Tag Archives: Eye, Heart & Mind

Color, Philosophy of Street, Street, Streetshooter

Nikon Coolpix A … The Streets of Philly

May 19, 2015 streetshooter 8 Comments

There comes a time for me when I need freedom. It’s not the camera that gives me the need for freedom, it’s the freedom to be able to change to a different camera. I’m working with the Oly Pen EP-5 and the Fuji X100s. So it was a day to take out Walker the Nikon Coolpix A.

So beings a screen camera Walker lends himself to working the streets really fine. I don’t feel different aesthetically or emotionally with the Coolpix but yet I know there’s something going on whenever I change cameras. I don’t now what it it is but it’s something I tell ya.

I can’t write because it’s election day and there’s not one politician in office or that wants to be that will address the POW/MIA issue and fuck if I’ll vote for anyone that doesn’t support the issue.

seeya’s later………..

Black & White, Dreamcatcher, Inspired Eye, Philosophy of Street, Street

Philly Street Shots

May 13, 2015 streetshooter 8 Comments

It’s been said that I make strange photos. To me they aren’t as strange as they may be to you. I think the jury is out on this.

I’m walking around the streets that I am very familiar with and then something attracts me and I see something that triggers my thoughts and feelings. If this doesn’t happen, I don’t make the photo. I guess that’s why I have always been a light shooter. That means that I don’t make many photos in a day. I’m trying to SEE my photo and not just look for it. The upper right of this frame is a poster on the glass and I’ve been looking at it for 3 days. Today, I was walking to the Veterans fair at Municipal Services Plaza and I stopped dead in my tracks. I said, hey shooter, that poster is a block down the street, lets you and I go check it out and see if we can make it today. Well, I thought, who the hell are you anyway but it was a good idea. Si as I walked and got close to the poster all the sudden this woman sits down and I was shaking and then I saw this gy leaning against the wall and I was really getting excited. The woman was looking to the left for the bus and I raised the camera. I framed tight and then as if all things would be right in the universe, she turns to me and stares at my lens….click!

I have passed thru the center of City Hall countless times thru my life. I love the light under there and it always brings the feelings of going to the light or the hereafter. There’s just something about the light that grabs me. I like the photo. It’s not a real winner but it represents how and what I felt at the moment of exposure. For that reason, for me it works.

I’m going to be starting the One a Shoot thing again and Olivier and I are getting the Forum back up and running.

More tomorrow……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Black & White, Dreamcatcher, Inspired Eye, Philosophy of Street, Street

Messages From The Streets of Philadelphia

May 12, 2015 streetshooter 10 Comments

Messages may come at you in a number of ways and even in different forms. Like when I’m sitting on the couch sipping some ice cold lemonade, my wife looks at me and I get the message very fast and well. She kinda raises a brow, loses the smile that made me want to spend time with her and gets this cold air coming from her like an air conditioner. This message is, the dishes are dirty and you have to get them clean.

Like the woman in this photo, (points up). She had a message for me and I understood it really well. Well, see, Olivier doesn’t like me cursing on the blog but this woman was sending me a four letter word that starts with F and ends in K and has a uc in the middle. I was minding my business and then I walked to this window and saw this woman standing there and I could see the back of her head. I thought to my self, self, for this to work she needs to be sending you t F uc K yOU to my eyes and she needs to be in the center of that arm. Well, I looked at her and sent her a psychopathic shooter message with my street mind. She turned and looked me dead in the eyes and ya know, Ithink even youse alls can tell the message she’s sending to me.

This is the 8th street Elevated Stop. I see these lights for years and I know there’s a photo but I never make it cause I don’t see it. I had Walker the Oly Pen EP-5 and the Lumix 14mm that thinks it’s a 28mm, mounted. I looked at the lights and all the sudden I realized that I was falling prey to everything I teach about photography. I was seeing these light in a literal frame of mind for years and I couldn’t see a photo but knew it was there. Then I got a message from ET and it said make the photo stupid. So I new that I was to make a photo and make it so that the photo ived on it’s own without the actual reality to fall back on. I saw this guy walking and he had his arm up and well, that seemed normal for Philly.

