value) and health care services (which I value) and huge cuts to public schools (which I value) all while giving tax breaks to large corporations who reward We The People by relocating jobs to Mexico or China and giving their executives huge bonuses. Feel free to work from the assumption that I am not a fan of the current Governor. Let's recall him, shall we?

While downtown, I visited my local bank (which pays its taxes unlike Associated or M&I) and then stopped in to the state Capitol to witness the annual non-religious display of "holiday" decorations - because Christians are so marginalized in today's society. (Yes, that was sarcasm.)

Therein I found a 36' tall Christmas tree, clearly labeled as such. And lest one think that was an affront to separation of Church and State, the tree was dedicated to Veterans. After all, how unpatriotic would it be to criticize a state-sponsored religious icon in the state Capitol if it is dedicated to veterans? Yes, I am well aware that "Christmas Trees" are actually an ancient Pagan tradition co-opted by Christianity. But try and tell that to them.) One floor up was this, one of several "alternative view" presentations:

Nothing says separation of Church and State like a nativity scene! There was also a menorah, but since it was in the midst of a Red Cross blood drive (OK, that was cool) I could not see if there was a sign with it.

As a direct response to the religious pandering of our state government, the Freedom From Religion foundation has also placed a sign for the past decade or so.

The first few years it was routinely vandalized by "good Christians". It is not enough that churches are exempt from taxes while clearly involving themselves in the political sphere, they need to be certain that it is only Christianity that is advocated and all other beliefs (or facts) be marginalized. While it is true that there are many Christians who do not behave this way, they do little to quell the static from their brethren, and thus get lumped in with the noisy jerks. Too bad, really. There is room for us all, and no one's religious beliefs need be publicly displayed in the center of our state Capitol and thereby marginalizing all others. It can, and should, remain in your church, your yard, and your mind.

Happy new year!

Loss, and Gain

2011-12-21T17:34:00.000-06:00

I had an interesting experience today. I met family members I never knew existed. Sort of.

It starts with a death in the family.

My dad had a million siblings - OK, not a million, but enough to be confusing when one is the youngest son in a large family whose father was the youngest in an even larger family. Most of my cousins are almost old enough to be my parents, and those closest in age to me are their kids, my second cousins. So my dad's sister passed recently, aged well into her nineties. My dad died at 53 back in the Seventies when I was eleven, and I sort of lose track of his side of the family.

Two of my sisters and I were at the memorial service today where we expected to offer condolences to our cousin Steve and Dad's last remaining sister. Imagine our surprise to read in the obit that our aunt was "survived by her son Steve, daughter Lee, and granddaughter Octavia". *blink-blink* Who?

It turns out my aunt had a close companion, friend, and caregiver who was with her through thick and thin for more than 15 years. Like a daughter she was, and her daughter, in turn, became a de facto granddaughter. They are both lovely people and we were baffled that we were unaware of them. We all made our introductions, swapped information, and I expect we will be hearing from them again. I hope so.

After the memorial my sisters and I went to lunch and talked some more about information we had gleaned. It seems my aunt had not shared info about her chosen daughter and granddaughter with the family because they are African American and some of the family is, umm, less accepting. As I said, I do not know them (my relatives) well enough to make any harsh judgement, and the root might lie less in familial racism and more in more simple sibling antipathy between my aunts.

Today I lost an aunt and gained a cousin and a second cousin. Interesting day...

Just because they wanted too

2011-12-17T17:35:00.000-06:00

I partook of the usual seasonal activity today: I went shopping. I took Reena to work downtown and figured I would hit State Street, our local seven-block long pedestrian shopping/restaurant district. I hate the malls with their big-box department stores and try-too-hard kiosks. If I want to be like everyone else, I go to the mall. I was looking for a specific something for Reena, and I was pretty sure I would find it at one of the quirky shops on State. I was also supposed to find a little something for myself and tell Reena about it. I succeeded at the first task and failed at the second. What do I want? I have plenty of *stuff* so I do not want to request just any old thing. Well, I guess I have to keep thinking about it.

One of the pleasant distractions of the day was a group of carolers singing Christmas songs. They were pretty good, too, so I suspect they were part of a choir somewhere, likely at a local church. They were having a lot of fun - smiles all around - and were not soliciting donations or anything. Just singing because they could and because they wanted too. I listened for a song or two, then continued on with a smile on my face.

RAWR!

2011-12-16T17:14:00.002-06:00

What do you say that enhances a photo like that?

Sous Vide For Cheapskates (Like Me)

2011-12-14T10:27:00.000-06:00

If you have dined at a fine restaurant in the past year or so, you may have encountered the idea of sous vide ("soo veed") cooking for meat. The general idea is to slow cook the meat in a hot water bath that uniformly brings the meat up to the desired temperature. It does all the same things as cooking meat in more conventional ways except browning. Supposedly the meat comes out more flavorful and tender. Being self-employed, I have not been dining in fine restaurants for the last couple of years. And a boné fide sous vide cooker that keeps the water circulating at a precise temperature runs $300-500. Too rich for my blood. Enter the DIY mindset.

Cheaper cuts of meat

Articles on this topic that I read suggested buying a cheaper cut of meat. It seems that the more expensive steaks are cut for tenderness rather than flavor, so less expensive cuts like hanger, arm, or flatiron which are tougher but more flavorful were desired. I like that. My local grocery only had arm cut so that is what I bought. Some reading about the "cooker" pointed at a simpler solution. A picnic cooler is nothing more/less than an insulated box. If it is effective at keeping things cold, then it should be as effective at keeping things hot. Off to the thrift store!

'Fran' had donated her lunch box cooler to the local Salvation Army store. I bought it for $2.09 and scrubbed and bleached it. Cooking meat doesn't require a high temperature. For rare, it needs to come up over 120 degrees. Medium-rare - my preference - is 130. My tap water tested out at 125 degrees (F) so it was nearly hot enough to do the cooking job.

I brought a kettle of water to a boil to bump the tap water temperature above 130. In the meantime I individually bagged each steak. The real method is to vacuum seal the meat, but I made do with a zip seal bag. I read somewhere that 'Ziploc' brand is a smart choice because the plastic did not contain/release BPAs. I used what I had on hand. If I become a devotee of the process, I will buy Ziploc bags. I dunked the bag in the hot water before sealing it because it softened the plastic and let me get closer to vacuum sealed.

Ready to cook!

The time to cook meat this way is much longer than grilling or broiling. What I read led me to believe that a minimum cook time was 45 minutes to bring chilled steak to a consistent 130 degrees. I brought the water in the cooler to 125 from the tap, then used the boiling water from the kettle to bring the temp to about 135 figuring that it would slowly drop over the cook time. And it did. Quickly. We keep our house at 64 degrees (F) this time of year, and so when I checked after 15 minutes the water had cooled to 125. I added more boiling water. I had to add water three times over the cooking time. A better cooler or perhaps an insulated wrap would make it more effective. There is no possibility of overcooking the meat using this sous vide method as the meat cannot come above the water temperature. Longer cook times (a few hours) are apparently desirable as the meat gets more tender.

I have things to do, so I did not fuss with the cooking for hours. I left the steaks in for about an hour, then prepared my side dish and salad. I did a quick check with Reena about 'serve as is' or do a quick sear when the meat was ready to be served. Color of the meat is still reddish because there is no high temperature to brown or char the surface. It looks ... not right. I opted to do a fast, very hot sear in a cast iron skillet with an oil suitable for high heat (not olive). 15-30 seconds per side was all it took to give the meat a more normal appearance (and texture).

I have to say the meat tasted excellent. It was very moist (only 4% moisture is lost this way at this temperature) and mostly tender. This cut of meat had some very tough gristle running through one edge that had to be cut away while we ate, but everything else was superb. I will do it again, and add some aromatics to the bag to enhance the meat while it cooks. Possibilities include salt, pepper, garlic, or perhaps a herb medley such as Penzey's Bonnes Herbes 'Parisian'.

I got so interested in eating that I never took the final photo!

Green Eyes

2011-12-13T13:03:00.002-06:00

Most beautiful. Cat. Ever.

Nala

The green eyes
Yeah, the spotlight shines upon you
And how could
Anybody deny you?

...

The green eyes
You're the one that I wanted to find
And anyone who
Tried to deny you must be out of their mind.

(from "Green Eyes" by Coldplay)

Sun Stands Still, or, You're Right and I'm Right

2011-12-12T11:37:00.001-06:00

Ahh, bringing a tree indoors, decorating it with lights and shiny ornaments, hanging evergreen boughs and wreaths, and of course mistletoe, are clear indicators of the "reason for the season". I refer of course to Yule, the pre-Christian winter solstice celebrations that were absorbed into and co-opted by later Christianity.

The first step was to hunt down the perfect tree:

Being 'tree-hugging dirt worshippers', as detractors frequently call Pagans and other environmentally concerned people, we felled our tree with dignity and respect. The space in our small-footprint home is not large, so we chose a tall, skinny tree. Next we brought it indoors and strung it with lights to remind us of the solstice, the longest night and literally meaning "sun stands still", and the promise of returning Sun. The sun is often represented religiously by the newly (re)born horned God of the hunt, or Christ. For Jews, the proximity of Hanukkah celebrates a different, but magical, experience. Historian Flavius Josephus narrates in his book Jewish Antiquities XII, how the victorious Judas Maccabeus ordered lavish yearly eight-day festivities after rededicating the Temple in Jerusalem that had been profaned by Antiochus IV Epiphanes: "Now Judas Maccabeus celebrated the festival of the restoration of the sacrifices of the temple for eight days, and omitted no sort of pleasures thereon; but he feasted them upon very rich and splendid sacrifices; and he honored God, and delighted them by hymns and psalms."

Magic begins to transform both us and the tree as we carefully unwrap ornaments. Some date back to our early childhood half a century ago, or even earlier in the case of inherited family ornaments. Tales of holidays past warm our hearts and remind us of family and our connection to the past.

And at the same time we forge our own traditions and create our future.

We celebrate with friends - Pagan, Jewish, agnostic/atheist, and Christian - in the true spirit of the season.

MY VW Beetle Sneezed Out An Eyeball!

2011-12-01T12:49:00.000-06:00

My 2001 VW Beetle sneezed yesterday and blew it's eyeball out!

No, not really. It did blow a headlight bulb though. I had just paid someone to replace the driver's side headlight bulb a couple of weeks ago. One look at a how-to video assured me that "pay the man" was the right solution to that challenge! While having my brakes redone I had them tack on the headlight bulb change for $40 (of which $32 was labor) and I assure you that was a bargain. This one seemed pretty straightforward.

