Photography is my latest recurring obsession to make it back to the front of what I am doing. I have been cruising Flickr and checking out other people’s photography. I have been reading some tutorials here and there. I upgraded my Flickr account to pro. And I finally bought a new digital camera. (I don’t want to go into a review here). And with all that come some thoughts about photography’s place in life.

Photography Is Art

This morning I read an article over on Phil Coffman’s blog asking about the difference between photography from a photographer’s perspective and a designer’s perspective. I commented over there, so won’t repeat all that here, but it has got me thinking again about my definition of art.

Art is the deliberate attempt to convey emotion through a creative element.

Keep in mind, this is my definition for art and it is a working definition. By working, I mean that it works for me, but I am still working through it. This definition (or some slight variation thereof), has been my guideline for artistic endeavors for almost 13 years (long before I would have considered myself an artist).

There are 4 words in that definition that speak to me (and that whole discussion probably deserves its own post). Deliberate. Convey. Emotion. Creative. (Seriously. That (art and my definition of it) needs its own post because there is a lot packed into those few sentences.)

So photography is art when it is deliberate or intentional and conveys emotion to the viewer and is presented with an eye towards the creative. Phil’s question was about how much post-production work on your photographs takes it out of the realm of photograph and into the realm of design. My answer is, basically, it doesn’t matter. If it is art (see above definition), it is art. If it is not, then it is not.

Whether I set out to capture the perfect photograph with all the right settings and take it straight off my digital and go get a huge 20×30 printed of it with no post-production work or whether I capture the things I see and sit down tweak them on my computer is not the issue. The issue, I think, is intentionality and creativity and the conveyance of emotion. Art is not random or accidental. There is beauty in the “randomness” of our surroundings, but it is the intentional creation that makes it art.

So hone your “art”. Be deliberate. Create a scavenger hunt for yourself. Make a list of 30 things (emotions) you want to capture. Allow yourself 36 shots to get them in. Ideally use film (if you have a decent film camera). If your stuck going digital, get out an old memory card that will only allow you 40 shots or so. Don’t use delete and go home when you’re full.

Photography Is Social Commentary

One of the great things about Flickr is that it allows you to share your photos with friends. Whether snapshots of the new baby or artistic nature pics, you can allow others to view, comment on, and potentially download and use your photos.

• Photography connects people. You can’t help but look into a photograph and feel a bit of what the people captured there are feeling.
• Photography take you places. Whether you have been there before, photography transports you into other lands and introduces you to people you may have never met.
• Photography connects us with our past. Even badly taken old snapshots will bring back the most distant memories.

My friend Bryan (who is an amazing amateur photographer) wrote a post recently about why he takes photos.

Photo taken by Bryan Villarin

When I’m using the Metro or walking the streets of Los Angeles, everyone is in their own world. Their earbuds are in place with music blasting. Others have their eyes on a page in a book or newspaper, reading their favorite fiction or catching up on the latest news. But, I know that each person on that subway or light rail car has a story. I want to capture that, even if no words can be exchanged.

…

In a society where communication is so easy through the internet, we see each other face to face less frequently. I’m trying to bring that back, somehow.

Go read the whole post. Seriously. (and check out his photos).

Modern social media tools like Flickr let us become this generation’s photojournalists. We don’t have to wait for some professional to publish his/her pictures in a magazine or newspaper. We can be instantly transported around the world, connected to other people, and transported back in time.

Whether you are a parent documenting the family’s progress, an amateur photographer documenting the life around you, or a minister, teacher or club sponsor who is living life with people, take the time to take photographs. Spend time looking at other people’s photographs. Visit the world. Meet new people. Document your history, not just world history. And take other people along with you.

Putting It All Together

So photography is art and social commentary. And with today’s technologies, we are the artists and it is our world to comment on. Unleash your camera and creativity on the world. Be deliberate and creative in your photography and share it so others can learn and grow and journey with you.

ChrisMarsden.com will return shortly as an extensive about me and contact page, but my writings and consulting/design work has moved here to No More Box. I have a dream that one day the two sites (and others) will overlap fluidly in one beautiful extension of who I am, but for now lets just say that there are some boxes that are not easily broken out of.