I defocused Walker and he got nervous and I said, breathe Walker and he did. Then from out of nowhere, ET started to walk into the frame and… click I think ET was trying to take the El and go home. Imagine that.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that if we are in the here and now and making photos, just remember that others like ET are in the here and now also. The messages you send are equal to the messages you receive. These messages are your connection to humanity and trust me, as bad as it may seem at times, it’s the only game in town so get into it and take your camera because while there are many in the here and now around you, you are part of a limited number of poets in out society, your a street shooter, is there anything better?

till tomorrow………………………………………..shooter out……………………………………………………

Dreamcatcher, Inspired Eye, Philosophy of Street, Street, Street Photography

Messages From The Street

May 8, 2015 streetshooter 8 Comments

So this streetshooter guy writes all this stuff and I read everything but don’t always agree with him. It’s a no a problem for all youse out there but for me it is cause he tells me I’m him but I don’t believe it cause if I look in the mirror I see me and not him. Then he tells me that I think like him but that’s not likely cause I try to think like me and not let him add to the confusion I’m in right now. Then of course my camera’s gotta get in to the mix and now I have a major conversation going on. I tell my shrink about this and he tells me he’s going to vacation and he will hell sort this out after I do so I don’t need to bother him with this, so I’ll just lay it on youse alls.

There’s something about a Pen camera that defies words for a definition. The Pen EP-5 takes the Pen to an entirely new level. They really nailed it with this version. I’m using the Lumix 20mm 1.7II and the Lumix 14mm. Not selling anything so that’s that.

There’s something about freedom on the street that I find to be an oxymoron. I mean, there’s a sense of freedom I experience to make photos and yet at times I feel self conscious about doing just that. How the hell is that freedom? Well I don’t know and on the other end of the spectrum, these freedoms granted and protected here in the USA by the Constitution are under scrutiny and attack. So Freedom under all definitions are becoming a thing of the past.

So for now., maybe we should just be aware of the freedoms we have and cherish them. This also means that with a camera out there, don’t be nervous about MAKING photos. Being disrespectful will have you TAKING photos and thus creating guilt for doing so.

Taking VS Making

Taking photos implies taking something from the environment or people that your pointing the camera at. There are cultures that believe that when you take a photo of them you capture the soul. Many of our fore fathers photographers didn’t believe this and well, they met an untimely demise. Street shooters back then were smarter. They went to tribes etc and used Leica’s and Nikon’s cause they could run away faster.

So taking implies that you are TAKING something from your subject. This will lead you to feel guilty and thus pass that energy to the subject and that creates the mental blocks that hinder your work. It’s because you’re taking something and usually without asking. So this is something to think about and ponder when you working but………

Making photos is kinda the same as taking except for the INTENT. Your heart and mind are working in a way that is more creative, without guilt and free to just breathe photography. There is no guilt involved because you are making photos and not taking anything. This may seem like a sill obvious point but rest assured, it is very intense and serious. Just try this for yourself and do it for a few trips out. You will feel a difference and see a difference in what your doing.

Attitude is what we wear and thus what we project. So if your out there and cop an attitude and are Taking photos, well your energy invites some sort of conflict. You don’t have to look hard or fa to find confrontation, it’s all over. I’m not saying that Making photos is a sure fire way to avoid confrontation but I am saying that you shouldn’t have guilt. As such if something happens, your more likely able to neutralize the situation.

Even if there is no confrontation, there is internally in our hearts and minds. Just the thought of the words Take and Make conjure up many different emotions. These things are important because they are devices that can and will take us from the here and now or the Decisive Moment. If we aren’t in the here and now, where the hell are we and what are we doing and why?

Inspired Eye, Philosophy of Street, Street, Street Photography, Streetshooter

Streetshooter … Thoughts and Findings … Defining and Finding “Intent”

May 5, 2015 streetshooter 11 Comments

Sometimes I just want to make photos and not for any other reason then the enjoyment it gives me. Whenever I do tho’, I feel guilty. I feel like I’m not working which is bullcrap. I mean I still get my 5 miles walk in. I’m still carrying my camera. I’m still trying to find my photos and trying to allow my photos to find me.I would think it’s a matter of intent but I know that is wrong. My intent is to make photos. I feel that everytime I pick up the camera, Hmmmm. So what is happening when I feel that I’m somehow working different but I’m not.