First I identified which bulb I was changing. Smart, but apparently I mistook which one I was replacing and so made it harder on myself. Dumb! As the photo above shows, I first pulled the hard-to-get-to bulb which turned out to be the still-OK high beam. Ah well, five minutes wasted. Swapping the correct one took about two minutes. As you can see in this next pic it was easy to see the difference between the new and old bulbs. Even if it were not chilly outside, the cotton gloves are important because you are advised not to get finger oils on this sort of bulb as it (theoretically) shortens the life of the bulb by creating hot spots.

And, having learned my lesson from prior work like this, I made sure to test the new bulb before replacing the headlight nacelle in the car body!

Right, then. All is well so I buttoned everything back up. Elapsed time was about 20 minutes, but some of that was wasted on going after the wrong bulb.

I changed the wiper blades too at the same time and that was a lot more frustrating. It seems VW does things differently than most car manufacturers. Those who own VW's are nodding and saying, "No kidding!" I am guessing it took just as long to swap the wipers as the headlight bulb. Next year I hope I remember that VW blades pull down where everyone else's pull up to get them out of the arm.

Time spent: Under an hour. Money spent: about $30 for the wipers and bulb. Money saved doing it myself: Over $100. Go me!

Fortified

2011-11-21T15:16:00.000-06:00

When I was a kid, I used to build little forts everywhere. Indoors it would be sofa cushions and chairs with a blanket thrown over top. Outdoors it would be under a low tree or deep in bushes, with scavenged plastic or cardboard upon which to sit. It seems Nala takes after me.

We knew that she loved to play with the blue sheer fabric. As the weather speeds towards winter she is spending less time outdoors, and is getting a bit stir crazy. One day this past weekend I was busy and she needed a diversion. I dug her fabric back out (it is now clearly hers) and tucked it into the mini-blind leaving her window perch partially covered. She sits up there, either wholly behind the fabric, or partially as in this photo. Whether she is keeping tabs on the backyard through the window, or facing in towards our office, she is clearly content.

No doubt, she is "daddy's" girl. *grin*

RECALL!

2011-11-19T15:36:00.000-06:00

I spent a few hours today at the Capitol in Madison, WI, with tens of thousands of my closest allies working, marching, and generally having a good time in our effort to recall our unpopular governor.

Official estimates from the Dept. of Administration (who generally estimates well below police figures) put the crowd at 30,000. There was much frivolity and an overall mood of happiness. We were glad to be back in the street protesting our new ALEC-tool governor. There were lots of smiles and the running joke seemed to be that "Wisconsinites only protest when it's cold outside." Temp was a balmy 45 degrees (F).

Lots of friendships were forged this spring during the protests of the newly-elected Guv. Now that he's eligible for a recall drive, the state is on fire to collect 540,208 (minimum) signatures. In the first three days 105,000 were collected. I am certain another 10,000 got added today at the rally.

Not everyone was there in support of a recall. This tiny group of about 75 people were supporters of Gov. Walker. One sign called him a "Great American". Mostly they seemed angry to me. And wrong, of course.

I am thrilled. To paraphrase Pink, let's get this recall started!

Nala From Below

2011-11-17T10:53:00.000-06:00

It's been a hectic couple of weeks working on client related photography. I chided myself yesterday for not having fun with my camera much for the last month. I have not gone there-done that as I have been doing work. Good work, and enjoyable, but not unabashed play. So for today...

I was playing with Nala this morning as she tore around the house making 'Mrrrp!' noises. She leaped up onto the back of the couch while I was still on the floor. The camera was within reach...

*big grin*

Celebrating the Male Form 2

2011-11-15T16:06:00.000-06:00

Wow, it has been a whole week since I posted last And what a week it was. In the last week I attended the SOFA show (Sculptural Objects and Functional Art) in Chicago, did three photo shoots, went to four aerial dance rehearsals, three parties, and taught a beginner class in trapeze. Add in the post-camera editing that needs to happen with each shoot and it starts to take a bit of time. Oh, and did I mention that a restaurant/lounge with an art space asked me to put up a show by this Friday, Nov. 18th? Talk about having to put the pedal to the metal and run full speed!

Well the images for the show are selected and printed, and 2/3 of them are framed. The rest will bet framed momentarily and the show laid out with the expert assistance of my wife. Tomorrow we hang the show and the opening reception is Friday at Bandung Indonesian restaurant in Madison, WI.

It has not been all hard work, though. Editing one of the shoots has been enjoyable. The male nude I shot a few weeks ago came back for a second round, hoping to capture some specific looks.

This one really works for me. I like the defined muscle, the light shaping the buttocks, the slight twist in the torso, and the not-quite black and white coloration. There are dozens of good ones in the collection, and as I am limited to only sharing images that contain no face, there are only a few I can or will share. Some will go only to my Boudoir page on my business web site.

It is fantastic to be so busy. I hope it continues unabated.

Nala Senses Winter in the Air

2011-11-07T09:30:00.000-06:00

It has been a while since I posted a gratuitous photo of my cat, Nala.

She loves being outdoors as the temperature descends. She did not go out last winter, so I do not know if she will still enjoy being outside once the snow flies, but for now she is a happy kitty.

Hair in the Air

2011-10-29T09:28:00.000-05:00

A little Saturday morning fun and frivolity! I had a young woman come in to the studio for (very last minute) Senior portraits. In the process of taking standard portraits, I realized that she was relaxing, being more "real", and that she fussed with her hair a lot as a normal habit. Okay then, let's get the hair involved!

I love that this only took two attempts to capture. The first one was a tad early and the hair was not fully fanned out. Attempt number two was spot on!

As it turns out, this was the image she selected for inclusion in her high school yearbook. I love that she indulged her playful side and let that be the image sent out for her peers to see.

Celebrating the Male Form

2011-10-27T16:40:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week I had a photo shoot that is elusive: A male nude. It seems women are much more accepting of their bodies than men - in general, of course. So it was with great pleasure I did this session. He and I shared a sensibility; we were proud to be celebrating the male form.

There are many great shots but this one really stood out for me. I love it.

Rogue at Fifteen

2011-10-24T16:54:00.001-05:00

Fifteen years ago I got an itch to have a motorcycle custom built for me. Not one of the current crop of outrageously expensive, impractical, nearly undriveable cruisers that are little more than butt-jewelry. No, I wanted a light weight, single-cylinder, back-road pocket-rocket. A bike made for the tight, twisty, hilly roads of western Wisconsin. The fine staff at Motorcycle Performance had just the thing in mind. Based on one of their existing track bikes, they proposed something similar and suggested $5,000 as the build price. Sign me up!

And here it is! I badged it as "Rogue", as in, apart from the herd. (No Sarah Palin jokes, please.) For the most part it does everything it was designed to do. It is not all that fast, perhaps an honest 120 mph if I am all tucked in. But it surely unkinks those twisty roads, flicking lightly from side-to-side in the corners. Mmmm.

It is a 540 cc, single cylinder engine originally from a Yamaha SR500. Base horsepower was a paltry 28, and this one does 42 at the rear wheel. It weighs around 350 pounds. The chassis is mostly a Suzuki GS500, with upgraded suspension and breaks. Body work is either stock or from Airtech (the solo seat conversion) and the fairing is from a Yamaha YSR50, extensively modified.

I changed the oil today, and washed and waxed it. I was observing that it looks pretty darned good for 15 years old! I hope you agree.

2011-10-23T20:48:00.001-05:00

In the "Second Glance" post last Friday I indicated that I would have more to share. The new page is up for you perusal.[LINK]

Comments are welcome...

Neon Glow

2011-10-23T16:33:00.000-05:00

I have a new project to occupy time around other studio shoots. I have been asked to collect samples of various neon signs around town, especially some of the more iconic examples. This shot of Sardine's sign may not be part of the final set, but I like it quite a lot

The glow of the sign itself, the partial reflection in the window, and the flare from the nearby light all add up to a photo to linger upon. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Second Glance Faux Cover

2011-10-14T11:58:00.002-05:00

I have had a number of faux covers in my head for a while. Here is the second, done up this time as a book jacket.

I created an opportunity to put myself in front of the camera for a change. It was an effort to put myself in the shoes of my boudoir customers. So I allowed a friend and fellow photographer to (wo)man the camera and be in charge of the shoot. What is it like to be nude in front of not just the camera, but another person, a person of the opposite sex? What is it like to be directed and posed, perhaps in ways that are unfamiliar or even outside one's comfort zone?

I will explore all of that in detail soon! In the meantime, this is one of those images mocked up as a book cover that explores some of the conversations I have been having with (mostly) women lately. Interesting knowledge is gleaned when you stray outside your comfort zone into the relative unknown.

UPDATE: the link to the aforementioned material is HERE.

Faux Cover Shot

2011-10-12T19:09:00.000-05:00

I took a recent image and envisioned what it might look like as a magazine cover. Let me assure you that graphic design is not my forté, and will not be any time soon. I wanted the cover to be a bit staid; not a high-fashion glamor magazine like Harper's Bazaar Cosmopolitan nor as cluttered as Rolling Stone. I was aiming for a look a bit more stark, like Harper's.

Click HERE to view large on a white background.

This is just for fun, and I would enjoy your comments. On a geek note, the QR code, should anyone photograph it with a camera that reads such things, will direct them to my web page.

Boudoir Peek

2011-10-10T17:06:00.000-05:00

Here is a rare opportunity: Take an extended peek into a boudoir photo shoot with Nataraj of eyeDance Photography. Read about what happens and the experience of the process. See a variety of images from the shoot, not just one. Read what the subject herself has to say. Your feedback is welcome, here or at the page. [Rated R - Parental Guidance recommend]

Here is the LINK.

Fresco's "Big Top Opera"

2011-09-30T14:42:00.001-05:00

I am performing an aerial dance piece in a production tonight and tomorrow at Overture Center, Madison's premier performance art space. The piece is a trio using a lyra with two other members of Cycropia, and we were asked to create a piece specifically for this show. And what a show it is. Fresco's Big Top Opera opens tonight.

It is a fusion of old school circus acts and opera. Most of the performers are regional singers who take various circus roles while singing classical opera bits. It is a bit like "What's Opera, Doc", and I mean that in the most flattering sense (heck, my formative knowledge of opera was inspired by Bugs Bunny). There is the strong man, the bearded lady, the conjoined twins, the tightrope walker, and more, with a few other related non-singing acts (like ours) added in as intersticia.

