Night Visions

Night Visions

Streets, dark, empty

musical noir sax

hits exotic highs

filling the emptiness

of broken sidewalks

illuminated by the moon.

Firecrackers ablaze

while street lamps flicker

burnt fog lurks

through narrow corridors

and the stillness

speaks a jazz riff.

See more of my jazz writings at Jerry Jazz Musician

Photo taken by me and digitally enhanced.

Be Thankful For Your Job

First let me say that though I never have been able to relate to Charles Bukowski in any way, shape or form,  this quote was perfect for this particular blog post.

There are those of us who have careers, those who work regular jobs to pay bills and put food on the table and those who have no income at all.  

I have never been career minded at all.  I have always wanted to write poetry and take photos.  However, I was never able to make a living on these creative pursuits.  I have been paid at times, I have won awards and a trip to Hong Kong for my poetry of which I am very thankful.

I work the everyday 9 to 5 as most people, though in my case it's 12 to 8.  It's easy to complain about a job as Bukowski has so bluntly described with the above quote.  We all complain to some extent about our jobs.  I know I do, until I "saw the light" so to speak about what I do each day.

My main job is to take photos of products and write descriptions while promoting these products online.  So, essentially I am being paid for my photography and writing. Not to mention I am learning something new each day.

It is all in the way you look at things.  I am grateful and thankful for the opportunity to make a living doing what I love to do.  Changing our attitude creates happiness.

The Work of Photographer Jonathan Heierle

The Lighthouse by Jonathan Heierle

I seldom write reviews on this blog unless I find something that catches my eye and leaves me speechless.  Yesterday I was perusing Craigslist under the artist section in order to get an idea of what type of platform I wanted to use to create a small portfolio of my abstract art.  While viewing the ads I came across the photography of Jonathan Heierle who is a high school student in the Bay Area.

His lighthouse photo which is displayed above had me simply stunned.  The composition and perspective in this shot is something truly amazing.  It is very difficult, as a photographer to achieve an "in the moment" shot which is exactly what this photo displays.  Had I come across this photo and not known anything about the photographer I would have thought it was shot by a professional who has been in the business for years.

Jonathan's black and white photo gallery shows the ordinary captured in an extraordinary way and with an eye that sees beyond what is actually there.  I wish I had that same eye.  You can see more of his black and white shots by visiting http://jonathanheierle.photoshelter.com/gallery/Black-and-White/G0000vTx5ugln.rg/

Those of you who know me and my work know that I love beach and water scenes.  This particular shot is fantastic for many reasons.  First, the perspective and composition.  Most photographers would take a shot with the sun smack in the middle of the scene.  By displaying the sun at the side of this shot, it gives you a whole new meaning to the scene.  It has an air of action to it with the free flowing water and sky that goes on forever. You have a setting sun, waves, sky and footprints in one shot that looks as if it could be an oil painting - it's just that good. Most importantly the colors and hues are true and real.  It's not photo shopped to death as many photographers think they need to do.  Reality is the key.

It is monumentally difficult to capture action shots, whether it be bike racing, sports photography or simply a hummingbird flitting around the garden.  This shot is the perfect example of what an action shot should achieve.  You have a clear and crisp shot with a dreamy feel background which is important in these types of photos.  You want the action to stand out.  I think Jonathan would be able to capture some great action videos with his eye and lens.

As I mentioned, Jonathan's work left me speechless which never happens except on Wordless Wednesday.  Seriously though,  I see Jonathan as having a great career in photography.  He has begun at an early age photographing with heart and passion.  I predict he will achieve greatness with his chosen field.

For more information, details and photo galleries you can visit Jonathan's website at: http://jonathanheierle.photoshelter.com/

Thank you.

Thursday Two Questions Meme - Photo Editing

ORIGINAL PHOTO

In Black and White

In Blue

I took this photo at Metson Lake and decided to play around with it using my photo software program which was already on the computer when I bought my laptop.  I am one who does not like tweaked photos as I always like the true essence of an original photo.  The only thing I do tweak is the focus because I use my zoom lens much of the time.

However, I decided to play around with the original on this shot and change the colors.  While I do like the black and white shot, I still enjoy the original much more.

So many people use photoshop and tweak their photos to a point where they look fake and for me REAL is what's important in photography.

My 2 ?'s this week are:

1.  Do you use any type of photo editing software?

2. Do you prefer tweaked or the original photo?

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Sundays In My City - Tribute To San Francisco

The San Francisco Botanical Gardens

Alcatraz Island San Francisco

Japanese Tea Garden San Francisco

The Embarcadero #4 Downtown San Francisco

The San Francisco Zoo Train

On A San Francisco High by the Sony Holland Duo www.sonyholland.com

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Watery Wednesday #174 Transamerica Redwood Park

Taken at Transamerica Redwood Park in San Francisco

Thursday Two Questions Meme - Photography

With camera in hand, I am always looking for beautiful subjects to post on this blog and bring to you. I enjoy walking the different neighborhoods and photographing people's front yards and decorations. I am however a bit apprehensive in getting too close. I sometimes feel as if I am invading their privacy by conducting a photo shoot. My two questions are:

1. Do you often photograph neighbors flowers, homes and yards?

2. If so, do you feel as if you are invading their privacy?


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Visit my new blog Collectibles Mercantile

Thursday Two Questions #10

1. What do you do to pass the time on an airplane? I took this shot atop the hill at Seton Medical Center while visiting Carmen. The planes fly very low in that area and with my zoom lens I was really pleased with this shot. For me, I like listening to music for a short flight or sleeping on a long flight.


2. What In The World Caused This? I'll give you a hint, it has to do with photography settings.


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Shadow Shot Sunday - Stonestown Galleria San Francisco

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St. Cecilia Church Stained Glass

St. Cecilia's Church was where we attended services and where we all went to school for eight years. Growing up we were constantly attending some sort of event within the church. I have to admit I hadn't been there in decades. I was in the neighborhood the other day and decided to stop by and take photos. This church is gorgeous inside. The altar is shrouded in gold leaf and the architecture is stunning. I walked in and there was only one other person there. I focused on the altar and took literally dozens of shots. No matter where I stood, what lens I used or even what setting I used, each photo was so blurry, you could not even make out what I was shooting.

I thought for a minute something happened to the camera so I decided to then focus on the stained glass. When I shot the photos initially not only could you see the stained glass windows but the panels and architecture around the windows. The above shot was taken of the inside dome with the choir area around the stained glass. I could see all this through the LCD screen while taking the shots. I get home, upload the photos and here is the result. All the backgrounds were black. I have absolutely no idea why. Is it a camera thing? or was someone up there trying to tell me something. It is not the first time I've experienced an unusual situation in that church. At any rate, I decided to go ahead and show you these stained glass windows because they are beautiful.

Orchids from Sloat Garden Center

The staff at Sloat Garden Center in San Francisco were kind enough to allow me to take photos in their nursery. The orchids were wild, exotic and gorgeous so I thought I'd share a few shots with you. Enjoy!

Night and Day - Moon View

Taken with my new camera

Spring Flowers Haiku

Spring flowers
paint my garden
with blossoms

From my latest photography and haiku book - Petals Unfold
A portion of the sales from each book will be donated to the San Francisco Botanical Gardens.

Mellow Yellow Monday & Macro Monday

Make sure and visit the participants at Mellow Yellow Monday and Macro Monday for some creative entries.

Water Droplets

Photos taken around my neighborhood with the Olympus SP-600UZ 12MP Digital Camera with 15x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD