Smell All the Flowers...

One of the problems with photographing flowers is that it is so easy to get caught up in their sheer beauty through the viewfinder that it is easy to totally miss or ignore their other great attributes.

And one of these is the multitude of wonderful smells and fragrances you experience while "nose to blossom" when taking closeups like this one.

And it was this realization the other day that led me to re-think the old expression about "Taking time to smell the Roses".

In fact we should take time to smell all the flowers and experiences life presents us with.  Often it is easy to get caught up in one aspect of something and miss a lot of what life is just begging us to experience.

So the next time you start to focus in what you think is that single most important aspect of something take a step back... take a deep breath and enjoy the rest of what life has to offer!  :-)

Black and White...

Detail - Rusted Fence Post, Lebanon  NH

"Rusted Fence Post - Lebanon, NH"

Occasionally I try getting back to my roots in photography by setting the shooting menu on my cameras to "monochrome"... otherwise known as "black and white".  I like challenging myself to try and "see" in shades of grey again.  And I have to say that each time I'm not really happy with the results. Not because of a lack of vision on my part... but I think because of the technology.  It just doesn't seem to "be there".  The images - like this one - are always Ok but seem to lack the richness, depth and tonality you get when shooting with silver based film.
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When I first developed an interest in photography many years ago, black and white was the medium of choice for many reasons... but mostly because of the lower cost of film and processing.  And also because of the thrill of what passed for "instant gratification" back then.  By shooting black and white it was possible to see the results of a day spent with the camera relatively quickly.  At that time color film had to be shipped out for processing and it took days if not weeks to get back from the lab. But I could process my 35mm Tri-X film and make a few prints in my parent's basement within a matter of hours... which seemed remarkable at the time.

Needless to say photography has come a long way and I'm sure it will continue to evolve. Even as little as ten years ago many of us were still shooting film. And as someone who grew up in the business splashing around in photographic chemistry, I have to say I don't really miss those hours in the darkroom mixing Dektol and Rapid Fixer while listening to bad pop music on the radio.  But I do miss the sense of craftsmanship that was involved in making prints by my own hand and experiencing the magic of seeing an image spring to life from the surface of a blank piece of paper.

Due to it's very nature digital photography just doesn't allow us to experience the same sense of interaction and involvement in the process of creating a photograph.  It is not as hands-on.  And maybe that is why the finished images don't have the same aesthetic appeal and emotional impact on me when I look at them.  It is because they are not a part of me but rather any assembly of pixels interpreted by a computer instead of being the result of light passing through the shape of my own hand. 

70 Years Later...

Hiroshima - August 1945

Even 70 years after the fact, I don’t think there is anything the American government or people can do to apologize adequately for the use of two atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan in August of 1945.

It would be futile to even try... and I'm not sure the Japanese people could ever forgive us.  I doubt that I could.

These attacks were violent, horrible and controversial - even within the US government at the time- and were designed "to end the war with Japan at the earliest possible moment"... which they did.

But they were also attacks that were carried out with many tragic and unforeseen consequences we are still dealing with today.  The use of these two weapons… code-named Little Boy and Fat Man changed the world forever.  

As a country America will forever bear the scar of being the first and only country to have ever used nuclear weapons. Just as the Japanese people will forever bear the scar of being the first and only victims of such a “rain of ruin from the air”… as then president Harry Truman said in announcing the attacks.

And like all of human history we can not change what has been done… we can only hope to learn from our mistakes. While considered necessary and triumphant by many of those in this country at the time… these attacks also set the stage for the last 70 years worth of fluctuating political tension, dangerous brinksmanship, financial hardship in many countries and a sense of genuine fear around the globe as people learned to “stop worrying and love the bomb”… growing up as members of the “Strangelove generation”.

If there is any “greater good” (which are horribly ironic and maybe even inappropriate words to use) that could have come out of the use of these bombs it is not the often heard justification that they saved American lives… it may be that they have just saved lives. Millions… if not billions of lives around the world.

Because I am hopeful that the world has actually learned a lesson from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki... and that this is why we haven’t seen another such weapon used as an act of war or aggression since. The use of these two bombs over Japan in 1945 has hopefully proved to the world that the indiscriminate destruction and horror unleashed by the use of nuclear weapons is beyond the shear comprehension or ability of even most evil of forces or bitterest of enemies to use against one another.