The show is suitable for all ages, and there is matinee pricing for the Saturday early show. Come on down and catch the show. The singing is good, the concept is amusing, and the transitional pieces are spectacular (wink!).

The photos are from last night's dress rehearsal, and there are a whole bunch more here in a SLIDE SHOW. Enjoy!

A Fun Toy

2011-09-29T09:38:00.000-05:00

I have not been impressed with most of the (free) apps I have for my iPad. In particular, the Photoshop app is frustrating, crashing virtually every time I use it. So I was not expecting much when I downloaded the Pixlromatic app (stupid, unpronounceable name). Turns out it has some fun toys that actually make some photos more fun.

The sparkly swirl is not manipulatable, so it was pure luck that this photo of a leaping dancer fit in it so delightfully. But that seems to be half the fun of the app: What can I do to *this* cool photo? Ultimately it is just a toy, but it is a fun toy.

Bike Parking Displaces Car Parking?! Ride on!

2011-09-28T17:30:00.000-05:00

After meeting a client for coffee this morning, I decided to mosey up King Street to see what was going on at the capitol. (Any 50,000+ protester rallies today? No? Dang. Oh well - Recall!) At the top of the street I spotted something I have never seen here before.

No, not a psychedelic bicyclist zooming down the street. The first parking spot had been bounded by posts and bumpers, and two bike racks were positioned within. A CAR parking space re-purposed for bikes. The meter was bagged, implying free parking. Wha..?

The intent is clear: Make it desirable to bike downtown rather than driving your car. At the moment I spotted the rack, there were only two bikes in it, and one had a flat. The shopkeeper I spoke to outside of Tipsy Cow seemed thrilled because she likes to bike to work. +1, I guess.

Here is the skinny, straight from the city. [LINK] Basically it says,

The bicycle corral provides space for the parking of 10 bicycles in what had been one car parking space. This is a pilot project to see how well accepted the concept of on-street bicycle parking is in Madison. This approach is useful in areas of the city where there is not enough space to provide bicycle parking in the terraces and other off-street locations. Businesses in the area were consulted on this project and agreed to the trial. Saris Cycling Group donated the bicycle racks to the city for this project. The racks will be removed in November to allow for winter snow plowing.

So bike riders, I urge you to use these racks even if they are not the obvious choice for where you are going on a given trip. IF they get used, the city will do more of this, and if not, they will assume no interest and yank them for good.

Ride on!

Ginger, or Maryann?

2011-09-27T18:04:00.000-05:00

Very seldom do I revisit an older photo to "process" it differently. I have been thinking a lot lately about Ansel Adams and how much time and effort he put in to the darkroom end of photography. Not just choice of paper and supplies, but the dodging and burning to produce exactly the photograph he wanted to produce.

I shoot digital. I do not use a darkroom. I do use Photoshop. I use it quite sparingly.

And then one day I shot a circus, and the sky was crisp, deep blue, and the colors were all vivid. That photo seemed very manipulated to me despite that it was pretty much 'straight from camera'. I like it, and keep going back to it. It was the vividness of it that drew me. Then today a friend poked me with a question about some of his photos: Color, or B&W? I got to thinking about that photo again in this context. Would it be better in color or B&W?

Your call. I reprocessed the RAW image in Photoshop converting it to B&W with an infrared filter affect.

Here is the original. I did have a circular polarizing filter on the camera.

Which works better to YOUR eye?

USB Keyboard Connected To My iPad

2011-09-23T15:40:00.000-05:00

This post is a first. That I am writing it from my Apple iPad is not the news. Blooging with the iPad is a bit of a pain, especially if you want to attach photos (which is, of course, what this blog is al about). No, the first is that I am composing it via a mini USB keyboard. Yep, you read that correctly: I have a USB keyboard attached to my iPad. Impossible you say?

Think again! Apple sells a "Camera Connection Kit" for the iPad that contains two dongles. One is an SD card reader for importing photos and video to the iPad. The other is a USB port for direct connection of cameras that do not use an SD card (like my dSLR that uses a CF card). While it is true that most USB keyboards draw waaaaay too much power for this connection (the iPad gives an error that the attached device draws too much power) there are a few no-frills keyboards that will work. The one I bought cost $15 at Office Depot. For the occasional use I think it will get, that is a perfect price!

The brand is "Gear Head" and it was the last one in stock at my nearby store. When I looked online, it seem like it was readily available at Walmart and other stores (probably Amazon). Look for the "Windows Mini USB Keyboard". If they make one for Mac, I did not see it.

The keyboard is cheap: The action is not great, and coupled to the iPad it is really only good for typing. You will still be doing your navigating and volume control sort of tasks on the iPad. It gives me an "Unsupported Device" error when I connect it. Just ignore it. That is OK with me. For this price I can live with that trade. The keyboard is small enough to get stashed in my always-with-me bag that contains my camera gear and iPad, so the whole coffee shop experience just got a tiny bit sweeter. This post was done in my favorite coffee spot: My kitchen, with a cuppa and a cookie while I listen to my own tunes.

Sweet!

Eos Ushers In The Dawn

2011-09-19T16:24:00.000-05:00

Eos, goddess of the dawn, renews herself and greets her brother Sol. Upon rising from her rest, Eos extends rosy fingers to the gates of heaven, opening them so that Sol, the god of the sun, can ride his chariot across the sky. From the Iliad, "Now Dawn rose from Her couch from beside lordly Tithonus to bring light to Immortals and to mortals." (Iliad XI.1)

Origins and Genealogy: Eos was daughter of the Titans Theia and Hyperion. She had two close siblings Sol/Helios (the sun) and Selene (the moon). With Aeolus the keeper of the winds, she bore four sons these became the winds of the cardinal directions. The dew was said to be her tears.

This Goddess is most noted for her insatiable appetite for young men. This desire is said to have been the result of a curse, placed upon her by Aphrodite , when she discovered her affair with Ares. She also kidnapped four lovers: Cephalus, Clitus, Ganymede and Tithonus. The later was a Trojan prince whom she begged Zeus to grant immortality. What she forgot to ask for was eternal youth. Eventually he shriveled up with old age and she turned him into a grasshopper. Her love for Orion was unrequited.

Strengths; Passion.
Weaknesses: Insatiable desire.
Sacred Plant: Saffron.
Roman Equivalent: Aurora.

This photograph was taken on the shore of an idyllic lake with a lovely dancer as the model. Keeping with my custom, the model fits Emerson's apt description: "The years teach much which the days never knew." This befits a Goddess who deserves a bit of gravitas. After all, Eos has borne four godlings, and made mistakes and suffered consequences at an epic scale.

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep. - Rumi

The Best One Of The Day

2011-09-18T16:51:00.000-05:00

This weekend was the World Music Festival and Willy Street Fair here in Madison. The weather was cool yesterday, and rainy today, so attendance was not what it could have been. Nevertheless, there were people out and about, determined to enjoy the final festival of the summer. I take a lot of photos because it is a target-rich environment. Everywhere I look there is a photo to be taken. And, sometimes you simply KNOW that you took the best photo of the day. This one is that photo.

How do you top that?

I will have more later, with a slide show.

Two Disappointments and a Bike Pic

2011-09-14T18:22:00.000-05:00

I had some free time yesterday so I thought I would go check out - and photograph two State Natural Areas I had never been to. I loaded up the trusty Honda 919 and set off for points north near the Wisconsin Dells. The first was Lemonweir Bottomland Hardwood Forest State Natural Area. It looked interesting from Google Earth. In real life, not so much. This time of year it was all dried up (except the river itself) so it was really nothing more than a hardwood meadow. *shrug* On to Hulbert Creek Woods State Natural Area. Another bust. There is a road indicated on the map, but if it is there it is totally overgrown. So at that point I did the only obvious thing: Take a photo of the bike!

I took a break, drank some cold coffee and munched a Snickers, then headed for home. Traffic was really boogying on the Interstate: Posted 65, and at 80 I was being passed by almost everything.

Another Great Night Thoroughly Seized

2011-09-11T11:50:00.000-05:00

I went to a pretty fine party last night. Hosted on a farm just outside of Madison, in a small valley, there was plenty of room for tents and a small stage. I think a total of five bands played, with Reena's band, Al Khemia, opening. The setting was really beautiful, and as Al Khemia finished the sun was just setting behind the homestead farm.

It was a potluck meal, so there was a mixed bag of food to be had. We chose to eat en route so we did not partake except for a few chips. There was beer on tap, and we had our own selection along, so it was a party. The bands were set up on a flatbed trailer with power running from a nearby house. As the full moon rose over the valley, it made for an awesome setting.

About the time the second band finished, and Madison's popular Handphibians were about to play, the bonfire was lit. I have been at a lot of bonfires, and I am quite certain that this was the largest I have ever witnessed. Amazing.

Note the person in the foreground. That is a BIG fire!

We camped next to friend, and had numerous other friends and acquaintances around, so the evening was quite enjoyable. We spent the night in the tent, and this morning had some coffee, a couple of hard-boiled eggs (prepared ahead) and headed for home. Another great night thoroughly seized!

A Little Bug on Bug Action (2)

2011-09-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

Quite literally, the very first thing I did upon getting out of bed this morning, was grab my camera and go shoot a bug. On a bug. Or more to the point, on a Bug. Reena noticed this guy on the roof of our VW Beetle and pointed him out.

It is a katydid, a species more closely related to crickets than grasshoppers.

They are a familiar sound around here in the late summer, along with the cicadas. They are part of the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.

The second thing I did this morning was make and drink a cup of coffee!

Lake Superior Overnight

2011-09-07T17:44:00.000-05:00

After a fun-filled holiday weekend party with a bunch of friends in da north woods, Reena and I opted to take an extra day and head over to Lake Superior on the Minnesota North Shore. We were already camping, so setting up another night was a snap. We stayed at Split Rock Lighthouse campground. The temperature was pretty chilly, only fifty-six degrees (F) when we arrived late in the afternoon. After rapidly setting camp, we hiked down to the water to catch the evening sun on the small island (accessible on foot at low tide) and the lighthouse.

Since Lake Superior is one of our favorite spots, we had Mr. Camera take our photo with the assistance of Mr. Tripod. As we explored the small island and shore line, the light faded into that glorious 'Golden Hour' and I got shots of the lighthouse that made me smile.

