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Showing posts with the label texture

Head of the Gut: I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means

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  Photo:Engage     a photography blog you  want  to follow “ The camera has always been a guide, and it's allowed me to see things and focus on things that maybe an average person wouldn't even notice. ”  - Don Chadwick      What peculiar names we give to places! Who could imagine a head or a gut being terms for an area of water? How can so many rivers and creeks in the Northeast end with the malevolent sounding kill ? (Hint: There's nothing violent to worry about; it's from the Dutch colonists who originally explored there.) Did you know an inlet is also known as an arm of the sea ? Some of these terms are for similar types of water features but depend upon their size... for instance, “you can step over a brook , jump over a creek , wade across a stream and swim across a river " as an old saying goes.      Where I grew up, a creek was actually called a crick , at least by my mom. In Scotland, a large stream is a burn , thu...

Off Season: Why Winter at the Beach Rocks!

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  Photo:Engage     a photography blog you  want  to follow “ A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart, and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective. ”  - Irving Penn      One of my favorite memories is being on the beach mid-winter with my young children, flying a kite in the brisk sea breeze. Dressed in fleece and hats, we probably steered the boys clear of the cold water but enjoyed the empty space on the sand and the chill of the salt air. My wife snapped a personal photograph of the three of us that always makes me warm inside when I see it. If you ever find a beach in range on a cold day, go see for yourself why many locals think winter is the best time of the year! As I wrote in my post on January 16, 2021...      Locals know what I’m talking about. That time of year when it’s a bit too damp, chilly, gray, and generally overcast to be pleasing to the fa...

Spectral Churn: Our Nation's Soul in Turmoil

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  Photo:Engage     a photography blog you  want  to follow “ In photography there are no shadows that cannot be illuminated. ”  - August Sander      It would be easy to underestimate the importance of what happened. The nonsensical is the daily normal so why should an attack on the US Capitol be any different? I think we need to be very wary of where this national rupture is going. There is too much division backed up by hate, intolerance, and arms, and the willingness to act. The constant barrage of lies from the president and his enablers have made the truth a precious commodity valued only by some. As Voltaire warned, those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. We need to be vigilant and guard against this getting worse. As I wrote in my post on January 9, 2021...      Who can believe what we’ve seen this past week? I felt incredibly sad and angry at the spectacular mayhem perpetrated at the Ca...

Sea Flux

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Photo:Engage     a photography blog you  want  to follow “ Wherever there is light, one can photograph. ”  - Alfred  Stieglitz      It's wonderful to be photographing down at the shore again. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed my recent studies of Raleigh and Cary and the neighboring areas near my North Carolina home. Documenting some of the history of a place, especially ones so vital and dynamic as the state capital and vicinity, is an honor and privilege. I am always grateful for the liberty to go where I wish and photograph what I like. And I'm glad to be able to share my work with you.      The Delaware shore, in my experience, is the equal or better of most any beach area on the planet. At once both commercially developed with many shops and homes and yet still abundantly wild and protected, the state has an extensive seashore in its state park system where developers will never build. The parks maintain not only s...