WHAM Mission to Nicaragua

     I have posted this video for those who have requested to view it before it is finalized. This is a collection of photos and video made into a multi-media project to be presented to the parish of The Holy Comforter Episcopal Church. Members of WHAM (We Have a Mission) went to Nicaragua to establish a presence in a village called Cusmapa. The youth of the church spent time with the students of the Miramar School along with helping to make aesthetic improvements to benefit the village and school in Cusmapa. The young adults did a really great job and recorded their experiences through photos and journal entries. I decided against using footage of individual interviews simply because there were so many participants in the interviews that it made the video too long. I think we compiled a good selection of photos and along with the group interviews got the point across very efficiently.

Photography is not Art

     A photograph is an object. It is a scientific discovery. A record of light. A piece of history. Art is not an object. If art was an object than any man made or natural thing would be art. Every element, every atom, every disease, every living thing, and every non-living thing. How can art be this generalized? If art is everything than art is really nothing.  Is a tree art? If so than who is the creator? If the creator is god, or alah,  or just a random act that was predetermined during the evolution of the universe than the person that photographs it is a copyist.
      I remember the first time someone asked me "if a tree falls in the woods, and there is nobody there to hear it,  does it make a sound." The answer is no. Sound exists because life exists.  When a tree falls in the woods it produces waves that radiate out from it like waves produced in a lake after a rock is thrown into it. Living things, like human beings, have ears that interpret those waves and produce what we call sound.
      While the Mona Lisa hangs in a gallery it exists as an object. Without the company of human influence it is nothing more.  The art in an object happens during it's creation and viewing, not as it hangs in a gallery, suspended in space with no human interaction. Art is the relationship between the artist and his work. Art happens when a connection/relationship between artist and viewer is established. Art is not a painting, a drawing, a photograph, or a sculpture.
     Science is based on facts produced by studying the behavior of things during observation. Science studies how. Art and religion study why. Art and religion are related concepts. The word religion is a latin term that means "to tie things together." One of the most important concepts taught by religion is man/woman's relationship with her/his neighbor. Strong relationships with our friends and family define who we are and give us a reason for living. Without them we are lost.

Mary at the Beach

I took Mary to the beach today.  She loves the mild weather and always wants to go outside and chase the squirrels. It is the highlight of her day. There are also a lot of rabbits for her to chase. She has reunited with her friend Pearl and they play every day. Pearl is my parent's dog. Mary still follows me everywhere I go but she has adapted well to her new environment. She is the most loyal companion and the greatest dog ever.

I've forgotten more about lying than most people ever know.

     I have like 20 points on my drivers license for various violations.  Fortunately for me the Florida DMV is so disorganized they are unaware of it and have not suspended my license.
     I was driving through a suburb of Chicago working on some real estate photos the other day and was not aware of how fast I was going. I was stopped for speeding and the police officer said I was going 20 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. I knew I was going to have to be pretty creative in order to get out of this ticket. When the officer asked for my drivers license I told him it got suspended after I was arrested for my second DUI. He said what about registration? I told him the registration was in the glove compartment next to a .38 caliber pistol that I used to kill the fellow I had stuffed in the trunk. He began to back away from the vehicle clenching his pistol while using his radio to call for back-up.
     Within a few minutes more than five police cars had me completely surrounded. The chief of the local police department, who was an expert negotiator, was sent over to have a little one-on-one talk with me. He asked me my name and I handed him my drivers license like there was no issue. He said "I thought you didn't have a drivers license." I said "sure I have one" and I assured him it was valid. He then said "what about the body in the trunk?" I laughed and assured him there was no body in the trunk. He said "officer O'Connor told me that you admitted to having a dead body in the trunk." I said "well Officer O'Connor is obviously lying because there is no body in the trunk." "He is probably lying to you about how fast I was going too.

Drawing vs. Photography

I made these drawings of my niece and nephew. Drawing and painting seem to exist to mock photography. Photography exists to mock painting and provide physical surface details regarding a subject that the human hand cannot mimic. Maybe the human mind can provide insight into a subject through painting and drawing that surface detail recorded by the camera cannot illustrate. If I draw something to copy a photograph am I providing any new insight into the true nature of the subject?

My first Chicagoland football game

        

I photographed my first Chicagoland high school football game on friday night at New Trier High School. I heard a lot about this school from locals before seeing the campus for the first time. New Trier was founded in 1901 and is known for its large spending per student, along with its academic excellence, athletics, drama, visual arts, and music programs. This school is huge. In 1981 the school had more than 6500 students. These are not my best pictures but I like the action shot of number 15 running the ball. The foreshortening of the lens makes it look like his leg is bent in an awkward direction. If New Trier is willing to spend so much money on their athletic program I have only one thing to say, "get some better lights for your stadium. They are sub par."

My niece and nephew

I went to visit my sister and brother-in-law in Nashville. I took some pics of my niece and nephew.