The following morning I got up just a bit after sunrise (bad photographer! No pink sunrise photos for you!) and dashed off to the water once again. This time the light position made the shot I wanted a bit harder. My final result is a composite image of three different exposures layered together in Photoshop. By the time I was done with those early shots and got back to camp, Reena was up and had some of the re-packing done. Sweet! I made coffee and we dined on a gourmet breakfast of hard-boiled eggs and pretzels (sort of like toast, right..?). Piling into the car, we visited the lighthouse (too early to be open, so we only looked around outside) then headed south to Gooseberry Falls. Apparently we were still ahead of the other tourists because we had the place to ourselves long enough for me to get every photo I wanted. The water level was quite low so the often raging falls were a comparative trickle. Pretty enough though.

By the time we were done at the falls it was time to make the long slog south back to home. It is just about 6.5 hours from where we were, and we both had evening rehearsals to get to.

Here is a link to a SLIDE SHOW of more pics from our Lake Superior overnight in more-or-less chronological order. Enjoy!

Labor Day Thoughts

2011-09-02T16:55:00.000-05:00

I do not shoot food very often. However, this still life Reena arranged with some simple produce from our back yard was too pretty to resist.

As we shift into Labor Day holiday weekend, pause for a moment and think about where your food comes from. Is it produced locally? Are the farmer and his laborers justly compensated? Are the animals treated well? Is the bulk of the profit from your consumption going to a corporate executive who maximizes his own profit at the expense of food safety, animal husbandry, and fair labor practices?

You cannot fix it all, nor can you do it alone. But every little bit helps. "Business as usual" is not helping We The People any more. It is time to reflect and choose differently.

My friend Laurie leads by example: She and her family hunt, raise rabbits and chickens, keeps bees and make their own mead and beer, and have an eye-popping yield of vegetables from a tiny yard. While not self-sustaining, they have certainly found ways to foster sustainability.

Huh. All that babble inspired by a simple photo of a handful of vegetables.

Two Cats and Two Dogs

2011-08-29T18:34:00.000-05:00

No deep thoughts here, just cute animal photos.

Nala is bored...

I'm hiding! No, it's not Nala...

So there! Hope that put a smile on your face.

Session Time

2011-08-28T19:50:00.000-05:00

As I type Reena is in the recording studio helping our talented friend Barry Callen lay down some tracks. He is a singer-songwriter with a fair bit of talent, and he is making things happen for himself.

Assisted by the mixing board talents of Caleb, Barry had already laid down some guitar and vocal tracks. Reena was to add in percussion layers and harmonizing vocals.

When I left things were going well, and I have no doubt the results will be fun and satisfying.

I absolutely love that my life is filled with such creative abundance! Creativity begets creativity and there appears to be no upper limit. Bliss!

First Performance Down - One to Go

2011-08-26T12:22:00.000-05:00

Last night's performance by Cycropia Aerial Dance at the Orton Park Festival went well, and the audience left satisfied. Since I was performing, I was not out taking photos of the show. I thought these portraits of some of the dancers were a nice post for today.

The final performance is tonight at 8:45. Arrive early, as we will have a huge audience with first come, first served seating. There are more photos from the dress rehearsal HERE as a slide show.

Dress Rehearsal Done - Big Show Tonight!

2011-08-25T10:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I spent all day in the park helping to set the stage for the Cycropia Aerial Dance troupe's performances at the Orton Park Festival. Immediately following a day of labor we had our dress rehearsal. All the lights that just went up, hours of pulling electrical and data cable, putting up the backdrops, changing tent, sound tent, and setting the sound system were put to the test. There were some sound glitches and lighting miscues as things were tried and sorted out. We get only one shot at getting it right before the show opens tonight.

But oh, is the audience in for a a fantastic show!

I have spoken before about the muscle that gets built as we train and rehearse, and the photo above is additional proof. What I have not told you is the equivalent amount of grace and athleticism that is also developed. We push ourselves hard as we rehearse and provide 'outside eyes' for each other to refine and improve our choreography. We observe the details and offer each other suggestions about hand position, direction of gaze, softening or tightening a line in the air and so on. And it shows.

The performance tonight is at 7:45 and is preceded by two hours of activities for kids including face painting, hula hoop instruction (adults too!), sidewalk chalk art, a 'baby dance' (by momma dancers with brand new little ones), and a parade. Come early and definitely bring the family. Friday's show is at 8:45 and follows music at the festival itself. Arrive early for better viewing! I assure you, blankets for reserving space are already on the ground.

This is a show you do NOT want to miss if you are in the Madison, WI, area. Really. The show is free, and we pass a hat to collect donations. Enjoy the show, and toss in a few bucks if you can. That is what makes doing the show possible. The performers, choreographers, costumers, makeup artists, house manager, stage manager, backstage manager, and almost all the other roles are not paid. Yet the budget for the show is thousands of dollars, funded in part by a grant from the Madison Arts Commission with additional funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board. Those sources are likely to dry up with our new governor's policies.

Here is a link to a SLIDE SHOW with shots from the dress rehearsal and the rigging and rehearsals from last weekend. The newest images are up front. See you at the tree!

Prepping for the Orton Park Festival Performance

2011-08-23T18:52:00.000-05:00

The dance company I am part of - Cycropia Aerial Dance - is putting on a big, fun show this week Thu-Fri at Madison's Orton Park Festival. We perform a fantastic show with all our aerial apparatus rigged in a sprawling Burr oak tree. Since we have to rig the tree in advance of the show so we can get a couple of rehearsals in the actual space, we also teach our class there so that new flyers can get a taste of what it is like to fly in the tree, and experienced flyers can show them the ropes, so to speak.

It is a jam packed weekend of rigging and site prep and rehearsals for every piece and transition act jammed into the daylight hours. Our dress rehearsal is Wednesday night, and the performances are Thu and Fri. The show is free and we play to a large (2,000+) audience, and we pass a hat (metaphorically) for donations, which are typically generous.

Aerial dance takes muscle and the bodies of the experienced dancers show it. There is no surprise that tank and racer-back tops are popular attire! We men-folk find ourselves in snug tee-shirts and sleeveless attire too. *grin* There is a LOT of work involved in those muscles and I see no reason not to show them off.

If you are in the Madison, WI, area this week, come and see a great show! Here is a link to a SLIDE SHOW with a large batch of photos from the class and a rehearsal.

Retrospective

2011-08-19T13:59:00.000-05:00

Here is something new, a retrospective of my just-for-fun work from the past year or so (2010-2011). The slide show is in no particular sequence. I live in Wisconsin, so a bunch of the images illustrate the months of peaceful protests at the state capitol.

Turn up the volume a little and enjoy!

Lost at Gibraltar

2011-08-16T19:12:00.001-05:00

The weather today was simply too beautiful to let pass. I hopped on the motorcycle and thought I would go check out a natural area that has been on my list. Alas, it is designated as a "research area" and explicit permission is required to be there. Another time, perhaps. However, since I was in the Baraboo, WI, area, there is no shortage of beautiful places to explore. Mostly I nosed around on tiny back roads seeing the sights. I ran across the Farm Of Another Color.

I must admit, I have never seen its like. Pressing on I decided to cross the Wisconsin River on the ferry at Merrimac. Once on the other side, I set my sights for Gibraltar Rocks, which I had not visited in years. My intent was to hit the cliff side from the road and photograph them from there. I goofed, and ended up at the entrance. So one long, steep climb later I had some pretty impressive vistas.

There are a few more in a SLIDE SHOW for your entertainment. Enjoy!

Gathering Their Bounty

2011-08-14T12:45:00.000-05:00

There is a lot of insect activity in my yard today. Everything seems like it is buzzing, hopping, or crawling.

This was the first large grasshopper I have seen this year. I wonder where they have been? I suppose partying, like in the story. The bees I have seen a lot of this year, for which I am grateful.

This last one looked like a wasp to me, but it could be that it is merely a variety of bee I am unfamiliar with. Perhaps one of my beekeeper friends will set me straight.

Regardless, here we are at just past mid-summer, first harvest has passed, and all creatures great and small are gathering their bounty. In my case, the squirrels are gathering our bounty just before things (like peppers) are actually ripe enough to harvest. Perhaps I will harvest squirrels?

Enjoyable Work Trip Without The Work

2011-08-11T10:42:00.000-05:00

I had set up a photo shoot with a woman who is very pregnant for last Monday. She lives in central Minnesota, and I live in southern Wisconsin, so we were hoping to find some place in the middle. She is about to have significant expense added to her life so I was trying hard to keep expenses down. My sister-in-law owns a very nice cabin on a tiny lake in north-west Wisconsin, a convenient half-way point, and she was willing to let us use it for an overnight. Alas, the woman's doctor advised her that perhaps a 2.5 hour road trip (each way) four days before her due date was not the best choice. So the work part of the overnight was cancelled. However, my lovely wife and I still had the time, so we went up and had a really nice mini-vacation.

Chillaxin' on the Deck

Among other things, we took the paddle boat out and explored the lake. There is a tiny stream that connects the lake with the next one over. It is often dry, but this year there was sufficient water to get to the other lake too. We spent an hour or more splishing around at really slow speeds seeing the sights.

A Neighbor's Boat

Clouds had been coming and going all morning so we kept a weather eye out for rain. Eventually, of course, it came upon us when we were on the other lake. We got a little wet, and it did not dampen our enjoyment of the outing.

Water Lilies Under Threatening Sky

It would have been nice to actually have a relaxing stay and earn some money, but the time spent was greatly enjoyed.

Hey! There's something in there!

2011-08-04T15:54:00.000-05:00

I was heading out to the market. I had dropped a couple of bags on the floor near the front door and went to put on my shoes. Walking back to the dimly lit entryway I bent over to pick up the bags and Hey! There was something in there!

Nala had other uses in mind for the bags, apparently.

We have had her for a year, and she has never demonstrated a proclivity to hiding in bags, so it caught me off guard. Never one to miss a photo op, I popped off this pic and while writing this she got bored and evacuated the bag.

Off to the market!

A Bit More Backyard Beauty

2011-08-03T18:05:00.000-05:00

Just a few shots of some beauty in my back yard. No words needed.

Thank you for stopping by! Tarry a while.

Mr. Big Top (assistant)

2011-08-01T17:54:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it is hard to keep the cool-meter pegged. Other times the ol' cooliometer is bouncing at the top of the rev range. This summer has certainly been filled with awesomeness. Today I got to help erect a big circus tent.

