What do you see?

I need some feedback on this abstract photo.  Does this look like anything or does it read as just a bunch of random colors? What do you  think this is a photo of? Anyone....I would like to know what you see. If anything at all.

Dream Girl? She's Not all That.

    

     You know when you have a really weird dream that you cant quite explain? You want to talk about it because of it's disturbing quality but you just can't find the words. I had one of those dreams recently. In my dream I met Barbie and a couple of her friends. We actually had a lot of fun at first. I went driving in her Corvette, hung out in her RV, and even attended a fashion show with her. She had some life-like qualities but also retained some of her doll-like features. On the one hand, I will have to admit, I was intrigued by her spontaneity and attractive qualities. On the other hand there was something strange and plastic about her.
     As the dream progressed I became more and more dissatisfied with her company. Things just started to go seriously downhill. She had this fetish. A fetish common to every girl I have ever dated. She liked to wake up every morning, dress up as herself, and act like a bitch all day long. It wasn't long before I got fed up with the dream and woke up.
     I know there is no way to illustrate all the disturbing feelings I experienced during my dream. As a response to this dream I was inspired to make some images to try to illustrate my mind's image of Barbie. The disturbing external qualities of these images serve as a metaphor to the anxiety I felt while interacting with Barbie.
 

Chicago Marathon

     I photographed the Chicago Marathon this weekend. I didn't get down there early enough to secure the spot I wanted, so I had to find some new locations at the last minute. I wanted to shoot from the bridge that overlooks Columbus Drive where the race started. I figured with nearly 40, 000 participants this would make for an interesting image.
     The crowds were too thick on the bridge and I did not want to force my way through the crowd of people who had the discipline to get there early enough to secure that location. I noticed there were some people who had entered a garden that overlooked Columbus Drive. I went into an open gate to check out this location. There was a young boy, his mother and father, along with six or eight other random people.
     After investigating the spot I decided it was not that great. I started to make my way out of the garden. A few seconds after I made the decision to leave a security guard appeared, and in a very rude manner, told everyone they had to leave and could not watch the race from the garden.  No one offered any resistance. They truly did not know they were on private property.  As they were starting to leave the rent-a-cop began to threaten people with "your all going to jail" even though we were all very cooperative. He even threatened the eleven year old boy with jail time if he did not leave. The family of the boy was trying to console him as they exited the garden to ensure him that he did nothing wrong and would not be going to jail.
     There was a time in my life where I would have lost my temper with this security guard and challenged his authority. He had no authority to detain or take anyone to jail. All he could do was ask us to leave. The threats were unnecessary.  If you choose not to leave, he can call the police, and have you charged with trespassing. This security guard's behavior was appalling.
     All I could think about was my Uncle John, who was born and raised in Macon Georgia, and how he would have reacted in this situation. Uncle John is the most laid back southerner you will ever meet. I could just hear him saying it under his breath. "Ya no wut makes men act that way"? "small dick syndrome" he would say.  I began to laugh hoping the security guard would not see me snickering. Uncle John had a theory that all man's aggressions were due to fear of inadequacy. Men wage war to compensate for their small penises. Maybe Uncle John is on to something.

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.