art.of.a.rock

Tag: Photography

Judgement

We as people only require a quick little glimpse in order to form a radical judgment about someone, something or a situation. Yet such judgment can be threatening for ourselves personally, and ultimately culture as a whole. For such judgement is not accurate as it doesn’t tell the entire story. It never does and never will. Notorious for problem solvers, we will attempt to seek a solution with any amount of information we may have. So, the more information the better. The less reaction, the better. It seems we’ve become expect to react grandly to whatever may be occurring; yet that only heightens and exasperates needlessly. More solutions can equal more problems. There are no absolute answers, no be all-end all.

I hate that I would judge people just going about their business. Maybe it’s natural human instinct, or perhaps is some type of self-dissatisfaction deep inside. It’s difficult to know where certain inhibitions become formulated. They’re just another human making their honest effort to get through this life. It’s certainly not easy, we can all do better and judge less. Let it be as it is, bring peace to yourself by doing so. And to not interrupt a process off discovery.

Lately I really simply aim to share my experience, and work on leading by example rather than vocalizing what all that I may perceive to be not right. I catch myself making these mistakes and can only reflect and do better next time. Sure there are certain instances where mistakes are necessary there are always exceptions.

And lastly… I’d rather be judged, than to be the one who is doing the judging.

February 3, 2023
Connect the Dots III

One’s life can largely be characterized as a game of “connect the dots”, if desired. There are the dots which become marked through experience, as well as those yet to be. The dots; like the millions upon millions of stars that shine in the night sky, may shift form and position based on the viewers perspective at the time. Everybody sees their own life differently compared to anybody else. We can also see our lives (and others) differently depending on new information or events.

From a human’s point of view on Earth, that surely is a rare feat considering we only have a on view of the stars, yet with some effort and intent (ie. traveling through space), it can be remarkable to look back at the shining moments which aided in shaping one’s existence.

All lives have a distinct form, an intrinsic nature to them that may continue on being shaped and guided into sense and meaning. The dots are the people who stand out to us, whether for a moment or continually. The dots are the places on Earth that we hold deep in our hearts. They are the profound ideas that enter into our mind, plus the brief and prolonged experiences that allow us to soak in both the beauty and hardship of the average life.

Patterns exist throughout our universe, at an infinite scale to minuscule. Many of which we may fail to see, simply because they are normal, everyday. It’s quite the task to stand back and look at one’s own life simply as an observer, yet the value of such is grand. Quite like looking at the constellations in the sky, understanding the shapes and how they interact, yet not judging; only creating a picture.

Whether patterns are visual or metaphorical, they all matter. When we take a step back from our daily sleep, work, eat, repeat routine, we’re able to examine the complex equation that is our life. What could be better, what could be worse. What is just right and needs no change at all? See how it all connects. Make it all make sense to better understand how you got here, and where you will venture to from this day forward, and why. We need a “why”! There are clearly more perspectives than we can count, sometimes it’s helpful to have another onlooker. What advice can they give?

With that, it a danger to put all faith into one perspective, for we need them all to see it all. Our lives can certainly be seen as a constellation. Constellations were giving their meanings many centuries ago. Are they accurate? Likely not, yet that helped to make sense of life, and we can do the same today. We may connect the dots that shine bright. And be sure to not forever neglect the dots that are further in the darkness, for they matter too. We have a history we can learn from, but the future isn’t guaranteed, so we must do our best with what we’ve attained so far, and use that to forge on.

So… Connect the dots in life, we’re made of star dust after all.

1st Draft (January 2020)

2nd Draft (September 2020)

January 31, 2023
Fiery Hues Photoshoot w/ Sav (Pt. 3)

While driving away from our prior location to soak up the warmth of the dashboard heat, I spotted a small shack on the side of the road that I thought Savannah and I should check out. I pulled over about 100 feet past it with my car at a steep angle on the side of the road. I opened my driver door with force, as Savannah only had to pull the handle and her passenger door flung right open. We headed down the side of the road on foot and made our way through chest-high vegetation to the tattered shack with it’s door propped shut.

A passing car honked at us, and yelled. We were confused at first, then realized it was our friend Stephen 😛

Being such a small shack and the inside not really having a floor, we came and went

Next, we headed to the large concrete silos near the middle of town. I drove up to the bank and parked behind it. I had never gotten up close to these silos before and I don’t believe Sav had either, so it was all a surprise to us. The first silo had lots of interesting aspects to it, which we used to our fullest advantage!

That dripping green paint gradient effect!

To the center of the silo…

And to the square opening the background…

Sometimes it just makes sense to frame the subject within a rectangle!

I wanted to add a little more depth, so I asked her to peak her head out from the opening.

We then went around the outside of the silo to find some nice color and angles.

From here, we headed to the neighboring silo across the field. We mostly kept the photos to the inside, as the outside walls weren’t as appealing from where we were standing. Don’t get me wrong, the silo as a whole is beautiful, it just wouldn’t have worked as well for these photos.

All in all, we had great day and got some great photos, Savannah is a natural!

March 2, 2018