It is a job that requires a lot of bodies and only a couple of brains, so I was perfect as an assistant. The roof gets laid out first. Then the tie-down points are noted and anchor stakes driven in. Next we moved the center poles into roughly correct locations. The side poles are put in place and partially erected; put at an angle to keep them standing but not under tension. The side guy wires are loosely fitted. Then, the center poles go up.

Once the center poles were in place, the center rig - in this case for a Spanish web - could go up and get secured. Then the side panels were installed and tied up.

Center rig point for the Spanish web

And finally, someone had to go up top to put the flags in place. I quickly volunteered and put one of them up.

Yep, cool stuff abounds.

Mutual of Omaha's: Wild Kingdom

2011-07-29T15:46:00.000-05:00

IT's tense in the wilderness today as we witness the attempt by Nala, fierce huntress of the Natageti, to take down her prey, the elusive gray squirrel. I watch from the lawn chair while my assistant risks life and limb to get in close.

Nala has already made her first stealthy attack on the squirrel by the time we get the cameras rolling. A near miss has left the hunter frustrated, and separated by a gap too large to make another charge. Plus, the squirrel has used its natural climbing advantage to seek the high ground. At this point, the squirrel does not seem to concerned about the near miss.

Our hunter remains in stalking mode for some time, before finally settling down for a longer vigil.

Ever diligent, she knows that sooner or later she will get her squirrel.

Tune in next week as we present the bizarre mating rituals of the Tanzanian Sheep Monkeybat, on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom!

In the Footsteps of Robert

2011-07-28T12:34:00.001-05:00

Every once in a while I take a photo that makes me a bit giddy. A friend needed some photos to assist with his application to an interesting new job. To that end, I was photographing him in various pedestrian activities. At the moment of this photo I was lounging in a beach chair and he was walking to the water for a dip. I asked him to pause for a moment, and shot this:

Not everything about it is perfect, of course. If I had had an assistant with a nice white reflector I could have had his eyes less shadowed. Nevertheless I knew that I had made a good capture the moment I tripped the shutter. I mused about this three years ago on this blog; that moment of knowing.

At the instant I took the photograph I flashed on a particular image by Robert Mapplethorpe and wondered how mine would stack up against it. You tell me.

"Self Portrat" by Robert Mapplethorpe

Mapplethorpe has been hugely influential on my work. As a teenager his photo essay of bodybuilder Lisa Lyon was indelibly stamped in my brain.

Hmmm, perhaps I should do a post of my images that are *clearly* influenced by his work. Interesting...

Performing at the Milwaukee Art Museum

2011-07-26T11:50:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I get to play in the coolest places! Yesterday I was able to indulge myself both as a photographer and a member of Cycropia Aerial Dance troupe. The troupe was hired to perform at a corporate party of a large insurance corporation, and it was quite clear they had an ample budget. The venue was none other than the Milwaukee Art Museum, located on the shore of Lake Michigan. While I did not have time to prowl the grounds, I was able to take a few good external pics.

The tent in the foreground was part of the venue for the event and is normally not there. There were at least four huge air conditioners running through 15" flexible hose to cool the tent in the 87 degree (F) heat.

Part of our performance was in the main hall where dinner was served. That meant that we got to play on some of the most expensive playground equipment ever!

The main portion of our performance was in the tent which was used for the initial meet-and-greet and while the guests were dining it was converted into a lounge. Amazing, really. To hang our aerial apparatus we had a 10-11 foot high freestanding superstructure. We hung two lyra (basically steel hula hoops) and a low single-point trapeze. Our first stint was to provide stately eye candy. The final part, after dinner, was to jump start the dance party.

We had a ball. It was an intense physical workout. I cannot speak for the others, but I am quite aware this morning that I used my body hard last night! We seemed to wow the crowd, and more than one person asked if we were Cirque du Soleil (which felt pretty good).

There are more great photos in a SLIDE SHOW for your viewing pleasure.

The next performance for Cycropia is the Orton Park Festival. Our show is an amazing outdoor performance with our various apparatus hung in the sprawling branches of a venerable oak tree. Seeing the troupe perform there in 2005 made my jaw drop, and I set my goal then and there that I was going to fly with them. I suggest you catch it if you can.

Promotional Offer

2011-07-25T09:14:00.000-05:00

I am including a free promotional tee shirt with photo shoots (while supplies last). A portrait shoot from Nataraj at eyeDance will capture the real you, from mild to Wild! You can check out my work at eyeDance Photography. Get 'em while they're hot.

It is a great time to capture that nicely tanned bod...

Vita brevis nudus pars.

2011-07-23T16:08:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I am fortunate enough to have a client who is willing to have her photos shown to a wider audience. I always provide a mechanism for the client to protect her (or his) images. After all, some of them are teachers or in other sensitive careers where a revealing photograph could jeopardize them. In some cases I can show my work in my portfolio to a prospective client as long as no copies are made, and in other cases I am restricted to sharing only images with no identifying features such as a face or distinctive tattoo. I understand completely, and honor those requests. This beautiful woman was willing to allow her images to be shared.

This falls into a classification of photos I call "boudoir", or bedroom, photos which are most likely hung in a more private place in the home where not just everyone will see it. Many of my clients are women who choose just such portraits to celebrate their beauty - immortalizing it forever. Such women are not all model-beautiful (which I think is a ridiculous concept) and yet each and every one of them, having chosen to celebrate herself and her body, shines forth with a radiance that can only come from within. Age, scars, and gray hairs are honest indicators of life lived. Such women (and the occasional man) pay honor to the path that has brought them to this moment.

For a larger sampling of this sort of work, please visit the boudoir page of my business site. This is a style of portrait I love to take. It is such a revealing process for the client and I delight in the sheer joy that results from taking the plunge to do this. Not one has regretted her decision to have intimate portraits done, and many have gone further to recommend me and eyeDance Studio to friends. I also have work not displayed elsewhere at DeviantArt and I highly recommend you take a look there. A (free) membership is required to see my restricted images, and I encourage you to take the few minutes to become a member. There is a lot of good art - much more than just photographs - to be found.

Rested and Red

2011-07-21T16:56:00.000-05:00

I spent a few days this past week on a retreat with other members of a dance troupe I belong to. It is mostly vacation time; we do not really discuss the business of the troupe or upcoming performances. Sure, those things come up, but generally the goal is to hang out and get to know each other. Of thirteen members, four of us are new, added just a bit over a year ago, and two others were added just three years ago. In a company where longevity and an almost tribal sense of community was commonplace, this represents a very rapid shift and we really needed the time to bond.

The retreat was at a nearby rustic location - a cabin on a big river. We had the run of the place for a week, and members were free to come and go as needed. Some had jobs that they needed to go to on specific days, or classes they needed to teach, or family obligations to attend. In general, we had a pretty good bunch most of time and it was easy to relax and get to know each other better.

It helps that the site was phenomenally beautiful, as was the weather (despite it being in the mid-90's (F) and humid for several days.

Among other things that happened during the week to deepen our camaraderie was an opportunity to use henna on our hair. Last year I plopped down in the chair and had red henna applied and the results were, well, vibrantly red. The color lasted all year and as a result I had several inches of dark blond (salted with gray now) that needed to be addressed.

With a bunch of help from the good folks at Community Pharmacy who sell henna in bulk, we crafted a plan to even out my hair. The results are pretty good: My hair is again pretty uniformly red, and in a color possibly found in nature. Thanks RB, for the quality application!

I feel pretty rested and ready to hit rehearsals again, starting tonight. Our next aerial dance show is August 25-26 at the Orton Park Festival here in Madison, WI. If you are in the area, do not miss it!

Another Day Longer, Another Day Stronger

2011-07-14T09:23:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday we had Day 149 of peaceful protest against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and his thuggish cronies. This particular rally was against recently, and contentiously-elected supreme court justice David Prosser who has been in the news recently, again, this time for allegedly putting a choke hold on a fellow justice. I know, classy, right?

The rallies are certainly one way that democracy manifests itself, especially when a significant part of the electorate feels like the administration is exhibiting overreach or bad policy. To answer Walker's supporters, no, democracy does not end at the ballot box. When MillerCoors (a wholly owned subsidiary of South African Brewing corporation) sends in a team to write legislation that is favorable to them and quashes craft brewers you call it "lobbying". When a thousand, or fifty thousand Wisconsin citizens demonstrate their disapproval of legislation that eviscerates school budgets and middle class jobs, you call it "whining".

But as it turns out, on Tuesday we also had elections in seven key districts around the state. Here in Madison, the 48th Assembly district held a special election to fill the seat vacated by Joe Parisi. As you can see on the ballot above, there was a field of six Democrats competing for the seat, and not a single Republican. I assure you, no Republican would have won that seat. (Chris Taylor did.) Elsewhere in the state there were six elections where Republicans who sided with Gov. Walker on the legislation that sparked all the protests (adequately covered in previous posts) have been targeted for recall. In a bit of ugly politics, the Republicans fielded "fake" Democrats to muddy the election (boo! hiss!) but truth wins out, and in all six districts the real Democrat candidates won the day. Final elections will be held in a month, and if the Democrat candidates carry the elections the balance of power shifts. Currently the Republicans control all three branches of the state government which has allowed them unfettered power. A tilt in the Senate will at least slow them down. It will also send a strong message that no, Governor, We The People do not appreciate the direction you took and we will now peacefully fix what we broke. The governor himself is likely to be the target of a recall election as soon as he is eligible (early November).

As local pol Mark Pocan said, so far they have not done anything we cannot undo. Right on. This is what democracy looks like.

Here is a SLIDE SHOW with photos going back 149 days to the start of the protests. The most recent images are up front.

Le Fete de Marquette

2011-07-10T11:15:00.000-05:00

I finally made it last night to the second of Madison's great music festivals, la Fete de Marquette. This festival, near Bastille Day, is a Francophile musical celebration. The first band I heard was Maraca, from Cuba/Paris. In short order they drove me crazy. The music was a lot like Soukous or kwassa kwassa, and the repetitiveness of it grates on me after about 20 minutes (or half their stage time). No worries, it drove me to wander and take photographs.

It is a large, free festival and there is a lot to see if people-watching is your idea of entertainment. For a brief while it seemed like it was going to rain and spoil the evening, but as the sun set it became obvious that it was going to clear up. It also made for a dynamite sunset!

As the last light was in the sky, I went back over to the 1930's vintage Ferris Wheel and took a few more shots. This one has a little bit of flash added to pop the color a bit.

The two prior nights had both been late - well after midnight - so I faded fast and departed before the final act finished playing. It was a fun night and I was glad to be there and see a lot of friends. And strangely enough, I did not even have a beer (but I did have ice cream).