So if I’m doing things kinda the way I do things and I’m thinking about things the way I do and the camera is too, where is the variable?

Maybe it’s not me at all. Maybe theres some kinda Kinetic energy from the subject matter that is working in a strange way and maybe I am responding to that energy in a different way. Nah, even if that’s true, I can’t let it alone like that. I am accountable for everything I do and make in this world. There are no accidents and there is only my incompetence or inability to deal with life and all things living or dying or dead. So that must mean photographically that I am the origin of my work and I don’t accept that. I believe that I am only partially the origin of the work. That must mean that I am only partially accountable for the things that’s don’t work. Mayne this sounds like a bunch of contradictions and maybe you think you don’t have these issues but I beg to tell you that you do. I see it as more an act of discovery. I’m 65 and been a shooter all my life but doing something for a long time don’t make it right, it just makes it a long time coming.

It is also said that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is insanity. I have my VA Shrink, what’s your excuse? So maybe it’s the fact that I work in Center City all the time, well, most of the time that is finally taking a toll on me. Funny, I was shooting Market Street for a while last year and I felt like this. So I took the Elevated Train out to 69th & Market. I walked around about 90 minutes, went back to Center City and worked for 5 months and never felt stifled. That alone amazes me. I mean it’s not like going to Paris for vacation. It’s just a few miles away from my normal stomping grounds.When I’m having these moments, even changing cameras means nothing. I just see the same shit with a different camera.

I write this because I know everyone with a camera goes thru this. It’s normal and it might seem like the doldrums will never pass. Well, let me point a beam of light onto the subject. I think for me, it’s more internal then external. I mean if I bring up the old preconceptions that are harbored in my mind and heart then my eyes shall see them as old preconceptions. Regardless of my intent, I am destined to fail.Sure, I’ll make photos and sure I’ll probably like some but, I wont get what I am looking for because I am not connected on all levels.

Here’s some things I discovered and figured out. I am not claiming to be the inventor or Doctor of Photography. I am just a guy that’s made photography a very important of my existence and these are things I try to live by.

There are 3 facets to photography. Eye, Heart and Mind. The Important thing is INTENT. Try to visualize a Pie. In the center is INTENT. Equally at three points are Eye, Heart and Mind. There are 3 parts because Intent is why you do things and not how you do things. The other 3 are how you do things. All parts are the sum of one and effect each other at different times.

Now I am distracted on the streets and don’t know why. SoMy intent is to make photos and my heart and eye are working together butmy mind is preoccupied with why it isn’t working right.

So if the center of the pie is intent and lets say, that’s where the photo wants to live,it’s impossible because even tho my intent is good and my mond and eye are good, my mind is on vacation so I can’t get what I want because the system is failing. All parts must work and if one part doesn’t, well, don’t fight or pressure yourself like me, just go with the flow and in time it will fix itself.

Thee is a place I try to live in most times but I can’t be there all the time because I’m human as you and it’s impossible. The place is called, “The Here and Now”. To get there you must apply the principals I just described. If you don’t know where this is, it’s no on a map, it’s not found by Google, no GPS will get you there. The only way is to Understand and LOVE your Eye, Heart and Mind and then when your out shooting, pay attention to the MOMENT because that’s where you need to be to be in the HERE and NOW.

If you think this is nonsense, well look at your work. I promise you that this is where your images live. They may only speak visually but you need to be able to understand why and how you came together with the. If your not in the here and now with your camera, where the hell are you and why?

Dreamcatcher, Inspired Eye, Philosophy of Street, Street Photography, Streetshooter

Philly Streets … More thoughts and Findings … Olympus Pen EP-5

April 27, 2015 streetshooter 8 Comments

I seem to get intoxicated with life on the streets and then it has a flavor of just life. See the streets are life but life is not only the street. Remember that. It means you can make photos of any damn thing you want and it’s legal and ok to do it with intent. I remember being in Nam and we were on a mission to check around Chu Lai base perimeter from the outside. I wanted a smoke, didn’t have a lighter so I asked Sgt Biggie for a light. He tosses me a Zippo. Listen, a grunt ain’t no grunt ain’t got a Zippo. So I lite my smoke and then look at the lighter. It was silver colored but tarnished with blood, sweat and tears. On the lighter was an inscription that read….“For those who fought for it, Life has a flavor the protected will never taste”. I instantly grokked that and I remember it as a memory for living.

