Graduation Traditions & Transitions 

American Graffiti is one of my favorite movies because it captured the feeling of standing on a precipice filled with excitement while facing great uncertainty. Whenever I attend a graduation ceremony, that feeling is rekindled as I watch the students parade in, cross the stage, and parade outdoors once more. Graduation is an act of looking backward and looking forward simultaneously.

I delayed writing this blog due to a storm of sports team finals and a sequence of end-of-the-school-year activities, including two graduations. Over the past two weekends, I have attended high school graduation ceremonies for two of my grandkids. Both of them are graduating from larger high schools, necessitating travel to larger public arenas that could accommodate the crowds. After watching both ceremonies, I have three thoughts I would like to share. One thought spotlights the graduates' expressions at those moments that they were awarded their diplomas. My second thought concerns the content of speeches delivered at the ceremony, and the final thought is about the relevance of traditional graduation ceremonies.

As a photographer, I tend to study the range of students' expressions at graduation. Watching them walk across the stage prompted me to recall some of that emotion, which I experienced many years ago. The majority of students were sufficiently humbled as their full middle name was blasted out over the PA system, causing them to seek no further notoriety and meekly accept their diploma as a final act of compliance with high school rules. Unfortunately for some students, high school was a living social hell and their graduation was viewed as an escape portal -- slip away unnoticed and hope emotional healing may follow.  Others felt the moment more keenly and expressed it in a variety of ways. Upon receiving their diploma, some students made the sign of the cross, perhaps in an act of gratitude for divine intervention in their completion of high school. Free at last! Other students danced a quick jig or pumped their diplomas in the air as an act of spontaneous joy, while others descended the stage to hug a favorite teacher lining the rows. Of course, there is always that one "special" student who seizes his moment in front of an audience. Evidently the pressure of the moment was too great when a young man confused his high school graduation with Seinfeld's Festivus celebration by displaying a feat of strength. I admired his agility when he performed a flawless back flip in his cap and gown immediately after exiting the stage.

Graduation ceremonies would not be complete without the speeches. The most traditional speeches are delivered by the valedictorian and the salutatorian, the most academically gifted students. Their speeches thank teachers and parents who helped them excel in their studies, and they also attempt to highlight some universal truth or extol the ethic of diligent work or self-reliance. It's only natural that their speech follows that pattern since these good habits and values have served them well during their high school years. It's the "what comes next" and knowing what to do when no one provides them with next week's assignment that is problematic. This is not a criticism, but it is an observation revealing that these stellar scholars are equally unseasoned in life as their lesser-achieving classmates. If you are fortunate, the graduation ceremony will feature student speeches and performances rather than the dry, obligatory speeches by the adults who use the stage to highlight their esteemed positions. Those adults often forget that graduation ceremonies are about student transitions, celebrating their endings and fresh beginnings. 

My final thought concerning graduation is an invitation to consider with me a need for an alternative graduation that may be offered as an option against the traditional ceremony. For some, the concept of a traditional graduation ceremony remains a meaningful way to celebrate the transition between high school and life as a fully independent adult. However, would it be reasonable to offer two graduation ceremonies among which students would have the opportunity to choose? The traditional graduation ceremony, as currently practiced, should be an option if for no other reason than its traditions run deep in families and communities. There are many valid reasons to commend it. However, our culture and lives have changed, as have the students graduating from our high schools. What would happen if our students (soon to be fellow adult community members and neighbors) were offered a greater voice in the conduct of their graduation ceremonies? Recognizing that schools have obligations to civil law and responsibilities to their own community, is it possible that a steering committee composed of students, interested faculty members, and even a respected community member design an alternative graduation ceremony? I would hope that the student voices would be heard and that they would be considered equal partners in this design.

While graduation traditions may bind us together, they can also feel as confining as a prison cell. What may a graduation alternative ceremony look like?  

