Sierra at 12 months

August 26, 2008


Our friend Scott Johnson took Sierra’s 12-month photos the other day, and - surprise! - she’s just as beautiful as we thought.


Sierra looking into the light

Sierra playing with a car

Always curious

These are my favorites of the bunch. They’re being posted here because: #1 - they weren’t taken by us, so they don’t belong over at Much More Sure and #2 - BMOWP loves Sierra!

Tags: Baby Pictures, Photography, Sierra |

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Much More Sure

August 20, 2008


“I hate cameras. They’re just so much more sure than I am about everything.” -John Steinbeck.

It’s been quiet around these parts for the past week or so. And with good reason. I’ve been hard at work, giving my newest hobby an outlet, creating a special place for all of this photography I’ve been spitting out.

Instead of ruin the quietude of Black Marks on Wood Pulp with image after image of Sierra or some random line of chairs, I’ve gone ahead and done the next best thing - I’ve branched off of Black Marks on Wood Pulp, into another blogging foray.

That blog is Much More Sure, taken from the brilliant quote by John Steinbeck - a quote that sums up everything I feel about photography; its stark realities, its unflinching eye, its clear look at the world and, how ultimately, we’re all bound by its power. A power that, no matter what, shows nothing but truth. (Barring a Photoshop skill or two, that is.)

Much More Sure. The new domain will be www.MuchMoreSure.com, but for now you can access it at photo.blackmarks.net.

Visit. Subscribe. Enjoy.

Tags: Baby Pictures, Blogging, Meta, Much More Sure, Photography |

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Falling off the hobby horse

August 14, 2008


Every few months, a bubble occurs at work. It tends to show up after a few days of downtime, when scratching together a few hours of billable time seems impossible. It comes on suddenly, with a flurry of meetings. My desk begins to pile up. My life turns up another gear. Everything is due tomorrow, and the end is nowhere in sight. It bleeds into my free time; free time that may already be stretched by prior engagements and home projects and an ever-growing pile of mind-numbing DVRed programs.

That’s the nature of the business. I grumble. But I also bask in the glow of vocation, knowing that someone depends on me for his or her words, plans and ideas. That I get paid to do something I enjoy, something I should stay quiet about lest they realize what they’re paying me to do.

But man, it sure wreaks havoc on my hobbies.

As words flow toward one end, the means to keep up with the hobby side of writing dries up; the paths diverted. What was once fun becomes work. A source of pride becomes an millstone, hanging from my neck. Taunting me with its demise.

Because with the important things claiming their share of my life’s time, my hobbies fall back a bit. I am afforded no more time to write on my own. And newer, shinier hobbies show up, too. I sometimes think my computer keyboard is jealous of our new camera. Of each new book. Of the Olympics and, in the past, the NBA Finals.

And from there, things deteriorate. Out of practice, or with my ideas used up elsewhere, it feels like something is stuck, like writer’s block has set in, or that my thoughts have been stuck in my head too long, are no longer timely or spontaneous or fresh. This leads to abandonment, of ditching a great outlet because of the convincing nature of busyness.

In this way, work can get in the way of our hobbies. And sometimes, that’s bound to happen. But without that outlet, what do we have?

So I think a little harder. I glance at the screen a few times, scanning the page for something I’ve forgotten. Then I start typing. For me. For my sanity.

And to remember that our hobbies are crucial. Make time for them. Take a few minutes and do something you truly enjoy, for yourself, for those you care about, anything that gives you the feeling of artistic merit or release, even if that release comes from creating a small city out of model trains or playing an artful game of Madden 2005 or writing or designing your own site or crocheting rabbit-shaped stuffed animals or decorating the house. Even at work. During break. That taking 15 minutes out of your work day to do something fun is more productive than stewing over your work.

Remember that, above all else, hobbies are for us to unwind. That they’ll always be there when you come back. That they don’t understand the meaning of time. Most importantly, remember that our hobbies may not give us the support we need to live comfortably, but they certainly make life a lot more enjoyable.

Tags: Blogging, Books, Career, Friends, Meta, Photography, Television, Vilhauer, Writing |

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Uncapping the lens

July 18, 2008


I stood in the back of the tent, with both a camera and an All Access pass around my neck.

The heat was pressing in from all sides. The Second Stage was a sweat box. Kids crammed toward the front. Soulcrate started their set while Kerrie and I stood fast, she watching from a safe perch, me struggling to gain the nerve to move forward.

“So, you going to go take pictures?”

My stomach sank. This isn’t my gig. This is for the professionals. I can’t hop up behind the stage, in front of the stage, on the stage. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was a fraud, a hobby photographer who hadn’t even received any lumps, let along earn them. Who did I think I was?

I was nervous I’d be found out.

The All Access pass had come from co-worker. He had received two, though his was being put to good use – he was actually collecting footage for a video on Jazzfest. Others slunk around with their own passes, looking official, looking as though they knew what they were doing.