Photography shooter, don’t drift off again….OK LET ME GET TOO THE POINT

Margaret Bourke White is quoted as saying…..“No eyes ever will, nor ever shall, see what I see now.” Well, She was a grunt in photography and all grunts grok her words. She was a warrior in life and her words equal for photographers what the grunts words mean for the Infantry. See, the point is that we must be warriors in life. As photographers we must do our work without fear of acceptance or rejection by others or by ourselves. We do our work because we must. We don’t define our work, it defines us. It makes us who we are and shows us the way to become who and what we strive to be.

Maybe you are the person that doesn’t take your photography serious. That’s fine and I hope you are satisfied with what you are doing. I see it kinda like this but it’s not a solid vision because it changes as time goes on. Who are we responsible to with our work. I don’t mean a job like weddings etc, I mean our real work, the work from the heart and soul, our personal work. When you release the shutter are you thinking about where the image will go and where and who will see it? Will they like it. Will they accept it and will they accept you. If they do accept you, will they always? The hardest part of our process is to see our own work. We have a tendency to want to please others and also want to be accepted. That’s all very nice but if it’s effecting your work, and it is, it becomes a problem quick. The thing is that we are effected by input and that in turn effects our output. The worse part of input is when it comes from inside us. That’s the stuff that has the strongest effect on us because it’s self generated and we have little control over it.

Here’s a quick thing I realize, I need to express more about this. I remember my Mother asking me why I did so much photography and how I loved it all my life. I told her that when I die and am on my deathbed and THE LORD comes to me, I will say that I lived the best life I could and that I am ready to go, I wouldn’t mind some more time but I’m ready. This moment can happen for me at any second and I feel that.

I think the fear in living is dying. The you get to the slab and lay there naked and you realize, OMG, I wasted my life. I should have done this, and that…………..

What this means in photography is that you come in alone and you go out alone. It’s your camera and your life. Make photos for you and if others like them along the way and maybe buy them or collect them, wonderful, but if that’s why you made them. That’s a waste of love and life.

Who Loves Ya Baby…………

…………………………………………………………….shooter out…………………………………………………………………..

Dreamcatcher, Inspired Eye, Philosophy of Street, Street, Streetshooter

April 17th, 2015 … Streetshooter Thoughts … aka The Red Shoes Syndrome

April 17, 2015 streetshooter 12 Comments

The tourist season here in Philly is just starting. It’s my favorite time of the year and I love all the travelers from all over the world coming here to find the roots of American History. Because of the clash of cultures, it provides shooters with a potpourri of things to work with. I hear tell that other places in the world have a tourist season also but I never saw it so I don’t believe it.

So when I’m on a walk-a-bout looking for the photos that want to find me, I keep me poor brain awake by thinking about things that I wanna or shoulda be thinking about. I been a thinking about the here and now. It’s a place here in Philly that I visit from time to time. There’s prolly a here and now where you are cause it’s just like Starbucks, all over the place.

Anywayz, here’s something I been pondering about and thinking about too. If we work in there Here and Now, does that rule out the past? I mean if we are using the thoughts and facts from out past, are we not in the here and now? Well, we all do that. It’s called yeah, I remember that, or maybe I thought about this before. So if we bring this to the here and now as we work, what does it mean and how does it effect us? Well we can’t get rid of the past experiences or knowledge but we have to be selective as to what we allow to penetrate our present here and now. This could be things like exposure memories, cameras, lenses etc. That’s all fine and dandy and productive but>>>>>!

What else we bring is the memories of past experience and images. We walk around looking for photos that we made or almost made and that influences what seek now and actually kinda pollutes the present. This could be a factor in cognitive repetition. I mean that we will repeat the same successes and failures until we recognize that and make a change. One way is to put your brain on vacation like I do when my wife Tanya ask me to do something I don’t want to do. She looks at me and ask, what are you looking at, I need the dishes washed. I reply, who are you and who are you talking to. She will turn away and say, Brain on VACATION. Very effective but we don’t want this for our photography.