The valedictorian and salutatorian still may lay claim to their roles within the traditional ceremony. Their scholarship is worthy of recognition. The alternative graduation may elect to feature respected fellow classmates who exhibited good character and acceptable academic performance. Those students selected for speaking roles may not be those students who excelled at answering questions posed in the classroom or on exams. The students selected to speak at the ceremony may be those students who were good at asking questions and being open to others. They may be skilled at overcoming their mistakes and embarrassments and can inspire their classmates to find courage when facing difficult tasks at school or outside of school issues. Students may wish to substitute Pomp and Circumstance with music more meaningful to them but still pertinent to graduation themes. Instead of a speaker, students may produce a video that was developed to chronicle their high school experience and share what they have learned collectively about themselves and through working together. As for the caps and gowns, they may be retained as a nod to tradition, but if they were omitted, would it be a great loss? (I have yet to find a suitable occasion to wear my cape and sober black mortarboard cap). High school is very real, as is routine everyday adult life. Can we make a more compelling story for our students and community about that transition?

A tradition without intelligence is not worth having." – T.S. Eliot 

Disclaimer: I just returned from my grandchild's eighth grade graduation. Nothing discussed above should ever apply to middle school students who experience each day as a variety show!

 No Longer Saving Soles

For the past ten days I have been searching my digital archives for the original copies of these photos.  I have been unsuccessful in locating the hard drive that contains them, so I had to download smaller copies from my Flickr site.

When you look closely at these photos you will note they have some uncorrected barrell distortion which doesn't bother me much.  I chose to shoot the interior with an 11-16mm zoom because the shop was narrow and deep.   This zoom has been useful in architectural photos and landscape photography.  I like the way it stretches the edges of the sky making them look dramatic.  The lens is a good response for tight places where choosing a different location is difficult.

I am fond of the top photo for a number of reasons.  It holds a special memory reaching back to my youth.  As a young adult, I had my shoes re-soled here making them look magically new again and avoiding the discomfort of breaking in new shoes.  The smell of leather dyes, polish, and freshly cut leather perfumed the interior upon entry.  The shop was family owned for decades and finally closed its doors due to a culture that values disposal over renewal.

Another reason this photo resonates with me is its warm tones which give it a feeling of intimacy as one feels when returning to a familiar place.  The stained and cracked walls added authenticity. The shoe stitching machines were somewhat vintage when the shop opened, but they continue to suggest a manufacturing industry that once drove this community for decades and still remains part of the community's character.

In the days leading to the closing, I asked the owner about the sign that hung above the buffers for all those years.  He said that it was a gift from a local convent from the nuns for generous service.  It seemed  a perfect sentiment from the givers and served as a poetic mission statement for the owners. 

 

Future Photographer

taken with an Olympus OMD em5 and a 24mm Nikon ais lens

I called this photo "Little Shooter" for obvious reasons. What attracted me was the pose the child was striking to use a cell phone to grab a shot of a little league game. She has probably witnessed the adults in her life taking photos of her or other children from this lower eye-level position. The fact that her photo will be of the peeling painted backboards is inconsequential. In this moment she is strictly enjoying the act of taking a photograph.  

Enjoying the experience of taking photos is the better half of photography. Taking the photo you want is a motivator, but the simple act of taking a photo is pleasurable at some level of our being. We all feel good when the shutter goes "click" and we hold possibilities and memories in our hands.

As I took this photo, I thought how frightening this photo may appear to the various camera manufacturers. The child is using a cell phone, mimicking the way that most adults take their photos these days. An adult in her life has given her their cell phone to take this photo, and she will subconsciously remember this moment not holding a Kodak, Nikon, Sony, or other major camera manufacturer's product. Oh, the things we pass on to our children/grandchildren--  a serious thought!

 

 Friday Morning Photo Walk

Each Friday, I meet with friends who are fellow photographers at a downtown coffee shop. Normally we discuss a variety of subjects ranging from photography and photo gear to local events, family, and the price of coffee. In other words, mainly old fart stuff. During the previous week we decided to take a short fifteen-minute photo walk prior to coffee. Our walk was limited to just the area around the cafe, and we were free to choose whatever subject caught our attention. We placed a limit of three images for each of us. Part of the exercise was to become selective in what was photographed and enjoy time photographing with a partner. This was not a competition; rather, it was a search for what we would take to "show and tell" time next Friday. I will be interested to see what compositions each of us found worthy of our attention since this is the first time we have ever done such a photo walk.  