I, on the other hand, felt as if I had snuck into the clubhouse, looking around to see if anyone would catch me.

I moved to the back. I stood a few rows back from the side of the stage. I snapped some pictures, looked at them, hated them, wanted to move closer. And, I wanted to turn back.

But I didn’t. I moved in. I edged toward the stage. My pass gave a clear path, people moved aside, I got a great shot; took it, and was happy. No one had found me out yet.

I moved closer. I saw others on the stage, video cameras and digital SLRs in hand, moving from side to side, documenting the action without being noticed at all. Only one had a pass – my coworker. The rest were rouge agents, brought in by the band itself or, most likely, not giving a damn about a pass.

Taking pictures freely. As if they knew what they were doing.

And it hit me. Just like that. With the proper props, I looked just like they did. The band didn’t notice them, the audience didn’t notice them. Hell, they barely noticed each other. They were playing the part of third-bit actor, sliding into the film for some added color but never making an impact. They were documenting the action and it was action worth documenting so the more the merrier.

I kneeled down and rested on the stage. I climbed up onto the stage. I stood on the stage, camera pointing, catching what I should have been catching from the beginning. I moved to the front of the stage, grabbing the audience, getting better than a front row seat, interacting with the band without actually saying a word or moving a muscle.

Everything just slid away. There was no need to feel weird about wielding a camera. It’s a prop, its very presence making a person seem knowledgeable. You take 1000s of pictures and ten turn out, but everyone who sees you imagines you’re taking the next great portrait.

Insecurities have no place in photography. Just make your mistakes, climb up for a better vantage point and start shooting away.

Indoctrinated into the club. All for finally gaining a spine.

Soulcrate Music
Soulcrate Music, Jazzfest Second Stage 2008

Tags: Music, Photography, Sioux Falls |

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The Flickr Game

July 14, 2008


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I usually pass on memes these days, but I thought this one was kind of fun.

The Flickr Game.

THE RULES:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s Mosaic Maker.

And here are the questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. Where did you go to high school?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

(and my answers)
Corey, Thai, Lincoln High School, Forest Green, Natalie Imbruglia, Grain Belt, England’s Lake District, Peanut Butter Pie, Writer, Sierra Dawn, Introspective, mrvilhauer.

There. You can all go back to expecting too-long monologues on dinosaurs again.

(via Holli Rausch)

—–

UPDATE - In honor of Kerrie’s birthday, I have created her Mosiac as well.

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Her answers are as follows: Kerrie, Cheese, Lincoln High School, Brown (today), Steve Nash, Beer, Boundary Waters, Angel Food Cake with Strawberries, A Kid, Sierra, Creative, [blank].

And yes – that is her in the first picture. There must not be that many Kerries on Flickr, as my own picture made the front page of the search.

In addition, since she has no Flickr account, I pulled one from my (our) set. (I did the same for my own, as there was no record of any pictures with a “mrvilhauer” tag or copy.)

Tags: Photography, Vilhauer |

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On antique photography

July 11, 2008


McKennan ParkEarlier this week, Kerrie sent me a link to a set of old photos from McKennan Park, a local park that serves as the landmark anchor and main appreciation factor for homes in our area. It’s the 100th Anniversary of the park this year, and the photos date back to the early beginnings of the park.

They’re old, cracked and sepia toned. They’re lovely, actually. This type of photography is always stirring, the treatment outlasting the images, with even the most awkward looking composition made better by age. They look great because they’ve lasted so long. They’re a visual representation of an abstract thought: history.

These images have weathered everything, both physical and historical. They’ve lasted through dust and The Dust Bowl, through cold and the Cold War. They’re vessels of memories, physical prints of personal achievement.

McKennan ParkOur favorite pictures were those of children swinging. The wooden swing set and period garb are in stark contrast to the post-production digital images we take with our new camera.

And when Kerrie wondered aloud how she thought our swing pictures would look in another hundred years, I got to thinking. Will they age in the same way? Will we ever see anything like these old McKennan pictures ever again?

With the advent of digital photography and sites like Flickr and Photobucket and Shutterfly, more and more people are simply moving their photographs from camera to Web, or at the very least from camera to computer. Fewer people are having their images printed.

Without this, how will pictures age? Without being exposed to the elements, how will we be able to enjoy the treatment of time?

I can add sepia tone to every image I upload. But it’s not the same.

So the question is, are we losing this aspect of photography? Have we eliminated the possibility of age?

Is it actually a good thing?

Tags: On..., Photography, Sioux Falls |

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Blue blue sky

July 7, 2008


It’s official.

(”blue blue sky” from Flickr)

With help from our new Canon XTI, Adobe Lightbox and Flickr, I am officially in love with photography.

Tags: Photography |

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