So I think we need to find a way to compartmentalize things in our brain so the mind can be set free to wander the streets and make photos. We are never going to release the past and we are destined to live it over and over. We will make photos that are similar to what we did before because we uh…uh.. well, we are stupid that way. Yo! I ain’t the only stupid one ok, I just ain’t afraid to admit it. I wonder if this is what some call habits? hmmmm maybe.

OMG, I just realized that I been walking the streets of center city Philly and Market Street in particular for well over 40 years. Is that a habit? It might just well be but it’s a lifelong project that has no value other then to me and those that know my photography.

Ya know, If I can walk the same streets for 40 years and always find photos to make that I like and some that are even really good, why do I need to go anywhere? Why should I need some exotic place to make photos like Jersey? I don’t need to go anywhere.

Take your camera in your hand, stand tall and closes your eyes. Click your feet together 3 xs and say with each click, There’s no place like home”. Open your eyes and make photos.

Enjoy my friends and remember, I don’t trust a damn thing I write… you shouldn’t either………………………………………

Dreamcatcher, Inspired Eye, Philosophy of Street, Street Photography, Streetshooter

Ruth … The Olympus Pen EP-5 … Starts Working After 19 Months

March 31, 2015 streetshooter 4 Comments

A recap. I used to be an Admin at MU43.com and I really enjoyed the group and helping it grow. It also helped me with Micro 43 gear because the members there tested everything and posted results. So I was at home in the beginning because I loved the Pen EP-1 and ten the Pen EP-2 oh and let’s not forget the Pen EP-3 besides the Panasonic cameras and lenses.

Word came down the pike that I was leaving the forum and many wished me well and I went with BB to Amin’s other forum, Serious Compacts. Great place and crowd and many members belong to most of Amin’s forums.

Well time moved on and I heard the Pen EP-5 was being released and the specs turned me on. Ok, right from the git go, my preferred viewing system on a camera is the screen. I wrote and lectured extensively about that. So I waited a while to see what ppl were saying about the new Pen on the block. Maybe 6 months went by and finally I got a deal and bought the body. I still had a few lenses I didn’t sell so that was cool.

The camera is delivered and it’s beautiful. Olympus makes the Flagship Pens better than almost any other maker.

I open the box, put the 14mm on and wow, very happy. I decide that this camera is female and that it’s name would be Ruth after my mother. I knew it’s a good name and I was happy. Well after a week shooting and learning how the camera works and how it makes me think and work, I come homw and she’s on my shoulder. I swing her off the shoulder and there, there in the oddest place, there in the oddest place in the universe is a corner on my desk that wanted to see the camera up close. Smash!. Now there’s not much on THE LORD’S green earth that upsets me anymore. actually one thing that does is my own stupidity especially when I can’t blame someone else for what happened. I tried blaming the strap, the desk, the corner, can’t ever blame the camera. Mom always said,“I may not always be right, but I’m never wrong”. So I had to eat it and hold myself accountable.

So I contact Olympus and get a return authorization. I know that this is not covered but I don’t care, I want it fixed. The camera goes to Oly and the give me a price and I pay. The frame is mangled also that holds the tilting screen. Ok, fix it. Well about a week later the camera comes back in a beautiful box and I take it and put it on the shelf. 18 months later brings us to about now. The Pen EP-5 named Ruth has been lying in the shipping box from Oly and I never opened it. I don’t now what’s going on in my photo psyche at the moment but I do know I was to open the box and call the Pen-5 to duty. Box opening any camera is great but doing it with a Pen, well, there’s an excitement that surpasses opening an M camera. Oh, yeah, I opened many of them and this was more exciting to me.

I had already charged a battery the evening before. The elves and fairies were dancing in the air. The unicorns were standing by. Big Fish and all his friends were standing behind me waiting for the sacred moment of feeding the Pen-5 named Ruth here power to come to .

We got a call that Dr Frankenstein was on the way and he wanted to say the words that all Cameras worthy of a name love to here when the battery is inserted.“It’s alive, it’s alive”.