While I enjoyed the experience, I was disappointed to learn that I have developed some sloppy habits that have crept into my photography. One of them is how lazy I have become in composing a photo by not using my feet. Shooting with a prime lens this morning instead of my regular zoom lens made me remember how important it is to move when framing your subject to utilize the best light and best lines. My first photo was of an architectural feature where a tile design was incorporated into the brick exterior of a building. After looking at my photo, I discovered that I should have selected a different section of tile to find a place where the mortar was intact. My second mistake was to take this shot with a 90mm lens that would need a different angle to create perspective or to photograph it at an exactly 90-degree angle to make the mortar lines appear spaced evenly. 

The second photo was of a bust inside the window of a cosmetology school. The bust was resting atop some textbooks and was wearing a dark wig that was partially in curlers. I chose to photograph it mainly because it was weird, without thinking about what message I wanted to share with the viewer. I failed to adjust my exposure correctly to account for the dark background window reflections of the parking lot. Those dark background reflections failed to provide any separation from the dark wig, giving the appearance that the cosmetology students performed a lobotomy instead of the traditional perm. 

The photo that appears in this week's blog is my winner by default. I like it because it displays a rainbow of spring colors that are not overpowered by the reflections from the street. The walk experience is worth repeating for instructive purposes. This short walk around showed me how easy it is to allow bad habits to spoil the opportunity to create an interesting photo, although it was fun to shoot with others since most of the photos that I take are when I am alone.  

Together Again

I'm sharing two photos that I took this week with my first digital camera. That camera was a Fuji FinePix V10 that was introduced in 2006. It boasted a 5MP sensor and a large 3-inch display screen. Reviewers called it quirky but praised it for its high ISO performance. My motivation for purchasing it was that it was priced $300 cheaper than the Nikon entry-level DSLR. Price was a critical element in my decision to move from film to digital. My concern, at the time, was how I would embrace digital after shooting film all those years. The feel of my sturdy metal Nikon FM did not engender confidence as I held the plastics found in the new entry-level digital DSLRs. Would digital stay, or would it go the way of New Coke?

I charged the battery, and the 20-year-old Fuji lit up once again like familiar old face -- together again.  I took it to morning coffee to show a friend what digital looked like in its genesis. While there, I took the photo below. The metal chair backs at the coffee shop had cutouts of coffee cups. Their design piqued my interest, prompting me to photograph one and enhance the cutout portions by applying a dual warming filter to add some vibrancy. The result struck me as looking like a logo for the place. That quirkiness the reviewers expressed in their reviews perhaps referred to the buyers of this camera. 

While driving home, I encountered the dogwalkers walking down a rural road near my home. I was impressed by the number of dogs present and how each walker successfully controlled the eight dogs they were walking that day. They were spread out across the narrow country road and no tangled leashes were noted. Since the little Fugi was in the console of the car, I called upon it to capture a scene as it did some twenty years ago. When I got home and reviewed the photo, I noticed that there were four walkers. The fourth walker is hidden behind the middle walker, bringing the total number of dogs to thirty-two. I was also impressed with how the dog's eyes were fixed on me. I wish it were that simple to photograph groups of humans in the same way. 

My title for this week's blog emerged from the deep "hillbilly" recesses of my subconscious, bringing to mind the old Buck Owens country classic "Together Again." 

The love I once knew
Is living again
And nothing else matters
We're together again

 

Suddenly, Squill

Each spring a small, vibrant, blue plant emerges abruptly and carpets the ground before the grasses take over a week later. Their appearance each spring is an assuring and magical sight.  It is as if elves were granted power to landscape secret places for only one week. Most spring signs emerge in soft pastels, but the Siberian squill bursts forward with intense color, trumpeting spring's return.

The small flowers stand as testimony that there are recurring patterns in life that remain steadfast even when our daily lives seem much less predictable.  As we approach Easter, the story of resurrection gains prominence, bringing the promise of hope and abundance. For this reason, the true blue squill brings me awe and comfort each year. 