There is a little more behind the scenes coding that needs to happen here to make the site fully functional the way I want it to be, but it is fully usable, at this point. Feature articles will be on the home page and the rest of my writing will be listing in reverse chronological order on the blog.

http://flickr.com/photos/cruciformity

Anyways… the actual problem that triggered the crappy day (which turned into a crappy weekend) was a failing hard drive. The creepy part of the whole scenario was that this exact hard drive had the same problem 3-6 months ago. I stuck it on a shelf (I have pack rat issues) and ruled it out. But when my other POS (that’s point of sale, not what you were thinking (although its that too)) started having problems, I tried this computer again on a last ditch attempt.

And it worked. It has worked for the last month.

Until it didn’t.

So after a long weekend of debating my options (rebuild data from paper and accept missing data vs. sending off for recovery ($900-3900), I was pretty much worn out. So why not plug the hard drive in for one more try. What do I have to lose, right?

And it worked. Sort of. But it at least worked well enough to get my data back.

And that’s why I quit my potential IT career. I couldn’t deal with intermittent problems. How can you feel confident that you have fixed something if you didn’t actually do anything and the problem just goes away (and comes back).

But this has got me thinking about relationships and human interaction issues. Do we have solid consistent connections with reality and others? Or… Do people see as intermittent problems? We are inconsistent, so avoiding us for fear of the uncertainty of how we’ll react.

I try hard (especially over the last year or two) to be consistently me. Good or bad, I’m me. You see the beauty of a consistent problem is that it is recognizable and addressable. Often, it is recognizable before it becomes a critical problem. So while I want to consistently me and have that me be a problem free experience, I want my problems and issues to be consistent as well.

So for future computer experiences and for my own life, I pray for problem free experiences. But when there are problems, lets hope for some consistency so we can identify the problem, troubleshoot it, and move on with life.

June 17th is Firefox Download Day.

Help Set a World Record and get your hands on one of the greatest browsers ever. It doesn’t matter what OS you are running (within reason), Firefox has a version for you.

Check it out.

Tags: firefox, download day, world record

Are you a photographer with a ton of pictures you are just dying to sell?

Do you just want something free?

Lia, over at Gadgenista, is giving away two free books from Blurb. Not her book… your book.

You can enter until June 8th. Use it for yourself or for a gift. One of the best things about blurb is you can actually leave your book online in their store and sell copies to others if you really want.

(jon and bryan, I have you in mind here. both of you should have something to publish, I am sure).

Tags: justice, crime

I am now a professional blogger!

Seriously.

I have been kicking the idea around for quite a while. Debating about whether I should try and set up my own niche site or join a network or what. I want to write and I want to help people. Blogging seems such a natural easy way to do that.

So anyways… I was surfing on problogger’s job board, not expecting to find anything (at least anything that fits me) and sure enough, they were looking for a Mac blogger who could cover GTD apps as well.

Ding!

So as of last night, it is official. I am a b5media.com blogger on TheAfterMac.com. Stop by and check it out. I will see you at TheAfterMac.com soon.

BTW… I do not forsee this in lessening the posts here at ChrisMarsden.com. In fact, the constant research and writing has given me more to write about, so stay tuned here, as well.

I have spent the last couple days and will be spending the next couple days evaluating how I work. I am looking at what is the most efficient way to get things done, how to manage myself, and which programs to use for what.

At the start of this process, I am using Qumana to write blog posts, NewsFire to read my RSS and Firefox to surf. I am also using Apple Mail, gmail, twitter (via phone and twhirl), Addressbook and ical. There are other programs I am using here and there, but the part of the problem is that I am not using them. OmniFocus is being neglected. Quiken and Quickbooks are being updated only as often as I have to. My text editors are sitting in my dock collecting dust.

Also, I don’t like all of the programs on the list. And while I have Quicksilver installed, I am not using it to its full extent. So I am re-working it all. I am going to try alternatives. I am going to play with quicksilver to get more seamless integration. I am going to schedule things through my week. I am going to follow my junk mail rule on Internet sites. I am going to close firefox everyday (as opposed to leaving 10 or 15 tabs for tomorrow which becomes 43 that I closed yesterday). I am going to practice inbox zero. I am going to have an inbox.

