…join me in the search for the simplicity found on the other side of complexity!
Undiscovered subject: can you spot the spider? (click for larger image)
Yesterday I was climbing Blue Mountain, just west of Missoula, MT with our dog Angua. I ran into some great flowers and took a number of macro shots using extension tubes.
It wasn’t until I was doing post processing this morning that I found an added bonus. I was doing sharpness checks at 1:1 in Lightroom 3, and suddenly there was …. a dustspot? No, it was…. a spider! A very tiny one to be sure, hiding in the petals of the subject flower.
Can’t see it? Here it is close up and personal. In retrospect I was extremely lucky that it fell within the depth of field. I’ve shot bugs before, but I believe this is my smallest wildlife subject to date.
See him tucked away there, near the petal tips? (Click for larger image)
Eagle in Trees
A day for celebrating our independence in the United States. Why do we HAVE that independence? Because a hell of a lot of people gave up a lot, and continue to give up a lot, to see that we keep it.
I extend my thanks for the democracy I enjoy to the people who made it possible. The obvious group are those who serve or served in our military. Some, like my father and my good friend (and fellow photographer) Tom Ferguson gave up years of their youth. Others, like my Uncle Roger, were severely wounded, and spent the rest of their lives living with pain and disability so that we could continue to live in freedom and democracy. Countless others gave the ultimate sacrifice, (more…)
At a time when it seems like so many things have gotten worse with age, I was thrilled to experience something that has improved immeasurably. Thursday evening, June 10th, I attended the graduation ceremony for the University of Washington School of Art. You know – cap and gown, stodgy people saying stodgy things far too stodgily. And taking far too long to do it. Follow that with a line of Regimented drones marching in a black ant-line, collecting their certification; identical beings proceeding on to their next mission. I recalled the feeling I had when I graduated from college – It felt like a lemming run of (more…)
” I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841 – 1935)
Associate justice on the US Supreme Court (1902 – 1932).
Sometimes Holmes’ wonderful, elegant, and often elusive “simplicity on the other side of complexity” comes not from external system improvements, not from better technology, but from simple practice. You’ve experienced this. Remember riding a bicycle? Now remember learning to ride a bicycle? (more…)
Thanks for dropping by! As this blog develops I’ll be bringing you useful bits of how-to knowledge aimed at speeding you in your search for the simplicity on the other side of complexity!
What will you discover if you sign up? (more…)