              “Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” — Lady Bird Johnson

Reflecting On Picasso 

The photo featured this week is one that I took last year while on a photo walk.  It isn’t the type of photo I planned to take that morning, nor is it the type of photo I normally create.  It wasn't until I got home and reviewed all the photos taken that morning when I noticed I had been photobombed by Picasso's cubism style.  I would not have even known how to create an example of cubism in photography.  However, there it was on my computer screen making me wonder what is happening in the remote recesses of my mind to make this connection courtesy of Pablo Picasso. 

Picasso was an influential 20th-century Spanish painter and sculptor who lived in France.  Art scholars have grouped his life's work into several periods. His cubism period was from 1909 to 1919 and included works such as: 

Bouteille, Clarinet, Violon, and Journal,  Girl with Madolin, 

Still Life with a Bottle of Rum, among others. http://art-picasso.com/1910.html.   His work was both applauded and reviled.  

This photo appeared to me essentially straight out of the camera, with only some minor color enhancements and minor light balancing for highlights.  What I liked about the photo is the way that the store's interior is blended with the reflections of the street immediately behind me. Its is as if the past, present and future all came together exactly where I was standing.  The rectangular shapes of the interior store lights and the architectural reflections of the street suggest the Picasso's cubic style. I am considering printing it on a metallic paper to enhance its detail and color to create a greater 3D effect. For me, photography has a mysterious way of conjuring up associations that are unknown to my consciousness.  My experience with this photo is one of the reasons I enjoy photography and take pleasure in creating images like this that allow me to break free from what I refer to as "my normalcy."

 Hanging Around With Winter

Just when I can feel Spring on the horizon, a blizzard passes through and emphatically presses the point that Winter still rules.  I believe that each day's weather has an influence on the attitude we bring to that day's events.  When several cloudy and chilly days are strung together, it is hard to remember the warmth that sunshine brings to the soul and the optimism that returns with the smell of fresh earth and the emergence of spring's earliest buds and blossoms.

For this week, my camera wants to point at the monotony and cold textures and tones all about me.  I have to look hard to find the beauty in the soft colors within morning and evening skies and those simple agarian structures that serve as monuments to hope for another planting season  and harvest.

In this photo, the sky is today's message of hope and the silos are a secondary supporting feature.  To make the sky the main feature I warmed it a bit and placed a softening texture over it to bring a moody but sanguine feel. It is my means of moving the viewer's eye toward the most compelling part of the image.

This is rural Illinois in winter.  It is solemn, resolute, and stark, but those qualities highlight the subtle pieces of color and warmth which push their way into my frame as they covertly photo bomb this dreary scene.  "What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” ― John Steinbeck

How do you like them tomatoes?

On Photo Contests and Exhibits

Over the weekend, I had the privilege of judging a juried photo show at a small regional art center. I was fortunate to judge with two other photographers who were not exactly like me, and our individual differences made our choices more balanced and well considered for the participants and more reflective of the various types of photography within our area. 

We viewed two hundred entries with the understanding that the physical capacity of the gallery was one hundred photos. Each of the judges viewed every photo multiple times individually and finally collectively as we attempted to choose the final ten. Our task was made easier by competent supporting people at the art center who made sure we understood the system, answered all questions, and provided spreadsheets and completed all calculations for our individual scores. They never tried to influence the judging and worked exclusively to support us in the decisions we made. I learned a good deal from the experience that will stick with me as both a person and as a photographer.

This week I want to share just a few simple thoughts that may help a fellow photographer as they consider entering a photo into a contest or photo exhibit. I always enjoyed Letterman's humor and his use of top ten lists, so I borrowed his format but will not promise ten items.

Selecting Your Photo

1.  Select a photo that will appeal to a broad audience. Viewers may not read your emotional attachment to your photo, so provide enough context to identify your subject or clarify your message. While you may photograph subjects for your own satisfaction, exhibits require you to photograph for a broad audience

2. Photos that feature the interplay of light and shadow strongly or softly have a better chance of connecting with the audience (who will be non-photographers and fellow photographers). Your use of shadow and light giving dimension to a flat medium is more important than saturated colors and slider mania in post-processing.

3. Prepare your print well in advance of the submission date so you leave time to make any needed adjustments. Sometimes the photo you see in print has color, brightness, or other issues differing from what you recalled on your home screen. Photo flaws sometimes can be easier seen in printed form rather than digital form.