Ahh, summer!

My Walk To The Library

2011-07-06T16:55:00.001-05:00

I took a stroll over to the library today. For a lark I took my D40 with the Sigma 30 MM prime on it. It has been a while since I shot with the D40 and it was time for a refresher (since it is my backup body).

With a new-again camera in my hands, I tried to look at the very familiar route with new eyes. I took photos I would otherwise have ignored and had fun doing it. And, for a lark, I thought I would try presenting the images differently here.

- - - - -

Part of the fun of the Sigma 30 is that it has a max aperture of f/1.4 so I can do some crazy short depth of field things. In fact, I shot both of the above images at f/1.4 and realized that the DOF was too short and the background went too far out of focus. The two above were taken at f/3.2 (trailer) and f/2.8 (cart and fence). The self pic below is f/4 and the Harley is at f/1.6. In all cases the shutter speeds were very high, around 1/2000th, at ISO 200.

- - - - - - - - - -- - -

That is sort of the opposite of what I have been doing lately. For the past few weeks I have been playing around with tiny apertures (f/29 and up), super low ISO (100) and loooong shutter speeds (like 1 second or more). Often I have been piling on a neutral density (ND4) and circular polarizing filter to further restrict the light. It is all good, informative tomfoolery that teaches me my trade.

- - - - -

I frequent the library because I can draw from 51 libraries in South-Central Wisconsin. The odds of finding what I am looking for are pretty high. Today's trip was because a requested item - "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott Heron - was in. While I was there I picked up a couple of DVDs to watch and looked at some books. Who in their right mind would NOT use the library?

These and a few other photos from my walk are available as a SLIDE SHOW in large format. Enjoy!

Somebody Knows How To Beat The Heat

2011-07-05T14:20:00.000-05:00

It is plain to me that my cat Nala knows how to beat the heat!

She looks pretty smug, does she not? She has proven herself to us - she will not leave the fenced in back yard - so she is outside for the better part of each day. In the heat of the day she is under cover, enjoying the cool dirt and shade.

Since the next thing I am going to do in the yard is mow the grass, a hot and sweaty task, I think she just might be smarter than me!

Today in the Garden

2011-07-03T18:52:00.000-05:00

No words really, just a few shots of the beauty going on in my yard today.

Daylily

Stella D'Oro Lily

Bee on the Milkweed

And a little edible rainbow!

The Strangest Vehicle Ever

2011-07-03T09:23:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I just never know what I will see near my house.

I was riding in a friend's car to go to a rummage sale when we spotted this.

The strangest vehicle ever: The Wienermobile!

First created in 1936, the Wienermobiles are rolling advertisements for Oscar Mayer hot dogs. There are currently five of them, and as Oscar Mayer used to be headquartered here, and there is still a large presence of the company (now a Kraft subsidiary) Wienermobiles are spotted here often enough to be well known. Numerous motorists stopped and gawked though, so it still clearly has a high novelty value.

The drivers are known as "hotdoggers". Perhaps a telling tidbit: U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) was employed as a hotdogger.

The license plate on this vehicle, IWSHIWR is a reference to the Oscar Mayer hot dog jingle.

"Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener.
That is what I'd truly like to be.
'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener,
Everyone would be in love with me!"

Now you know.

Love Affair

2011-07-01T10:28:00.000-05:00

I'm in an ongoing love affair. I admit it. It has been going on for almost eight years now. I sneak off with her at every opportunity and ride her like, well, like a motorcycle!

Even when I am not riding it (I do not really think of it with a gender...) or looking at it, I am thinking about riding or looking at it. In short, it is the most fun motorcycle I have ever owned (and last time I counted I have owned 14). The bike is an MZ Baghira. MZ is a storied brand that no longer does business in America because the current owners are/were insane. I believe that the brand is now totally defunct.

This bike was designed as an off/on-road motorcycle similar in concept to BMW's F650. In Europe (where this bike was built) there has been a fad to take off-road motorcycles and put street wheels and street tires on them, a sub-class referred to alternately as supermotard or street moto (the link cracked me up, and I was keenly disappointed that my Baghira was not in the list!). I used mine that way, as a hooligan bike for a while but discovered that the large single-cylinder engine worked pretty well for distance too. Over time I made changes to it to improve overall ride-ability until it became clear that I had crafted a pretty darned good "urban bagger" (a motorcycle with dedicated hard luggage bags). I had a seat built to enhance comfort, swapped hand grips, added some specifically designed edging on the vestigial fairing to break up the wind (which works amazingly well), and of course, added Givi hard luggage. I also had engine work done that boosted horsepower 20 percent and torque almost as much. Now I have a bike that is superbly practical for a wide variety of uses and is a blast to ride. The potholes and generally crappy street conditions do not phase this bike one bit as the off-road suspension just absorbs it all. The only down side is a tiny 13 liter gas tank that only lets me get around 115 miles before switching to reserve and needing to hunt for a gas station. I have done long trips on it, the longest of which was 3,400+ miles around all five Great Lakes.

I am pretty sure I will own this bike until it is used up. Waa-hoo!

Gamelan Performance Ritual

2011-06-29T18:38:00.000-05:00

I recently had an opportunity to witness/participate in (and photograph) a performance ritual built as a visual story upon an Indonesian gamelan. It was an ambitious undertaking, constructed with volunteers in just a few hours with no opportunity for a full rehearsal and performed in an open air pavilion.

The story - performed as ritual for a neo-Pagan audiance - centered around the Goddess Hecate, and her tempestuous encounters with Baron Samedi and Rangda. The storyline of this diaspora pantheon was not always clear, but the symbolism employed throughout certainly created a mood of the Divine's relationship to human life and death.

The nearly two-hour story was enhanced by a bevy of dancers who filled multiple roles; as entertainers and attendants to Hecate. Instrumentation strayed from traditional Indonesian gamelan to include doumbek and other hand drums such as a riqq or tar (I could not identify them properly).

As mentioned, the symbols of death and the underworld were present throughout. As the ritual/performance drew to a close, the audience/congregation was encouraged to approach and receive a personal benediction from Hecate. Many chose to do so. All in all an interesting ritual experience. There are more photos in this SLIDE SHOW.

With Rain You Get Rainbows. And mud.

2011-06-27T17:34:00.000-05:00

I was gone last week, and even though there was Internet access, I chose not to avail myself of it. For me this was a working vacation: I was vending my service as a portrait photographer at a festival. The week worked out pretty well, and I even made a little bit of money after covering all my expenses. I might have done a little better, but there were ... issues.

First off, it rained. A lot. The first night of the festival we got approximately six inches of rain. That is pretty noticeable when people are camping! The rain created mud. And puddles. And mosquitoes in abundance.

But when there is rain (and it rained every day until the last day, dangit) there are frequently rainbows, and in this case a rainbow with a very unusual sky.

And it is also true that rainbows come in a variety of forms! This double rainbow was very entertaining.

Without the rain, chilly temperatures, mud, and mosquitoes I would have had a very successful week. I also learned a lot about the back end equipment I need, and so a laptop that is not ten years old will have to be acquired before I do more festivals where I have to deliver product on-site. The one I was using was just too slow for what I was asking of it. When it was a hot, new model, digital photos were in the 1.5-3 meg range. Mine are all running around 6-10 megabytes, and I shot 1,200 of them. Tasks that might take 3 minutes at home were taking 10-15 minutes, and simply rotating an image was over 5 seconds. Over the next weeks or months I will be keeping my eye out for a good used laptop in the 2-4 year old range. A Mac would be fabulous, but I'm not fussy and I am feeling frugal.

No One Speaks For Us

2011-06-15T10:29:00.000-05:00

"Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." ~ Will Rogers

Part of my life of success (at least moderate success) is that I assess my current state periodically and wonder if I am doing all I should be. This is especially true as I struggle with being self employed during a singularly awful economic recession and while our current Governor is taking radical steps to dismantle the middle class at a local level. Those people are my potential clients. When they are taking significant pay cuts, mandatory furlough days, and having their very job yanked out from under them, they get scared and do not spend money on non-essential items or services. What I face - at the big picture level - is a government (in this case, exclusively Republican driven and backed by massive amounts of cash and influence from the very rich and the largest corporations) that is bent on slashing services and wages for the lower end of the earning curve and throwing money and tax breaks at the largest corporations and wealthiest citizens. This is not a surprise as the business portion of our legislation is bought and paid for by the large corporations, fronted by Wisconsin Manufacturing and Commerce. Our government thinks WMC speaks for all business. It does not. But what can I do about it?

What Wisconsin, and the nation at large, needs is an organization made up of small business owners to represent us at the state and national level. A group that consists of the tens of thousands (state) or millions (national) of sole proprietors like me as well as those hard working folks who operate a Limited Liability Corporation, own a couple of restaurants or taverns, have a cleaning or home-repair business and employ a few dozen people. No one speaks for us.

We need it badly. And we need it soon. If you agree, then share this thought widely. It will only work as a grass roots initiative created and operated from the bottom up. It needs a clear message that can be easily shared. Something like, "When the middle class thrives, my business thrives and America thrives."

"...and to the Plutacracy for which it stands"

2011-06-14T19:34:00.000-05:00

"I pledge allegiance to the logo of the Corporate States of America, and to the plutocracy for which it stands, one nation under surveillance, incorporated, with literal injustice for oil." ~ Jim Hightower

Wisconsin's legislature met to day in an "extraordinary session", which near as I can tell is an almost-never used format to pass emergency legislation such as stripping state workers of collective bargaining rights with little interference from the pesky opposition (or the damned nuisance public). Tomorrow will reveal the bastardy to which we have been subjected, but I am confident that it will not be pretty.

About the only good I see coming out of this is an entire generation of activists is being raised.

Of course, how they will get an education as the Republicans gut funding for all levels of education is not readily apparent. It will take a decade to undo all that this administration is doing in weeks. What stuns me is the lock-step manner the other Republican Legislators are marching along. Do they really all think this is a great plan for Wisconsin? What's in that Tea?

Summer Kicks Off with the Waterfront Festival

2011-06-14T07:52:00.000-05:00

I do not often have posts with pictures of children because I do not often take photos of children. Adults in public I consider fair game to be photographed (as does the law) but I generally refrain from shooting children unless the parent(s) are right there to observe. This past weekend was the first of four public music festivals, and being on the East Side was totally kid-friendly and well attended by hoards of happy children.