Tanya yelled up, Gene Wilder…uh..uh.. Dr Frankenstein is here. We were all at the ready. Everyone waited patiently to see Ruth the Pen-5 come back to life. So I took a deep breath, Winslow patted my shoulder to relax me. Like a surgeon, I opened her carefully. Her insides were exposed and I was careful to protect her. I put the battery in my right hand, picked Ruth up with my left and slowly inserted the power of life into her. There was nary a sound, not even a breath from anyone as the battery slowly butwith intent made it’s way in. Then, as if a miracle happened, the power of life battery was at home inside Ruth.

Everyone was supportive. Big Fish said, “Shooter, go for it son”. I looked around and all 1500ppl in my office were smiling at me giving me emotional support. I turned to Ruth the Pen-5 and put my hand on the switch to bring the power of Eye, Heart and Mind to focus on the moment of Power On Procedure. So I took a few deep breathe and felt Winslow patting my shoulder in support. I knew I wasn’t alone. I mean damn, 1500 ppl in my office and ppl doesn’t mean ppl, we had dragons, dinosaurs, fishes, fairies of all sorts and elves.

So, being the Veteran that I am I mustered up the courage to….FLIP THE SWITCH! Well, at once when the flipping procedure was completed, I could hear, awwww such a shame, will he be alright,..so sorry shooter, bummer and 21847 different things all in the matter of a few seconds.I looked at Ruth the Pen-5 and felt this sick feeling all the way to my soul. She didn’t start. Just a machine like some guys call a tool. No soul, no warmth, nothing, just a tool. PPL started leaving and after 45 seconds, I looked around and I was all alone, except for the dragon shit in the corner.

I get the return authorization and off she goes. I a phone call last week that they can see that I never used the camera from the shutter count but the warranty period is still over. The guy tells me that there’s serious damage to the circuit boards etc. Then he says, “Look shooter, if you pay $???? we will send you a brand new not reconditioned body just like yours. I kinda felt bad but relieved. I give him my credit card number and in 2 days, last week, there, there in the UPS man’s hand is a box that houses my new Pen-5. I quickly run up to the office and unpack the box. Now listen here folks, I didn’t tell all the friends about this so it’s kinda secret.

So I quickly put the battery in and low and behold, “She’s alive, she’s alive”.

Color, Dreamcatcher, Inspired Eye, Philosophy of Street, Street

Fuji X100s … Juxtaposes an iPhone 6 on ThE StReeT

March 25, 2015 streetshooter 5 Comments

One of the most important uses of syntax in street is Juxtaposition. Some may call it contrast and they are right in a weigh. I don’t think it weighs enough so lets call it what it is, Juxtaposition. Without it, your photos won’t work. Juxtaposition is one of the most important elements in making photos. Just like exposure and a few other things, we need to be aware of the juxtaposition we are seeing and making. Hopefully it’s not an after thought but that happens sometimes, cool beans.

Well, I’m sure you all are aware that I was an Admin at Amin’s forums for a few years. I worked MU43 and really liked the activity. I bought tons of m43 gear and my favorite was always the Olympus Pen. I have the Pen 1, 2, 3 & 5. Well, my Pen 5 was a beautiful camera and it’s name is Ruth, after my mother. Not long after I had the Pen5, I accidentally hit the corner of a table and smashed the screen. So I sent the camera in to be repaired. When it came home, I never opened the box and just put it on the camera storage shelf. This shelf is different from the camera working shelf. We, I sold off most of my m43 gear and kept the 14-42 (28 – 84) and the 14mm 2.5. Maybe there’s something else down there, dunno.

So, here’s the point. I use Andre’ the Fuji X100s and Walker the Nikon Coolpix A. So, I’m thinking, if I take Ruth the Oly Pen 5 out, then she can sport the 28mm and the 50mm which is something the Nikon Coolpix can’t do. This exercise is due to me being old and lazy and not wanting to carry 3 cameras. So I go take the box with Ruth the Oly Pen5 off the shelf and anxiously open it up. It’s been maybe 19 months.

