Ever Overdo Something?

Photo: © S. Banos

Sometimes (sometimes) when confronted with certain situations, we kinda tend to overreact and overdo things- either out of: anger, inexperience or maybe (just maybe)... to make a certain point.* Now, I don't know which of the above may have possibly been at play here (nor is it a particularly good photo for that matter)- but I think the case could be made that it was probably just a tad... overdone. 

*all of which I stand guilty of at various times of my existence.

Picnic At The Border

Recently I posted about JR and his delightful movie collaboration. But this is about the best Thanksgiving project I've come upon (even if it really doesn't have anything to do with the holiday)!

No Regrets?

Photo: © S. Banos

 Paul Watson- A person without regrets is a person who has not lived a life of diversity of interests and cause.

I remember watching late night talk shows when I was considerably younger and hearing more than one celebrity superstar claim that they wouldn't change a single thing that occurred in their lives. "Not one thing?" the interviewer would ask, "No, not one," would come the reply- confident, secure, self satisfied.

Really!? You've lived a good portion of your life, and no matter how damn lucky and talented you are- there's not one single thing that you wish you'd have done differently? One thing you said that you wish you could take back? One time you should have spoken up and instead... said nothing? There's not one thing you ever did that you're sorry about? One time you regret not doing anything at all? REALLY!?!?

So, you're like this perfect person, the ultimate human being!? Never made a mistake, never made a wrong move, never hurt anyone unnecessarily... I've never, ever met anyone like that! Because the only other explanation is that you're a selfish, callous, uncaring excuse of a human being who couldn't give a rat's ass about anyone other than themselves- and there's lots of those...

Go Never FS- Salvaon Mounin

Huh!?!? Previously, I had spoken about bonding with my XT-1; two other curious things occurred this past Sept. One was rather frightening- said camera fell right outta my ever lovin' camera bag (my fault entirely for not securing it properly) upon exiting our rental to witness the Grand Canyon. I didn't see it happen- I heard it! And I was more than a tad hesitant to actually look down and view the remains. A significant part of me just wanted to keep on walking... But walk back I did, and I was considerably taken aback to find that other than a bent up lens shade on the 18mm (28mm~e) and a barely perceptible scratch to the screen shield- the XT-1 was... completely intact! Immediately, I checked to see if the damn thing actually worked, and... all systems- go! I set about bending the lens shade back into shape (have always put a shade and filter on all my lenses for protection), and the universe was whole again as my adrenaline gradually began to diminish. Oh, and the fact that I also chose to adorn my XT-1 with a Lensmate thumbgrip also helped, I got mine "used" on eBay at half price for $30. Yes, they are ridiculously over priced, but also ridiculously ergonomic (and in this case, protective)!

The one major failure disappointment I encountered with the XT-1 was the Panoramic Mode- and I must admit I'm at least partially to blame on that account since I didn't properly read up on how to adjust the damn thing. I rejoiced in true manic fashion with my beginner's luck which just nailed the composition on first try- Absolutely Perfect!!! Until I realized... no, not really, not quite. Instead of proclaiming "God Never Fails- Salvation Mountain" (Leonard Knight's iconic creation), I got: Go Never FS- Salvaon Mounin. 

Go Never FS- SALVAON MOUNIN (It also has 4 feet- not 3);  FOTO FAIL: © S. Banos

Yup- it screwed up where it counted most. Couldn't have done it to the left, or the right where it would have been barely noticeable- had to do it right smack in the middle of the goddang sign! Turned the car around ignoring my now protesting wife, and proceeded to make another dozen attempts- none of which came anywhere close to what I wanted or achieved the first time! Of course, the smart, logical thing (that I had actually planned on doing) was to just take a series of normal (vertical) exposures and seam them together in PS. But my single minded determination to now will it to work took over in the 106 degree heat that was relentlessly baking my already admittedly miniscule brain, rational I was most decidedly not!

So, chalk one up to: God (Supposedly) Never Fails (Stan Most Definitely Does).

When Words Fail...

If you find John Oliver both funny (as do I) and educational (as do I), then you won't have any problem sitting through the entirety of this short 20 minute video and, well... enjoying! But, even should you find him (for whatever reason) seriously less than amusing, just speed up to the three minute mark for the transcript reading of a recent Presidential speech- which is one of the most gut wrenchingly phenomenal examples of illiterate hilarity ever produced in (the nearest approximation of) the English language and one of the most frighteningly terrifying warnings of the danger Americans have voluntarily imposed upon themselves. You won't soon forget it- nor the iPhone translation that immediately follows...

Faces Places

I was wary this film was going to be a sentimental paean to an aging French celebrity- fortunately, it was anything but! Faces/Places is a collaboration between artist/actor/film-maker Agnes Varda and photographer/environmental artist JR, a collaboration between two artists and two people on opposite ends of the age spectrum engaging in a shared artistic road trip. Each has different ways of seeing, interpreting and executing; each has separate goals. 