The venue is a waterfront park that is long and narrow. It is bounded on one long edge by Lake Monona and a quiet road on the other. There is a large playground area that is sort of fenced off (more of a visual barrier than an actual physical one) for the festival so the kids are somewhat contained in their play.

I love kid energy, and found myself drawn over and over to the play area. It was so much fun to see scores of kids playing and watch all the happy faces, and the occasional tearful one.

There were hundreds of adults there too, listening to free music, drinking beer, and eating a wide array of foods from local restaurants. Perhaps a dozen vendors had booths set up selling wears that seemed appropriate for the expected audience. There was also a busy booth collecting signatures (pledges only at this time) to recall our amazingly radical Governor. Here is a shot of the venue. Way at the opposite end you can see the large stage for the bands.

Once the weather cooperated on Sunday afternoon, the festival really became a fun event, and I saw a lot of people enjoying the day. Summer is officially kicked off!

There is a small SLIDE SHOW with all the images from the day. Enjoy!

Spring Winds Down, and I'm Ready For Summer

2011-06-12T08:48:00.001-05:00

All the wet, cool weather has not completely hampered some amazing things in my backyard! First, the hail seems to have missed destroying this lovely glass sculpture that decorates the yard.

And our short-lived blast of hot weather allowed the veggies to actually, you know, grow as though it were late spring and just a few days shy of summer! Here are the first of the cherry tomatoes.

Along with the tomatoes are the peppers. Mmmm!

And finally, it has been a while since I posted a gratuitous cat shot, so here is one more of the lovely Nala.

I bid a warm welcome to Summer!

You Can't See Me!

2011-06-11T21:49:00.000-05:00

It somehow seems appropriate that since my previous post was about bright color in unusual places, this one should - serendipitously - Be about camouflage. Today while helping my sister do some strenuous yard work, we spotted this well hidden moth:

A neighbor moved it to a location of dark brown mulch and it was clearly agitated. When I moved it back to the tree, it immediately settled down and remained in or near the same location for the next hour. Even from the side it was not easy to see.

Nature doing it's best to keep the moth alive.

The Color of Construction

2011-06-09T17:36:00.000-05:00

Every so often I encounter something that makes me stop abruptly and dig out my camera. Often I do not end up using those photos for anything in particular, it was just something that caught my eye and I wanted to capture it. This is one of those.

There is construction going on everywhere in the city. A number of major routes, or more to the point, my routes are undergoing reconstruction. It is a pain to get many places I go to routinely. There are also heavy trucks and earth movers everywhere, and piles of the bits and pieces that one normally does not see because they are underground. This pile of tunnel access covers and grates - already bright orange with a coating of rust - are brand new and awaiting installation. The intensity of the rust drew my attention, and the lines made me want to take the photo.

One Day Longer, One Day Stronger

2011-06-07T08:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was something like Day 115 of the People's Protest against Wisconsin Governor (temporarily) Scott Walker and pretty much everything he stands for. A recent poll shows that among Democrats he has a favorable rating of just 8%, yet among Republicans in the state his approval rating is 87%. Polarizing much? I am curious to see how that 87% feels about him when his proposed slashes to the school budgets begins to directly affect their children or grand children.

Here is a photo from yesterday's rally, with two fellows holding a sign I think will become quite popular.

And here is a photo taken on February 15th, the day after protests really started to pick up steam. At this point Walker had been in office approximately 30 days, and had already managed to polarize the state.

For four months We The People have had to keep rallying and marching and suing and remaining vigilant against the Machiavellian actions of this Governor. In about a month there will be recall elections affecting six Republican senators and three Democrat senators. It is possible that the balance of power will shift - slightly - so that the Governor does not have such a free hand to pass legislation that directly affects those in the state who are least able to care for themselves and rewards the wealthiest. And then in November there may well be a recall election for the Governor himself. Of course, those recall elections require the Governor and his toadies at the Department of Administration to actually make those elections happen. Such a glaring conflict of interest!

We are not done fighting. As I heard a speaker say a few days ago, "Democracy does not stop once you have cast your vote on election day." To those Tea Party Republicans who shout, "You lost! Get over it!", I reply,

Never.

You can see all my photos from the protests is this SLIDE SHOW. The most recent are up front.

Al Khemia Plays Ride The Drive

2011-06-05T19:43:00.000-05:00

Madison held the annual "Ride The Drive" event today. Several main roads are closed to auto/truck traffic and only human powered vehicles are allowed. As a way to keep the event fun-filled, there are about a dozen local bands who perform at a couple of locations.

The band with which my wife plays - Al Khemia - was one such band, and they performed in the tunnel under the Monona Terrace Convention Center. They perform classic Arabic music from all over the Middle East, and today they had guest dancers with them.

Mostly the dancers improvised, and did it pretty well. The band seemed popular to the passers-by, and at one point more than 40 people had gathered. People came and went as the spirit moved them, so few were there for any length of time. They played for an hour, and there was a steady stream of mostly bicyclists passing, so many people were at least treated to a moment of their music and dance.

In all, those who listened were pretty well entertained. I know that I was.
Here is a link to a small SLIDE SHOW of more photos.

Get Down! Get Funky!

2011-06-04T19:41:00.000-05:00

It is all about perspective (well, and light...). I was shooting at cars today and have some perspective to share as a way to compare and contrast. This is a decent enough shot:

The only problem is it lacks punch. Compare it with this one:

Now we are talking! Here is another pair using the same variation:

and...

One of the best guidelines for photographers is to change your perspective. It is essential with kids and pets, but amazing things happen with other subjects too. I will leave you with one more that I thought worked really well:

Fun!

Travels With My Sister

2011-06-04T16:51:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I spent again with my sister the sister. We traveled north from Madison to Durward's Glen, a favorite picnic spot for our family many years ago. It hold special memories for some of us siblings.

It is a small but interesting slot canyon carved by the action of a creek. At times, with sufficient rainfall, the creek becomes not at all gentle but rather a raging destructive force.

From there, after a quick lunch break, we hopped over to Pewit's Nest, another Wisconsin natural area. Often during the week there is no one there, but yesterday there were a number of young adults and kids, some of whom entertained us by climbing the chasm walls and leaping into the only pool of water deep enough for such activity.

Making the Leap

I was a bit jealous and wished to join them, but I was not dressed for remaining wet for the rest of the day. Another time, though, I will do so.

Wingra Spring

2011-06-03T08:28:00.000-05:00

My sister the sister (she is a nun) is visiting, so I am spending a few days taking her to interesting places. Yesterday we were at the Arboretum hoping to catch the lilacs in bloom, but they were already done. For the most part it was pretty much looking at plants not in bloom. There were a few, like this rhododendron.

We found the most delight when we walked down to the spring. She got to imagine people getting married there, and I snapped a photo of us to share with the rest of the family. You get to see just the spring.

For the above shot I once again added both the circular polarizing and neutral density (ND4) filters and used the lowest possible ISO and highest (smallest) possible aperture so that I could get longer shutter speeds. In this case the shutter was open for 2.5 seconds. This photo was the 29,767th I have taken with this camera (in approximately a year and a half).

The Mysteriousness of My Back Yard

2011-05-31T21:59:00.001-05:00

I have been playing around a lot recently with longer shutter speeds. Tonight I found myself arriving home at twilight, and the cat *really* wanted to go outside for a while (she does not get to prowl unsupervised). So it was a win-win for us both. She got go out and hang around with me, and I got to try some low, low light shots with loooong shutters. I only took four or five shots, and the results were not great, but I admit to being inspired to try some more another time.

View it LARGE

The details are as follows:
- It was too dark to auto-focus, so I guestimated the distance
- ISO 640. I was hoping for 100, but could not make it work without going to 'bulb' with the shutter.
- Shutter was 30 seconds. To use 'bulb' I need to use the remote trigger (which is at the studio). I expect that will happen soon!
- Aperture was f/4.
- I wanted the waterfall to really pop, so I hit it with an LED flashlight for approximately 4 seconds. It made things pretty blue, so I adjusted the tone just a bit. Some blue was what I wanted. It also had a wider field than I wanted, but it was what I had on hand. A paper towel roll will make an effective snoot for it.

I am thinking that I would like to try this same shot with a single small candle tucked behind the waterfall. Perhaps I would also 'paint' the surrounding foliage with light for 2-3 seconds to bring them out a bit.

Tonight was fun!

Afternoon (de)light!

2011-05-30T19:05:00.000-05:00

A little afternoon (de)light!

There are more delicious spring photographs in a SLIDE SHOW for your entertainment. The most recent shots are up front.

Concept Study

2011-05-26T09:43:00.000-05:00

I accepted an invitation to submit artwork to a successful author who is finishing a novel that might be first in a series. He invited hungry artists to create a vision of his main character and he will select one of the images to forward to the publisher along with the manuscript. There is no promise of fame or fortune, just an opportunity for a creative project and some possible exposure. For me this would be much more than simple photography, but rather photo-illustration, something I do not do a lot of. Since it sounded like fun, I bit. I have two models lined up for the base photo shoot, and am creating props and experimenting with Photoshop to get the effects I want.

Here is a first, quick concept image. A photo sketch if you will.

Knife Hand Sketch

It's not great, but it is directionally correct, and I am confident that I am aiming in the right direction and that I have the skills to pull something off to submit. In the meantime all my creative juices are flowing so regardless of the outcome, I already am having fun. And that is the most important part.

Choices

2011-05-25T18:04:00.000-05:00

I am often asked why I chose to release a given photo in B&W versus color. While it is true that I have no ready analytical answer, there is seldom any hesitation on my part when I do so. Some photographs just seem to tell their story better in B&W. I suspect it has to do with giving the brain a bit of a hiccup: Hey, no color! In our super-saturated world, the absence of color becomes provocative.

Here is a photo of a rusty derelict truck. It is a pretty cool photo in color, and it works well.

Here is the same photo rendered in B&W.

All the story telling points are still instantly recognizable; the truck is junk, it is rusty and dilapidated. However, I think the antiquity of the truck and the sense of age is better conveyed in the colorless image. [Note: I did add a bit of edge blur in the B&W image that is not present in the color version.]

You are free to disagree with me, of course, and if you do I would love to hear your reasons.

The Incredible Lushness of Spring

2011-05-24T12:09:00.000-05:00

The lushness of my back yard is astonishing. In a mere week or so it went from popping up, to saturated. The greenness of it is delicious.