Selecting a Substrate, Mat and Frame

4.  Your selection of a mat and frame should complement your photo, which is the star of the show. As a judge, the primary focus is the photo, but a poorly cut mat or the placement of the photo within the mat can change how your photo looks to the viewer. If you use a colored mat, select a color that makes your photo stand out for the viewer. 

5.  The frame, be it elaborate or simple, is nothing more than a border for your photo and a structure to hang it on the wall. The physical size of an image can complement or distract from the overall impact of the photo, but bigger and fancier frames alone won't make an average image look better. However, keep the framed image clean from dust and any debris between the glass and print.

6.  I've seen many great photos ruined by poor choice of a substrate. This is a problem that I have witnessed in nearly every show I have attended. I think people fall in love with the novelty of the substrate on which the photo is printed while forgetting the importance of the image. Remember to select a substrate (canvas, glass, metallic paper, etc.) that enhances the photo's best features (details, tones, and colors) of your photo.

At The Exhibition 

Stop, look, and listen!

7.  Stopping and Looking         At the last photo show that I entered as an exhibitor, I took the time to look carefully at each photo and try to put aside my biases to fully see what other photographers found important to exhibit. I look for a photo's overall impact and then try to define those elements that make it so by temporarily putting aside any criticism. I note the different types of photography displayed, finding that its variety is telling for future shows I may enter, and it provides clues to what kinds of photos within the show may seem underrepresented. New subject matter and creative perspectives help me shape my future photography and stimulate risk-taking.

8.  Listen to the Comments      During the show, I may stand discreetly in proximity of my photos and listen for unsolicited and spontaneous comments from viewers to other viewers. This unfiltered feedback is raw and informative. All performers and artists require a mix of detachment and vulnerability if they hope to succeed. It is extremely gratifying to overhear others discuss those same elements/clues you thoughtfully placed within your photo. Likewise, it is good to know when you miss the mark.

Being both a judge and an exhibitor in a photo show is a worthwhile experience. My preference is a show that emphasizes curation over competition. I would never be one to suggest that judges are purely objective no matter how hard they try to be. That is why I appreciated having two other skilled photographers to make decisions with me. Our collective knowledge of photography conventions and photographic experience provided a useful framework to consider each entry. It is also important to understand that every exhibit or contest has a framework in which it is designed. The trick to judging is to produce a show that aligns the exhibit's theoretical structure and the individual artist contributions to meet both the interests of the artist and the sponsoring organization.

 Watercolors of Spring

This week's photo is my attempt to bring a watercolor look to a landscape photo I took last April.  I liked the scene because the light played upon the different layers of grass giving a contoured and peaceful look.  My current goal was to mute the colors in a soft way that watercolors do so well.  With the exception of the blues in the sky, I think I achieved that muted, flat look while retaining enough texture detail just like my favorite landscape painters create in their art.  Another subconscious motivation is that I am trying to push spring forward on a calendar that seems stuck on the drab colors of winter. 

This past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season, a season of sacrifice and hope.  For Lent,  I gave up winter, and my kindergarten grandson gave up spinach. Gotta love that kid!

 Outback Time Machine

How do you know when cabin fever and the winter blues have taken control of your mind and daily routines? This week's photo gives me pause to discover that I find myself captivated by things that normally would seem trivial. I present my photo for this week as evidence of that point.

To overcome the winter blues, I have experimented with many things, such as instituting "Mandatory Fedora Fridays," performing daily inspections of frost-etched windows searching for the faces of former presidents, and placing supermarket coupons in the church pews instead of restocking them with those monotonous offering envelopes. Even the library book club, which initially seemed to help ease my boredom, has grown increasingly blasé. I crave those vibrant firsthand experiences that spring, summer, and fall offer so naturally.

So, this week I joined a car wash club. It seemed like the perfect way to get out of my house while still hiding from the extreme cold. Perhaps I could experience life at its edges from the cozy heated seats of my old Outback. I could achieve the necessary chore of cleaning a salt-encrusted car and also demonstrate my civic commitment to public safety by driving with crystal-clear windows. Upon entering the carwash for the first time, I was mesmerized by its spinning brushes, currents of churning foam, and bright flashing lights. It was like being in a rocket ship as it launches through the different layers of Earth's atmosphere. As my car glided through the wash, it produced a dreamlike sequence similar to a near-death experience, as it steadily proceeded down that narrow tunnel toward a distant glowing light.

It's curious how these seemingly mundane experiences take on an elevated status during the cold, dark, dreary days of January and February. While science recognizes cabin fever as a folk syndrome rather than a medical diagnosis, it has documented the mental boredom that causes the brain to crave any kind of engagement, making irrational behaviors and thoughts seem appealing just to break the monotony. Therefore, my plan for next weekend is to return to the carwash while listening to the Strawberry Alarm Clock bang out "Incense and Peppermints." How great will it be to drive through that rainbow of lava lamp colors and strobing lights to re-experience those mellow days of the 1960s?

 






 

 Flying With the Chief

Being a vintage car owner, I enjoy looking at and photographing cars. Because America is constantly on the move, it has a strong car culture.  I especially enjoy photographing vintage cars because they have a certain character and individuality about them that is a refreshing change from the cars that I drive daily. Vintage autos also have the capacity to trigger memories and feelings within the viewer that help build a relationship with the photo.  My grandpa was a Pontiac man, and I remember experiencing somewhat scary rides with him while staring at that showy orange Indian hood ornament when he tailgated the cars in front of us. 

From my archives, I selected a photo that I took at a farm auction. The car in the photograph is a 1950 Pontiac Delivery wagon.  The Pontiac had sleek lines, and a full-on shot would have been wonderful, but it would have been impossible to eliminate all the distracting auction clutter in the background.  Therefore, I made a compromise to photograph one signature feature on the vehicle.  This is a technique I have found useful in photographing at auto shows where the vehicles are parked closely together and people are milling about.  As I was taking this shot, I had to make a decision whether to include the sky reflections or to attempt to eliminate them for simplicity.  I chose to include the clouds to make the image seem more three-dimensional.   As I studied the final product, I wondered if I should have shot this in a portrait format to accentuate the perspective of the chrome strips along its hood.

One reason I continue to take photos is that photography is a hobby that sometimes triggers seemingly forgotten memories and feelings.  Whenever those old memories return, they allow me to experience them in a fresh way that improves my thinking.   As a beginning photographer, my goal was capturing a variety of images.  Today, I care even more about creating quality images, but it is equally satisfying to discover hidden memories within today's photos while meeting new friends who, like those memories, unexpectedly cross my path. 

 

 

Echos of a Distant Declaration

This week, I longed to revisit a scene that takes me back to my roots. My photo for this week is from small town mid-America, where the US flag still embraces the ideals and personal freedoms that gave birth to our country nearly 250 years ago.  I grew up in a small bungalow that proudly displayed the flag from a sturdy, stucco pillar on our front porch.  It waved at all who passed by our home, and it was there to greet me when I returned home.  It was there as a constant reminder of who I was and a remembrance that I am part of a larger family reaching back to my immigrant grandparents.  Our flag also reminded me of the security I found within my neighborhood and my unity with unknown others living in distant states who sacrificed to maintain the freedoms we all enjoy.  To this day, I love to see the flag displayed in neighborhoods since it still represents the qualities of unity and hope. 

Mark Twain said, "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it." His words succinctly express my feelings after this past weekend's events in Minnesota.  The phrase, "We the people," kept echoing through my head, and the question, "Have we forgotten who we are?" continued to linger in my mind.  

I reread the full Declaration of Independence.  Its opening phrases are familiar ones. Many of us were required to recite its second paragraph from memory during high school civics class. As I continued to read the document in its entirety, I was as shocked in the same way that I am stunned by comparing my high school yearbook picture with the face now staring at me in the mirror.  Who have I become?

I encourage you to read the Declaration for yourself in its entirety.  It takes only a few minutes—fewer than the last two minutes of the Super Bowl.  After all these years, it's waiting to speak to you again.

