6:20! - 6:20! - 6:20!

 This is idiocy, stupidity and just plain insanity rolled into one- and its name is... TRUMP!

Seriously, in a sane world, this would not be allowed to exist.

And if the joke wasn't on us- it'd be funny as hell!

Digital Dyslexia

I'll spare you the concurrent woes of my dental, parental and prostate woes- cause who the freak wants to hear it! So...

After ten or so years, it was time to replace ye ol' desktop- especially since Windows 11 would no longer be supported on it. So I got me a sleek, little Dell at a good price, uploaded my battle weary PS Elements 9 on it and- Boom, lights out! He just wasn't getting up... Lugged it over to the Amazon return center (as instructed), where I was curtly told they wouldn't accept it- could only return to UPS! This was after the repair man never showed, as scheduled. I'll spare you the details of the Amazon return and Dell repair phone calls- let's just say I indubitably made it unto two more training recordings...

I calibrated my monitor on the new, new desktop with a new Datacolor Spyder (my old Spyder 4 also wouldn't take to W11) and it's not quite the same... brightness, color and contrast a bit off, so do I adjust incrementally on my monitor- and have everyone else in the world adjust accordingly? Was it wrong before and right now, or vice versa?!? Or does it all even out in the long run? Damned if I know, so I'm corresponding with Mr. Datacolor Customer Service in Switzerland as to what to make of it.  Meanwhile, Windows 11 has moved everything around enough to make it that much harder to find and locate anything, as any proper update should do- and now for The Biggest Wrench in the whole shebang... what photo editing software do I now proceed with? 

The plan was to get (and learn) a serious, adult photo editing software (as opposed to my juvenile Elements version of Photoshop) upon retirement end of this year when I actually have the time and calmness of mind. Curious how many a photographer complains how overly complex camera menus are- but never a word about ever so much more complex photo editing software!?! I don't need more than1/10 of 'em, can't understand more than 1/10 of 'em, can't bear to look at any more than 1/10 of any of 'em, and yet, I'm cornered into procuring something so utterly complex and exorbitantly priced! Lightroom seems the current tried and true, but apparently not all that good with Fujifilm files; Capture One does Fuji best but either one is akin to learning a foreign language. The latter has a free, more moderately featured program specifically for Fuji I've yet to try (for fear of proving my ineptitude even with the simpler program), but I'd still need something for my Q and GR files. Which means I'll probably go back (at least in the meantime) to using the latest, greatest version of PS Elements. I just got a free trial for a week, and that has changed so much in the intervening years (surprise!), I hardly recognize it and will have to retrain on that as well! And speaking of free trials- let's hear it for those three figure, yearly subscription rates, paid updates and renewal increases...

But why limit myself!? Afterall, there's: Affinity, Luminar Neo, Darktable, GIMP, DXO Photolab 8, Raw Therapee and on and on it goes... a veritable, never ending chain of intricate, labyrinthine interfaces each more brazenly convoluted and byzantine than the former. And my tiny, pea sized cranium short circuits each and every time I just glance at a distance. Mercy! I am truly gobsmacked by these photo editing marvels who can master any of the above to create images of such precision and wonder. And I'm left wondering, how did I ever create any images worth viewing with my paltry peasant's knowledge of a handful of the most basic of tools and workflows- which is all I freaking need! Don't need AI this and that, don't need to detach and replace people's heads, don't need vectoring gradient layer masks... I thought I might be able to logically, scientifically deduce which program would best suit my needs by reading the reviews, viewing the tutorials, listing the pros and cons in order of importance, value and ease. Instead, I surrender (yet again) with a migraine wishing 'em all into the cornfield. The Joy of Photography!

Travelin' Shoes

Forget the politics, this is exactly why moving elsewhere (other than the USA) sure does seem attractive 
any ol' time...

Trump Blames DC Crash On Diversity

Yes, of course, this crash can only be blamed on DEI, that is clearly self evident for all to see- seems the Biden admin purposely installed those affected with "severe intellectual and/or emotional disabilities" in charge of things like... air traffic control- simply for the sake of diversity! Can you believe it- can anyone? More on FOX News...