We can hope.

"Now You're Done"...

Off duty Detective Stephen LeBert during a confrontation
with a motorist on Sunday, 26 July 2015

Imagine yourself being cut off by an unmarked vehicle on an unknown road after dark. You know you have made a wrong turn at an intersection and are now about to be confronted by a stranger leaping from his SUV -and who’s first words to you are - “Now you’re done”. Assuming you are about to become another victim of the “road rage” so prevalent throughout this country… you nervously wonder what will happen next.
But this stranger now identifies himself as a police officer and follows that with - “I’ll blow a hole right through your [expletive] head”. Hard to believe... Yes! But the whole incident was caught on camera and you can watch it here if you haven’t seen it already: 

http://www.cnn.com/…/massachusetts-detective-motorist-confr…

But my point in writing this article is not lash out at how amazingly stupid, unprofessional and arrogant this off-duty detective’s actions were. They have been caught on camera and I hope his career in law enforcement is over. He’s clearly not fit to carry a badge let alone a gun and is certainly not worthy of the public’s trust and confidence.

Instead my intent is to turn this into an opportunity to thank all the truly honest, brave and respectable law enforcement officers who do their job quietly, professionally and at some degree of personal risk everyday. Thankfully, in my experience… these are the only kind of police men and women I have ever known or dealt with.

Officers like Leroy Smith who was recently photographed helping a man wearing National Socialist Movement (KKK) attire up the stairs during a rally July 18 in South Carolina. These are the kind of police men and women who set the standard for others and who deserve our respect and support.

However, do we have problems with some of the police in this country? Yes, in my opinion we do… at least some extent and in some places. To many young, unarmed black men including Michael Brown and Darren Wilson have died recently by the hand of individual officers or police departments throughout this country to deny there are problems. And this is just one example. But as harsh and terrible a reality as this is… we can’t let it overshadow the overwhelming good done by tens of thousands of law enforcement officers each day throughout the county. It would be a classic case of stereotyping and letting "a few bad apples" spoil the whole batch to conclude otherwise.

And if even for a second you feel the police in this country are out of control, corrupt or undeserving of the public trust… believe me when I say there are places in this world where the situation is much worse. Places where the police are worse than worthless and will let physical harm come to an innocent teenage women at the hand of thugs simply for expressing her views. Then afterward turn their backs on her and refuse to offer assistance or help her find medical care. Their callous inaction in full view of hundreds of people. But even in these countries there are certainly still some fundamentally good, honest and respectable officers of the law.

Stephen LeBert and his actions are an example of most everything we don’t want to see in our police men and women.  But his inappropriate and unprofessional actions and behavior serve as a stark contrast against which to compare the outstanding work done by all the dedicated, professional and hard working police officers who patrol our communities each day… quietly and professionally looking out for our safety and the public interest.

And to these men and women in blue... we should each take a moment to say "Thank you" for all that they do!

Leroy Smith, who was recently photographed helping a man wearing
 National Socialist Movement (KKK) attire
 up the stairs during a rally July 18 in South Carolina.
Photo Credit: AP / Rob Godfrey

What's Technically Legal vs. What's Morally Right?...

Given that yet another tragic and senseless shooting occurred last night in Lafayette, LA it may seem like I’m being callously opportunistic by posting this article today. But I have been working on this post for about a month now. And I am fed up. It’s time to speak out and do something about the excessive violence and culture of guns that exists in this country today.

We need to take action now to prevent any more events like Sandy Hook, Aurora, Chattanooga and now Lafayette from becoming shameful and commonplace entries in our countries history.

“Shooter in the Building”… that is the title of this month’s safety topic at my place of employment. Certainly these words get your attention. And in the context of current events they simultaneously send a shiver down my spine and send my heart rate soaring.

Now I will say that I believe my employer is truly concerned about my safety, the safety of my colleagues and that of our customers. They have demonstrated this in many other ways including providing reasonably priced health insurance and keeping the physical environment in which we run our business safe and hazard free... and deserve credit for doing so.