This is the little pond I created nearly ten years ago. Spring is an unpleasant time to deal with it because it is under the canopy of the neighbor's huge silver maple, so it fills up with leaves, sticks, etcetera, which conspire to clog the pump. There is nothing for it except to drain it (pump it out) and muck it out. This year I let it go a couple of weeks longer than I should have, and there were thousands of mosquito larvae in it. Blech! Rather than pumping it into the garden as I normally do (nutrient rich water!), this time I pumped it to the street gutter and figured the larvae would be killed as the water dissipated. Now it is filled with clean water and the pump is running to keep it aerated. Next step is to buy a fish and let it keep the insects down. Nothing as fancy as a koi or even a goldfish though. Likely just a minnow from a bait shop. By fall the crows will get it!

I share this one simply because I love the array of textures as well as the colors. That bleeding heart is going to have to fight it out with the Regal Blue hosta one day soon.

The bleeding hearts are done blooming. Now the bearded iris are in full bloom, and the Japanese iris are a few days from full bloom. There is one open to lead the charge.

To Forevertron, and Beyond!

2011-05-23T19:29:00.000-05:00

Last week I tried to go photograph the sculpture garden of Dr. Evermore midway between Sauk City and Baraboo, Wisconsin. I made the trip well enough but when I arrived I realized I had no data card in my camera. Oh the shame! It's an 85-mile round trip, so it takes some time to do this. Today I set out again upon my trusty steed, Ferrouche, and captured some small portion of the Doctor's sculptural genius.

View it LARGE

The above image is just a portion of the massive "Forevertron". It is a challenge to get a shot of all of it, and I did try, but it doesn't really do it justice. If you want to see it in its entirety, I recommend you visit it in person.

I had hoped to dine at the Epicurean, but alas it was not open. I am joking. The Epicurean, while a functional grill, has been out of service for ages. It sure makes for a good photograph though.

There are hundreds of sculptural beasts scattered around the garden. Many are for sale, and not inexpensive. I posted a photo a while back of a LARGE sculpture of Evermore's on Paterson Street in Madison, WI. This guy is maybe 7' tall.

I hope you enjoyed these. There are a few more in a SLIDE SHOW if you would like to see more.

Mostly A State Of Mind

2011-05-21T13:57:00.000-05:00

I sought Shangri-La -
and found it (true!) quite close by,
Unexpectedly.

ISO 100, f/13, Shutter .8 seconds - hand held!

Exotic travels
are mostly a state of mind.
What is it you seek?

Flowers such as these
are not found in my backyard.
Great is my delight!

In walking distance
of my familiar garden,
Tropical Delights!

Where can I discover tomorrow?

Pastels

2011-05-20T12:42:00.000-05:00

Morning light can be so pretty!

Bleeding Heart

Diffuse Light Just Laying Around Waiting To Be Noticed

2011-05-18T12:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the sky was cerulean blue with rare, wispy clouds. Today we have dense overcast clouds and ongoing mist. Either one makes for fantastic photos!

Bearded Iris

Flowering Tree

Siberian Iris Nearing Bloom

All that nice, diffuse light just laying around waiting to be noticed! I might have to get out to the Arboretum for a bit this afternoon...

Waiting For The Fair To Open

2011-05-17T17:05:00.000-05:00

There is a small fair being set up at the local shopping mall. I got a photo of the Ferris wheel a couple of days ago as a storm was blowing in, all dark and moody. Today the sun was blazing and I had my circular polarizing filter with me so I stopped for more shots.

The colors were a'poppin' today!

Some shots just seemed to need a quieter touch, so B&W was the way to go. It feels more like a timeless photograph this way.

There are a few more in a SLIDE SHOW so you can view them in larger yumminess.

Wisconsin Keeps Up The Fight

2011-05-15T11:22:00.000-05:00

Another weekend in Wisconsin under the damping effect of Governor Walker and his cronies calls for ... right! Another rally. We really need to fix this governor. He is morally broken. I have not seen any numbers for this rally yet, but I am estimating the crowd at about 3,500. I am aware that buses came in from Milwaukee, Green Bay, Eau Claire, La Crosse, and a number of other Wisconsin cities (though I am certain that Fox "news" will say they were union thugs bused in from out of state, cleverly using Wisconsin school buses).

Despite substantial evidence to the contrary, the Current Occupant of the Governor's office still insists his draconian budget which slashes funding for public schools, Badgercare, and other social safety net agencies, drastically weakens unions, and eliminates the rights of public workers to negotiate for anything other than salary, is about creating jobs and "fixing the budget". Oh really?

The pay of Wisconsin's top corporate executives rose an average of 27% in 2010, a year when unemployment hovered around 8% and pay to the average worker in the state fell.

and,

So the average Wisconsin public company CEO made about 100 times more than the typical working person in 2010. Nationally, the differential is about twice that big.

Is it any wonder that Wisconsinite are angry and continuing to take to the streets? Not that it matters to the Current Occupant. He is in his own little self-righteous bubble, convinced that he is the Savior of Wisconsin. Fortunately, the grass-roots effort to recall eight Republican Senators (and eventually the Current Occupant) is well under way and the Senate Republicans have started to realize what a hornet's nest of voter anger has been stirred up.

At yesterday's rally I had the privilege of brokering an interview between a visiting Swedish business journalist and local activists Ben and Sarah Manski. As long as the word keeps getting out, this fight is not over.

There are a dozen or so additional photos here in a SLIDE SHOW. The photos go all the way back to Feb. 15th, but the newest images are up front.

Like Gumballs in the Sky

2011-05-13T12:20:00.000-05:00

Well, after a 26-hour service interruption, Blogger is back online. I had intended to post this yesterday, but it seems today was meant to be.

On Wednesday, just before the storms broke and drenched us with heavy rain and hail, Reena and I were out near East Town mall and noticed that a carnival was setting up. Nothing was open for business at the moment, and there were not even more than a handful of people around.

The only person who walked past me pretty much ignored me - probably because I was not doing anything destructive, merely standing at the base of this Ferris wheel staring just about straight up. I probably looked like a rube.

What made me stop was the great contrast of the bright colors of the wheel baskets against the dark gray sky as the storm approached. The really dark sky half an hour later would have been better, but I did not have time to linger. I will try to get back out there while the carnival is up and running, and preferably at night.

Andy Goldsworthy Might Like This

2011-05-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

I had cut down the stalks from my cinnamon ferns last week and had set them aside. I had wondered to myself if they could be used in a costume sort of way at a large Pagan gathering I will be attending. Taking a cue from my sweetie, I even wondered what they would look like spray painted silver or gold, or dusted with glitter. What I did not notice was just how thickly they were coated with - what is it - pollen? The stack of about twenty cut stalks shed a lot of whatever it is (I will henceforth call it dust) on the gardening table out back. When I moved them yesterday there was a generous pile of dust which was patterned interestingly. Here is a detail shot:

They remained outside and the heavy rains yesterday probably rinsed a lot of the dust off the stalks and obliterated this temporary mandala. I hope so, anyway, as that will make any subsequent embellishment simpler. After that, who knows what I will end up doing with them? At the moment, it is all about enjoying the process of creation and letting it unfold in the fullness of time. As Valentine Michael Smith, the main character in Heinlein's "Stranger In A Strange Land" says, "Waiting is."

[UPDATE: HERE is a link to my earlier Andy Goldsworthy referencing photos. Enjoy!]

Unfurl Radiant Petals

2011-05-11T11:35:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the beauty pours in so fast it is challenging to take it all in. As I look around my yard, there is something new there every single day to capture my attention or imagination and hold me in thrall. Today my first iris bloomed.

Such beauty, and this variety even smells like cotton candy. The details of these blooms are just amazing!

Spring up out of bed!
Shoot to the sky and unfurl
radiant petals.

There are more delights to be found in this SLIDE SHOW of spring. The newest images are up front.

Good Things Come In Threes

2011-05-10T18:04:00.000-05:00

Three small landmark events in my yard today:

Nala the cat (who has been a recovering 'fraidy cat since we got her at the Humane Society) learned to chillax' (chill+relax) in the yard. That was a pretty big deal!

While she was hanging around I did some reconstructive surgery on my pump and got the waterfall in the too-long stagnant pond running. It clearly was in need of some aeration.

I got no photos of the third event. A pair of Cooper's Hawks were flirting in the pine tree just across the fence in my neighbor's yard. I had never heard them vocalize before, so it was with delight that I listened to him currrr and whistle to woo her. I don't know where they are nesting but it must be pretty close by because I saw him yesterday too.

Bueno!

Black Trillium

2011-05-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

It has been a couple of days since I put up a couple of garden photos, and everything has changed significantly. This time of year is so exciting to my eyes. First, my black trillium has finally bloomed.

Pretty spectacular, yes? It also propagated, a further delight. The white trillium propagated as well. For several years I had three, now there are seven plants. Hopefully that trend will continue. I have been leaving that particular bed as close to "woodsy" as I can: No picking up fallen sticks, lots of things left to decay and make the high clay content soil more loamy.

And for a retina-searing blast of red, I give you The Tulip:

This one is not in my yard, but my mother-in-laws. We were visiting on Sunday and her tulips were at a perfect stage to be photographed.

There are more such photos in a spring SLIDE SHOW. The most recent photos are first.

With Grass You See Only Grass

2011-05-05T13:32:00.000-05:00

Things sure do move fast this time of year! A couple of days ago I had fern fiddle heads just starting to unfurl. Today they are nearly a foot tall and starting to appear thick and hearty.

It is just a tease though, because in another month they will look like a jungle. Our yard has lots of planted areas, in part because I do not really enjoy mowing grass, and in part because it is simply more interesting to meander through my yard each morning with a cup of coffee in hand to see what is new than it is to stare at a blank green expanse of manicured lawn. When you lie down in grass, you see grass. In my yard, only the gods know for certain what you will see on a given day.

Today I noticed the maw of a black trillium!

It has been a tightly closed bud for nearly a week and while the plant itself grows larger (it is in the foreground of the middle photo, above), much larger than a white trillium, the blooms take much longer to open. It really adds a feeling of antici ...

pation! I like that my yard is filled with these little dramas waiting only to be noticed. About a month ago a friend had a major stroke. I hope my morning coffee stroll and investigation is part of a larger regimen to avoid such a thing (knock on wood). While there are certainly no guarantees in life, I believe this helps me shed stress and perhaps hedge my bet against calamity. With grass, I would see only grass and the need to mow it or weed it. With abundant flowers and veggies, I can revel in the grand show and eat some of the participants.

Life is good.