They embark on their mutual journey towards self exploration and discovery in the French countryside on a truck disguised as a giant camera, and manage to produce ginormous, mural sized prints with which they manage to decorate various failing or mundane vistas, incl: abandoned buildings, railroad cars, water tanks, etc. Along the way they not only manage to discuss and confront each other on various philosophies and approaches to art and life as a whole- they also engage the everyday people they encounter and make them active, fellow collaborators in the art they produce and impart...

PS- I was struck by one worker in particular who was interviewed about the art being produced- as he returned to his job, back to camera, he reflects aloud, "It's surprising, and art is meant to surprise us." Sadly, I don't think your average, working class, American male would have had the same positive reaction... or insight- the kind that could help ward off the disaffected disinterest that can instead extend to guns and violence.

"FACTS" TO GO...

This is pretty damn scary... And if you examine (as I am wont to do on occasion) what your average Joe's are thinking and saying across the nation at any given time- you wonder how so many people can get things so very, VERY Wrong!!! They are spontaneously telling you (and with complete and utter conviction) "facts" that are neither verified, nor... true! 

The Shooter was a born and bred Muslim, The Shooter was a recent convert, the shooter was Antifah (evidence: he wore all black- RIP Johnny Cash)!!! All the above, particularly the latter two, were being proclaimed as Fact- while I was still trying to get the most basic of information concerning our most recent mass gun slaughter. The second non-truth was also prevalent immediately after the Vegas shooting. 

The Right's social networks and "news" sources now come with prefabricated disinformation ready to go at a second's notice whenever something major either feeds into their belief system- or contradicts it! And once they launch- there is no way of recalling those missiles of disinformation. They will then repeat those exaggerations, "alternative facts,' half truths and outright lies as THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH- if not the outright word of god. And yes, god help you should you try to say anything otherwise... You will not permeate that invulnerable wall, their dedication to deflecting anything that makes them appear as fallible human beings is absolute and complete. This impregnable echo chamber is how you can actually get so many people to believe complete and utter lunacy like: Hillary Clinton and her Pizza Parlor/Child Sex Ring- and believe it to the point where someone actually went to... shoot up the place they believed fit this completely malicious concoction!!! And if that doesn't sound crazy enough... people still held a protest to denounce this fabricated travesty despite Alex Jones' apology for spreading such a fictitious abomination.  

Yes!!! These people are so far removed, that they still actively chose to believe A Complete Lie, even though the person who concocted The Lie, admitted it was A Lie, and apologized for The Lie- simply because it fits their particular belief system... Is it any wonder they believe The Civil War had nothing to do with slavery?

And The Winner Of This Week's Mass Shooting...

And so it goes... until next week, and the week after that... But we can't "politicize it" unlike our POTUS does if the terrorist is Muslim. This terrorist is White- so he is branded ANTIFA, although it is an outright lie conveniently concocted for the gullible haters among us! And he can't really be a terrorist, because only Muslims (with a few Blacks thrown in for good measure) are terrorists, though I'm guessing the people in that Texas church and community were plenty damn terrorized...

Toddlers killed more Americans than terrorists in 2015.  

But it's too soon to talk about gun control- we all know that "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." And don't forget the B Side- "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun." Why would they lie???

So why try to save innocent lives, why get all worked up and bothered, or even go through the motions? When we know damn well- it can't possibly be done... I mean, if we actually knew a way, if such a thing actually existed, if we had within our grasp, the power to stop the deaths of more and more innocents each and every year, each and every week- we, the greatest moral arbiters in the history of Western Civilization would have already done so...................................

RIGHT, RIGHT???

 

YIPES!!!

Yes, of course it could be faked. Anything can on video these days. That doesn't necessarily mean that it was, however- and there is also a rather long history to this activity (yes, neither does that necessarily make it true). But until proven either way...
(make sure volume is on)

Why Can't Every Morning...

OK, OK... It's my first video ever, taken directly upon awakening (morning voice et al)- so cut me some slack (and yeah, I wanted it vertical). And it certainly doesn't come anywhere near giving you a true representation of the magic and grandeur,* but hopefully (hopefully), ya get just a tiny taste of what it's like to wake up to one of the most awesome of natural wonders on planet earth...

*actually, sunsets are better (3rd photo from bottom)

A Rose By Any Other Name...

Was looking forward to having my photo displayed on the online Unnatural photo exhibit this Halloween- even if it's a non-juried show. So the exhibit came and went Tuesday... with my shot conspicuously (to me, that is) absent! The following day, I inquired as to why it failed to appear- and apparently, it had been misplaced...

An honest mistake- and I am not in any way implying otherwise; the good people at Lenscratch do a pretty remarkable job exhibiting quality work each and every day. It's just that I've been faithfully chronicling my long and continuing run of rejections, both here and my previous blog, and while this episode technically doesn't really qualify, it certainly deserves asterisk status. I mean, when you're the only one not included- it certainly feels rejection. And though they meant well, putting it up after the fact- it's kinda like taking your kid Trick or Treating on All Hallows Eve... Day.