But the real irony of this particular situation is that my employer and the state of New Hampshire both allow people to walk into my workplace in possession of and openly wearing a handgun… unquestioned and unchallenged. While this may seem completely incongruous and hard to believe it is true. In fact to question anyone engaged in "open carry" as to motive, intent or the general wisdom of their actions would likely create a very uncomfortable public relations problem for everyone involved.

And in New Hampshire - as in the majority of other states in the US - it is within the "legal right" of the person engaging in open carry to do so. In fact only 5 of 50 states ban “open carry” and coincidence or not… all of the incidents mentioned about occurred in states that allow "open carry".

So what’s up here?

I will say right from the beginning that this topic is complex, controversial and politically charged. It involves presumed constitutional rights and privileges, state legislation and public opinion. It involves political action committees and pro-gun lobbies such as the NRA. It involves big money and big business. My position will probably offend some of those reading this. But my intention is not to offend… but rather encourage informed debate framed within the context of current events and common sense.

I also believe that sometimes the most complex issues and problems need to be thought of and analyzed in the simplest of terms. Over-thinking them often just leads to “analysis paralysis” and maintenance of the status quo. A situation we can not allow to go on any longer.

And while I recognize that everyone is entitled to their thoughts and opinions on both sides of this issue - I am appealing for anyone reading this to take a step back and look at the issue in terms of common sense. Not what is technically legal and without any political agenda... pro or con.

Personally my position after giving this a great deal of thought is that guns serve one of two purposes -- to kill and/or intimidate or for recreational purposes such as target shooting, hunting or collecting. Realistically what other reason is there to own a gun?

And for me the bigger question is - Do any of these legitimate (and legal) reasons for gun ownership require wearing it - if not flaunting it - in a public place such as the local supermarket, gas station or restaurant? Or any other public space, especially where families and children are present?

For me what it really gets down to is the issue of open carry. I’m not suggesting that we take guns away from people… I recognize that is realistically impossible and maybe not even desirable. But why does anyone other than someone involved in law enforcement feel it necessary to carry a gun out in the open for all to see?

Is it to make a statement? And if so… just what are you trying to say? That you are tougher than me? That I shouldn’t mess with you? That yours is bigger than mine? Or are you just simply trying to intimidate me? In any case I don’t really see that any of those are constructive statements or attitudes that will advance the cause of society. They’re more about simply trying to exercise power and control over another individual.

Which bring us to the single most often given reason in favor of open carry… "self-defense”. But even then wouldn’t it just be more prudent and smarter to avoid situations and confrontations that could result in violence? Often times there is more honor in avoiding confrontation than inadvertently becoming a contributing factor.

And as just as an interesting observation about human nature - I have to point out that I have never seen a women engaging in "open carry" in a public space. For whatever reason this truthfully seems to be a "guy thing". That’s not to say that there aren’t women who carry guns because I'm sure there are. It’s just that they appear to be more low-key about it… reaffirming my general belief that women are the smarter half of the human species.

In the end I think this whole issue of open carry and the right to own a gun isn’t about what’s legal… I think it’s about what’s morally “right”. It’s about what’s right in the context of current events, society as it exists in this country today and public opinion. It’s about honoring and respecting those who have lost their life in any of these tragic and violent events that occur far too often in our country. .

In this case it's not about what is legal... it's about what is right.

The View From A Million Miles Away...

NASA Photo - Deep Space Climate Observatory

Gives new and real meaning to the term "Reaching Out".

And serves as a reminder that as individuals... none of us is as important as we think we are. It's not until we've truly "reached out" to help another in need that we become in any way "important".

 Once we have done this... we will be able to begin to understand our role and our place as a temporary passenger on this spaceship called Earth.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jul/21/earth-from-a-million-miles-away-dscovr-satellite-returns-groundbreaking-picture

Can This Really be 2015?

Photo copyright Chris Keane/Reuters

I can't even finish watching this video. And at least right now... I can't even find the right words to describe how shameful and disgusting this is.  Maybe there aren't any. 

With these kinds of attitudes still existing in our country is it any wonder our credibility slips away in the eyes of the world just a little more each day? And as about these specific individuals... I think the one doing the monkey imitation seems to speak volumes about the whole group.

And demonstrates that of course the monkey long ago surpassed the level of evolutionary and intellectual development demonstrated by these idiots.

Video here:


http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/19/kkk-clashes-south-carolina-racism?CMP=fb_gu