Category Archives: photography

it’s the simple moments

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pixies are on alert for tying knots in the hair of those that steal images

There’s nothing that I love more than a grainy black and white photo. Now we can have an app do it for us, but if you’re willing to have some patience with a digital camera, or your phone, you can get a vintage look pretty easily.

“We cannot live in a world interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a hope. Part of the terror is to take back our listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light.”
― Hildegard of Bingen

Now you might be thinking, hey…Kimbo…are you gonna tell us how to do this – and that’s fair. However, I will not be doing a photography tutorial today, nor any of the days. It’s not for reasons that you think, so lemme break it down a little for you.

Cameras terrified me until I took a college journalism class. I was given this old school (for real) film camera and told to “Go find news.” No one taught me anything about apertures, speeds, lighting, perspectives, or anything that is important to any creative endeavor with a camera. I got my camera, my film, and a manual with missing pages. While there are a lot of helpful photographers in the world, I’m pretty sure they aren’t in a group of college freshman trying hard not to be the head obit writer for the paper of their choice. We wanted gritty, raw, and unhinged truth. (side note, I went on to start my own zine, which will be discussed soonish)

As you might imagine, what we got was a lot of blurry shots that were often overexposed. Like, rolls and rolls of film that featured our finger as the focal point, or a possible speed rail image of the country side. But eventually, after wasting bags of film and getting yelled out by our professors, we all decided it was time to learn about a camera. Some of those folks went on to work for fairly decent newspapers (this was the late 80s and early 90s), but I was on a different track in life – which is a fun little story y’all will hear one day.

Anyhootie, with the technology of today’s cameras we can all get as many shots as we like to learn about the ins and outs of a camera. Also, just to let y’all know – you can have the best and most expensive camera, but take really bad photos. Something I share with folks when teaching creative classes, is to create with your heart – the same is true with photography. Take pictures that delight you, or that help you remember a great day.

The other part about not sharing a tutorial is that there are at least eleventy billion creators on YouTube that have great information. Take a look around and find the creator you like. I don’t have any recommendations as there are about 20 different folks I watch.

I will share this – as I get a little older, it is helpful to keep a little notebook of the settings and shots I’ve tried. Also, if I’m out and about in nature, or someplace I would like to visit again, I’ll make a note on paper (yes, I am a human dinosaur, and my kids all want me to use my phone).

These days my phone has become my primary camera of choice, and I’ve passed some of my others on to my older kiddos. However…I’ve been eyeing my old Minolta DiMAGE with a whopping 3.2 MP, as well as an old Sony Cyber-shot. There’s just something about the early digital cameras that brings delight to my creative soul.

With that, I’m off to mow, do some chores, write some letters, and hopefully get some reading done.

Until next time,
~ Kimbo

Caw. Caw.

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“Our minds are like crows. They pick up everything that glitters, no matter how uncomfortable our nests get with all that metal in them. And the result is that our minds are full of a lot of miscellaneous junk: interesting, fascinating, important, and terribly heavy rubbish—much of it silver and gold, but much of it also brass and tin. And what is worse, it is heavy. It takes up a lot of room. It gets in the way of the things that are really important.”
– Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

On my birthday eve, I would like to take this time to share with you that I’m actually a crow. No, really, I love small trinkets, snacks, and dancing around in my backyard. And, if any bigger birds try to bother my family, my raucous caws (cause) will make sure to keep them away.

As someone who loves all things spiritual – from folk beliefs to the high church – I find Thomas Merton to have a way with helping people understand being human. There was something otherworldly in the way he described his faith, or in the things he created. He was truly a mystic of the times, helping people see the world through a whole new lens.

While I’m not a professional scholar of Merton, his work has been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember. His words and images have brought me solace over the years, and I appreciate his ability to reach people where they are.

Many thanks to my dear husband who drove around Bellarmine University to help me find this statue. I think this is from the early 2010s.

Back to the crows…

Some time ago the whole crew went away after an area close to our home was logged and cleared. I know there were many nests in the trees, and crows have a very, very, very long memory. In fact, research shows that they will hold a grudge through generations, teaching their offspring to avoid certain people. You can find many anecdotal tales of people trying to prove they are okay to the local crows.

Another fun fact, is that crows have regional dialects. A crow in Iowa will have a different accent than one in North Carolina. If you listen to them long enough, you begin to understand what they are saying. Four clicks – click, click, click, click – means “That weird lady that feeds us and all the other wild things just walked outside the door and has PEANUTS!!!!!!” There is the call that signals hawks in the area, and I swear it sounds like they are protective incantations.

And the stories about how they love shiny things…well, some ornithologists say it’s just coincidence, while those who have seen it with their own eyes say differently. In my experience the crows that visit me prefer things like twigs and bits of natural things like leaves. What they love more than all of that is a nice bird bath full of clear water. They love it so much that I’m pondering putting a small plastic pool in the yard for them so they can play in it.

The trinkets do give us some thoughts, and Merton uses it to teach us that while the world is full of baubles to feather our nests, the true beauty is everything all around us. This is something that crows teach us as well. For them every treat is a gift, and in celebration they give praise together while dancing upon the wind.

Until next time,
~ Kimbo

P.S. There is a whole family of faeries that live in, and around, my writing space. All typos are mine, and if you find them that means the typo faeries are in need of a sweet treat.

nature – the original technology

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“We often forget that WE ARE NATURE. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we’ve lost our connection to ourselves.”
― Andy Goldsworthy

Today’s WP prompt was exactly what I needed to tend to the fire burning under my creativity cauldron. “What’s a piece of technology you’re convinced will exist in 20 years?” is the prompt, and this is my answer.

Trees.

If you have ever spent any time with a tree, you will understand that their intelligence is slow, patient, and didn’t come from a screen.

“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and dogmas, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.”
– Hermann Hesse

Just to make sure all y’all know, my short sentences aren’t from AI, which, of course, an AI might say – you know, play no attention to the person/machine behind the curtain kind of thing. However, I can assure you that my whimsical approach to writing, as well as my ability to create beautiful artwork with punctuation and typos, makes me the real deal.

So back to the trees.

If you have ever made friends with a tree you understand the technology they have. They have community, engage in commerce/trade, make art, and mourn the passing of their friends. When the weather changes, leaves and branches become barometers. As a warm Summer wind blows in, their sounds speak of tenacity and bravery – and sometimes about being old.

While nature will be the ultimate tech that is still around in 20 years, maybe we should stop and think about where tech is going to take us in 20 years. We already spend a lot of time on our phones, which we used to give to our laptops. Social media gives us things to ponder that seem brand new, but pick up any newspaper or magazine and you will learn that there is nothing new under the Sun with human behaviors. We should be asking about how to help nature thrive and be well, you know?

I’m grateful for the tech that helps, but am starting to feel quite uncertain about the tech that isn’t.

Just some food for thought on the warm Tuesday morning.

Until next time,
~ Kimbo