The Declaration of Independence     (copied from the National Archives)

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

 Drafty as an Old Barn

This weekend brought subzero temps to our area, which limits the amount of time I enjoy spending outdoors. My goal for the afternoon was to take a photo of "cold" in whatever shape that I might find it. Today, the thermometer in the car was registering 9 degrees at three in the afternoon, and the wind was blowing wisps of newly fallen snow across the rural roads and fields.  To me an old barn with windows missing shouts "cold" all the way across the corn stubble.

I am fascinated by the old barns because their red color is conspicuous in the monotone winter landscape, and they represent a vanishing part of rural life.  The memories these old barns bring to mind resonate with many of us old-timers because we can remember them as a functional part of farm life.  Now they are just a memory that not many can recall.

Crocodile Rock

This week's picture reminded me of a lyric from one of Elton John's earliest hits, Crocodile Rock, "Dreaming of my Chevy and my old blue jeans." It's funny how one memory can return and trigger another memory that is seemingly unrelated to the first.  When I saw this old Chevy outdoors near a shed next to a salvage yard, it interested me because I am having a hard time finding a partially sunny day, much less anything to photograph.  Thus is life during January in the upper Midwest. 

My first impression upon seeing the subject influenced how I treated it in post-processing.  Actually, the old Chevy was in slightly better condition than my treatment of it in the digital darkroom.  In my mind the photograph as a documentary was much less interesting than it would be as a warm memory from this vehicle's earlier days.  

To create the image, I removed surrounding distractions and then changed it to a black and white photo, only to slightly bring back some of the color in a faded state. I am experimenting with the use of textures and layers, learning how to more subtly use them in my photography.  For my viewers, I wished to convey the idea of a dusty, old, and faded memory.  At this point in my development as a photographer, I am pleased with what I am learning, but I am also still drawn to the flaws that I can see in my images.

PS: A bit of trivia: Crocodile Rock is the song Elton John most dislikes performing—not a lot of meaning in it but a lot of silly fun and simple nostalgia.  It may even qualify as an earworm melody.

We live in a complex and sometimes too serious world, and a little silliness may be just what is needed to counteract the never-ending flow of minor irritations.

Getting Out of My Lane

I may be getting out of my lane in writing this week's blog because the topic touches on politics and not solely photography. A good friend sent me a copy of a YouTube video that featured portraits of members of President Trump's inner circle of advisors. The photos were taken by a Vanity Fair photographer who has been both criticized and commended for his work. A link to that video is listed at the end of the blog.

We all bring bias to our communications, and so it is only natural that those same biases can be found in our photography. As I watched and then rewatched the video, three questions came to me. The first concerns the point where a hidden bias transforms into an outright political attack. Secondly, how does a political attack differ from political satire, a long-standing practice of displaying opposition? And finally, where is the tipping point where a political attack backfires and diminishes the character and the message of those perpetrating the attack?

I was somewhat disturbed after watching the video and the running commentary for the first time. Since I am not an advocate of President Trump or most of his policies, my reaction surprised me. As Americans, it is our right and duty to oppose individuals and policies that we believe to stand in opposition to the laws and ideals fundamental to individual worth and freedom. Many of the photographs appeared to purposefully demean the appearance of individuals, making the photographs feel more like a personal attack rather than a statement of political opposition.

The video made me consider how political opposition can be displayed in a less hostile manner. Satire came to me as a preferred method, as it uses humor as a means to point out bad behavior and the irony of many political decisions. Satire often does not suggest a solution, as it shines light on the problem leaving the audience to draw their own conclusions.  Its message more palatable to the audience because it uses humor to blend the real with the absurd. Examples of political satire include The Onion and some of the political skits on Saturday Night Live.

Toward this end, I created a satirical portrait of President Trump as the Wizard of Oz. It would be easy to showcase a bombastic, never-erring Trump hiding within the imaginary "Greenland" of his thoughts without regard for natural world consequences. Since the Oz storyline is familiar, it helps to support a parallel story structure crafted between the fictional storybook actors and real life Washington politicians. It would be very easy to develop a full cast of characters, such as the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Dorothy, including even the flying monkeys and witches, into this satire. In my opinion, this method would present a much more effective means of highlighting the foibles that are a part of daily life in Washington these days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz0oUJZ5t30