So, if we're keeping count- Trump got rid of the pandemic response team in his first term (that didn't have any consequences), and he's now gotten rid of the air safety committee in his second...

Addendum: And it gets crazier still...

Watching The Tide Turn...

And this is the man the previous two videos were referencing. If you doubt Jake Barber's veracity, listen to what Dr. Gary Nolan (premier Stanford immunologist) has to say about his character- and the serious health consequences he incurred in carrying out his mission.

Equally amazing in the three videos presented is how these special ops, military he-men practically transform into peace loving, we are all connected hippies when describing the transformation they experienced when making contact with these craft.

But How Could They Keep It Secret?

The question often asked and presented as 'proof' that the very thought of extraterrestrial visitation by intelligences from any of the trillions of planets in our universe is akin to the very deepest of psychoses- the "secret" personally experienced and analyzed by millions for decades, throughout the world. The age old denial, subterfuge and condemnation is finally starting to unravel at a rather startling pace, bolstered by witnesses and participants with increasingly impressive credentials. Sorry Neil, your days are numbered, the writing's on the wall- time to start transitioning to Plan B...

It Begins...

No one gasped, no one decried, no one condemned...

1/20/2025

(actually, forward thinking 6/10/2020)

I still can't even begin contemplating another four days, let alone, yet another four years of the insanity we once had, twice over. And yet reality deigns disruption rides again...

 A bit more timely:

1/19/2025...

All Photos: © Stan Banos

FWIW- The most amazing "photo" of the day (in quotes because I didn't actually get it) occurred on the way home as I turned the corner and halfway up the block was this young couple dressed to the nines enjoined in this embrace with a kiss that would have put Hollywood to shame. Two blocks from home, and one of the most cinematic scenes I've ever witnessed! The drama, the choreography, the perfect photo- if... I... could... only... have gotten... there... in... time... ALAS!!!

A Horse Is A Horse...

"During the hearings Hegseth repeatedly said he was going to defend the meritocracy," Brooks writes. In what kind of meritocracy is being a Fox TV host preparation for being secretary of defense? Maybe in the one Caligula fancied when he contemplated making his horse a consul."

Virtual UnReality

Or as commonly known- outright scam. More of the same from the same old dog with the same old tricks who paid "supporters" $50 a head to cheer him down the elevator that fateful day...

Man, Oh Mann!

Recently, there was quite the brouhaha over Sally Mann's photography (again) over at PetaPixel. There's one thing I really miss about the demise of photo-blogdom- the occasional deep dive discussion into a particular photo topic of interest, especially those involving ethics or aesthetics. This one had both, but considering this was PetaPixel- you're not always gonna attract your A list commenters from photography's elite and most knowledgeable. Which means things can rapidly go down the toilet of: opinion as fact, misinformation as quantifiable fact, and ad hominems as absolute, justifiable facts. 

And while I like to think I'm above that, and try to live up to that expectation, when ya get in the mix, you can't always emerge unscathed. Although this is one highly charged topic (as well it should be), it be nice to be able to rationally consider and delineate as to what exactly is worth getting upset about- before raw emotion runs in like the wrecking ball that tears logic and sensibility asunder. One guy actually responded, "Well... like I said. I'm right." As if that's all the verifiable evidence needed! Yeah, that was verbatim- and was also followed by numerous proclamations attesting to his superior intellectual prowess. Hard to argue with that high an intellect.

So why bother? PP may not be the best venue for serious discussion, but it's one of few remaining in the public realm not under the auspices of a yet larger social media conglomerate. And public discourse can help define how one really feels about the topic at hand. It's frustrating when someone can only offer the vaguest of viewpoints or opinions as to why they believe what they do- it's even more frustrating when you can't. Discussing it, even arguing about it (hopefully without the rancor) can really help you understand: yourself, the topic at hand, and the thoughts, beliefs and motivations of others. That's particularly true when you have to write down your responses, having to manually articulate your thoughts into the written word. 