I could go on, of course, but you get the idea. There needs to be organization and order in my life. My mind needs to "flow like water".

—-

Stay tuned for a big-ish announcement later today (or tomorrow).

BTW… I know I didn’t link to any of those apps. Rest assured I will be writing about what each of them does and how I use them and their alternatives in the near future. If you are impatient and must know now… try google.

Quote: "I want two things that are mutually opposed - I want to live a nice little life, and I want to play an important role in God’s kingdom." - John Eldredge, Walking with God (ht-tony sheng)

75 Things Men Should Be Able to Do - From Esquire (ht-Jordan cooper)

A couple of my favorites:
21. Argue with a European without getting xenophobic or insulting soccer.
32. Describe a glass of wine in one sentence without using the terms nutty, fruity, oaky, finish, or kick.
68. Find his way out of the woods if lost.

Thinker Labs - Free stuff for church.

12 Films in 12 Months - An interesting idea. I’ve only watched one so far.

Microsoft Home Use - I need to look more into this.

Sidewalk Psychiatry - This could be a good template for urban, spontaneous, non-destructive, temporary artistry.

When My oldest was a bit younger, she used to struggle getting her shirt off. So I taught her my "trick" and now she can dress and undress herself with ease. Sometimes she still needs help, but mostly she does ok.

Now her little sister is at that stage and so the other day I taught her my trick. And sure enough, after a tentative start and only a little help, she got her shirt off all by herself.

So yesterday, My oldest is trying to turn her socks right side out. So she is taking the toe and trying to shove it back into the sock. So I showed her my "trick." She was impressed, of course, at having such a brilliant daddy, but what impressed me was that she did it this morning, all by herself. (of course the little one went to school with inside out socks. she doesn’t know the trick yet.)

I don’t know about you, but I get excited when I can teach someone something. And it is always the little things that get me most excited. The ability to take off your shirt and put your socks on the right way are pretty basic, but so much more satisfying than teaching 2 + 2 = 4.

And it is true in other areas too. Teaching complex thoughts, while deep and profound, are far less satisfying to me than seeing someone get a basic concept that changes their life.

So my little can take her shirt off now (which explains why she came to the dinner table naked) and my oldest can get her socks turn right side out. I am a proud daddy and can’t wait to teach them something new.

A New Adventure Begins

This summer is going to bring with it some huge changes. Huge changes for this site. Huge changes for my company, No More Box. Huge changes for my life (did I mention we are having another baby and it’s a girl). Things are going to be different and it is going to be an adventure.

Except…

That word adventure keeps getting stuck in my brain. When I write it like that… Adventure… it feels ok. But when I think about putting it on my business card (presently designing a new one), or on my about page (did I mention I was redesigning the site), it comes out as Chris Marsden… Adventurer.

And that, I guess, is an accurate description. I am Chris Marsden and I am engaging in the adventures of life.

Except…

I keep picturing myself climbing to the Summit of Denali (Mt. McKinley to most people), or more likely dying/giving up trying to climb to the summit of Denali. Maybe it’s just the PBS special I watch the other night, but that’s adventure.

Except…

I think I had it right the first time. Adventure is life. Or at least it should be. Too often we get stuck in the rut of getting through life instead of embracing the twist and turns, whatever they may be, and embarking on adventure. If necessary, that adventure will lead me all the way to the backyard, or the grocery store, or perhaps Disney World. Of course it could lead me further. It could lead me to actually climb Denali (unlikely since I heard it is kinda cold up there).

The key, I think, is to embrace whatever adventure is thrown your way.

As a famous man in a yellow suit once said to a curious monkey, "you brought adventure to my life." Now I don’t plan to wear yellow anytime soon, and it is not to a monkey but to the three (about to be four) wonderful women in my life, but "You brought adventure to my life."

So…

New adventures begin. Life gets a little messier (literally with a new baby), and we keep going. My new business card, about page, and email signature will include adventurer in the job description, and someday maybe I’ll go on the kind of adventures that get you into National Geographic or on PBS. And if not, at least I’ll know that my life was filled with adventure.

Thanks girls (and little one yet to be).

[btw... anyone else in the mood to hear Jack Johnson Now?]