So I pre-charged the battery and look at the beautiful Pen5. Silver shining and the design that no other camera comes close to. Can’t wait, can’t wait. The batter goes in real nice and I sit back ready to redo the menu cause I figure Oly reset the camera. Hit the button and wait for the screen to light up. Hmmm me thinks something is wrong. Put the battery in the meter and low and behold, full charge.Well,I need Tums cause at this point my stomach is having hissy fits. I’m breathing and I’m a doing all the good things Vets in Therapy do to stay calm and not go off the deep edge.

Shit, ain’t nuttin working and especially the camera. I do everything, like the button reset that I know about from the forum. Ok, hit the phone.

Hi, it’s shooter in Philly. My camera was repaired and now it won’t start. Ok, I’ll hold on. 5 minutes later, we had your camera a year and a half ago, who worked on it since and what was the problem. Well, I never opened the box when you sent it back to me. I can hear smirks in the Oly office.

Ok, Mr Shooter, I’m sending you an email with instructions to send it in. We will look at it and notify you of the cost to repair it.

I’m a happy camper. I sent the camera and in 2 days, I get a call and an email. It’s an estimate for repairs. Well, it turns out that theelectronice are fried in the camera and some other things. I want my camera. I’ll pay but I want my camera.

Mr Shooter, give me your Card info and I’m hitting it for $227.95. It will be as new with a warranty. I authorize the repair cause I want mom back. My mom died years ago and this is the only Mom I got now.

So now I can’t wait to get her back and put her to use. I know one thing in this damn world, when it arrives, I’m opening the damn box and testing her out.

One of the cool things about juxtaposition is that you get to see it before you release the shutter. It actually becomes a star on the map of your photos….. you do see this before release …..right……?

Dreamcatcher, Garden, Inspired Eye, Philosophy of Street

Homework … Penelope the Ricoh GRD 4 likes it … More Thoughts From Philly

March 23, 2015 streetshooter 4 Comments

Sometimes I get kinda art schooley and I make photos that remind me how much I still have to learn. Problem is I enrolled in the school of life a long time ago and never graduated. I was afraid of graduation cause then if I was a graduate I would be making photos of my cat and plants. I’s have too much education to do things like that. It would be beneath a life graduate to make silly simple photos. You’d need to get a pardon from the international life committee of graduated and non graduated students and that wouldn’t be easy. So of course the easiest way to do this is to make the photos and never post them anywheres. They just become records of our innocence lost. We need not worry about our peers seeing our silly photos that may mean a lot to us but we stay in the closet and not let them be borne. It’s prolly easier to come out of the closet and say your Gay or Les or Bi or Trans than saying, hey, I’m a serious photographer, Look at my cat photos.

I know none of youse ever suffer thru this situation. I know it’s my personal bullshit that makes me feel stupid silly things but nonetheless, I do feel it. Does that make sense? No matter, my Doc thinks I’m not all crazy, he swears I’m half sane and that’s a good point to hold on to. I got Penelope off the shelf and as soon as I turn her on, she turns me on. Now I think I’ll dig on the shelf again and pull someone off that hasn’t seen the light of day in a while. Tomorrow I’m on the streets again and will bell rest of week. I need to get way from the cat and the plants. They making me crazy.

So the Canon EOS M2 has found a new home thanks to ebay. Nice camera, great IQ but it has a Touch screen I cant turn off… by,enjoy your new home. I have Andre’ the Fuji X100s and Walker the Nikon Coolpix A to do the work. I have Rogers Leica M’s and some other things around if I need another camera. I don’t. My Olympus Pen EP-5 came home 15 months ago after being repaired and I never opened the box. I guess it’s fixed. Dunno, wanna just go with the flow the 2 guys can feed me.

So I am ready to go out and work in a steady manner. I prolly won’t stop my Homework or Plant Life stuff cause I love and don’t have to stop.That stuff satisfies on a different level but it is very satisfying and I will keep looking for photos.

Isn’t that what real photographers do, they can make good photos of anything with any camera. I envy them there ppls cause I’m not that.I always wanted to be a good all arounf photographer.I worked that life pursuing that dream and fell short always.

I guess I just have to be a Human Being with a camera, sheeeeesh… go figure

Street Photography Chronicles by Don Springer