I had thought the whole Sally Mann child pornography thing was safely in the backseat of art history. Apparently not, from the deluge (and sometime ferocity) of the comments. Photography does have its history of sex offenders: Terry Richardson, Thomas Roma, David Alan Harvey, Bruce Weber, Nicholas Nixon- and that's just a partial list, no doubt. And I am as deeply disgusted and appalled by child pornography as anyone else- it is truly abhorrent! I've only seen it in documentaries with the bars over the children's eyes- and that was bad enough. It's as sick as sick gets- Full Stop! 

And it is plain and simple, nowhere near what Sally Mann does. So please, enough of this nonsense! If you see something perverse in her work, you either don't know what child pornography is, or are purposely choosing to pervert it for your own purpose. Her work has already been litigated enough, not that it needed it in the first place. Save your ire for actual pedophiles, or those in Q Anon, which said its very raison d'être was to save children from the sex trade- how many children have they rescued to date, how many predators have they captured? There's already more than enough of this sickness out in the world- let's not make a mockery of the real work that so desperately needs to be done.

The Latest, Greatest Same Ol', Same Ol'

Jorg Colberg at Conscientious just compared current day street photographers to historical reenactors- an analogy I find both quite amusing, and definitely not without merit. But then, ol' Jorg was never street photography's biggest champion... to say the very least. 

It is curious to see the legions of modern day practitioners out and about, unwaveringly dedicated to an art form that has, in fact, long depreciated- since, like... 1976 when Eggleston and The New Color ('81) burst unto the scene and sent old school B&W street into the second hand photo bin. Now, there are countless street: practitioners, ambassadors, mentors, influencers, competitions, vlogs and workshops all devoted to its practice and affirmation. And yet, "the art world" (ie- museums, galleries, top name publishers) continues to treat it as yesterday's paper- Impressionism anyone? Interestingly, in 2025 the photographic art kingdom hasn't moved afar of the large format color photographs that became de rigueur as of the mid eighties- but that's another story, for sure!

Why the almost fanatical devotion to the practice, why the resurgent popularity? Many of these acolytes are insistent on even using the very same image making tools and technology! Although color film (as opposed to B&W) is now the prominent medium of the hardcore, B&W and digital are still very much in orbit. But has anything truly novel been thrown into the mix as far as aesthetics, or is it merely beating the proverbial dead horse? Mr. Colberg clearly thinks the latter, and I'd pretty much have to agree. He presents the work of Fumitsugu Takedo in Ambience Decay as something positive and innovative in the genre, highlighting the prominent inclusion of close up hand and cell phone imagery as well as the extreme crops that are peppered throughout the work.

Can't say I'm sold much, and if we're gonna mention the preeminence of hand and cell phone imagery in innovative street photography, then it is somewhat disingenuous to have that conversation without mention of Jeff Marmelstein's "#nyc." If any street work qualifies as a truly innovative departure (aesthetically and perhaps even... morally?)- certainly that would be it (whether to your taste or not)! Perhaps Mr. Colberg did mention it some five years back, or perhaps he's simply unaware of it, but to not reference it here seems a disservice... 

Perhaps street photography is doomed to be a perpetual reenactor exercise (or as I tend to think of it- endless cover bands for classic rock), or perhaps some current practitioner will open a new door. To be honest, I find the latter akin to one's progeny finding the cure for cancer; but street photography also very much falls under the category of documentary- itself a very legit and worthy avenue of pursuit. We will always need to document everyday life as best we can, as it changes with every passing year and decade- art be praised, art be damned.

The State Of...

It's not even official yet... and it's already started- again. How else can one explain the sheer, utter, nonsensical nonsense of buying Greenland or making Canada our 51st. state....

Four - more - fucking - years - of this shit!

Fade Into You

When I first heard Fade Into You by Mazzy Star, I thought the hauntingly ethereal ballad just had to be an English band- don't ask me the 'logic' involved. And that Hope Sandoval's exotic looks could be attributed to her Eastern European family's immigration to the island nation. Damn, sometimes I just love when I am so spectacularly wrong! Try an LA band with a Mexican-American singer...