PROGENY

Somtimes the toughest customers are your own children. Like Jonah, who is always mugging......

and Chaya who has never liked a shot I have ever taken of her.....

VESSEL

While I am never sure where I am going next with my personal work, I am always searching for new elements to serve as characters in the stories I want to tell. Of course I was drawn to the funky purple pod nurturing 5 little seeds. Enough said?

EMBALM

MEMENTO

TEMPORAL

CELLPHONEOGRAPHY

I was talking to my students today about how lucky they are to have regular access to devices that take great pictures and video at all times. I know they don't appreciate at all what they have. I told the old guy story about how I got a camera when I was 16, and it took film, and had interchangeable lenses and stuff (blank stares...), and how there was only one guy in my whole school that had a portable phone. It was a big box attached to wires, and only worked in his car and had to cost like $200 to make a phone call. It didn't take pictures as far as I knew. Although I am kind of an old, grumpy purist, I have recently decided that I will let them take pictures with their phones and other devices. There is only so much they can do with 5 cameras in a 45 minute class (there are 14 students). Now they can take all the photos they want at any time, and share them with the class. The key here is getting them to TAKE PICTURES. We'll see where we can take it from there.
Shooting with my cell phone is far from the quality of my Canon, but sometimes it is fun to travel light. I don't see myself shooting a wedding any time soon with my phone... but who knows. Here are a few of today's observations via the method that which was handy....

RORSCHACH

SCHUYKILL ICE JAM

OH NOOOOO

HOURLY PHOTOS ON A EVENT FREE EVENING.....

I have been challenging my 7th and 8th grade students to take at least one picture an hour for one day. I showed them an example of a day that I did this a few years ago. Apparently my day was much more active than their typical day, so many said that they didn't take pictures at different times because "nothing was happening".  My challenge to them was to FIND something interesting even if they are sitting at their computer all day. I told them I would try as well. Tonight I really did nothing except work (and not work) at my computer all evening. I decided to do it with my cell phone, because that is what many of them are working with. Let it be known that I am always finding the boundaries of cellphonography!

I must say that from what I have seen from some of my students so far, they either have better phones, or are better at using them than me in many cases. In my defense, tonight was one of those nights that I really had to force myself to do anything other than let my negativity get the best of me (hence including... and actually feeling quite drawn to the shot out my back door that really just looks like black texture).

GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

REPOSSESS

ANTHRACITE

Delving deep into my regular January photo subjects, I am naturally and historically drawn to the basement. For many years the draw was due to my antiquated, failing heating system. Part of the draw was to the many odd object left there by previous residents of this house... but my nemesis the heater was always overshadowing the space. Last year the behemoth finally drew it's last breath, and we replaced it with simplest of systems. It wasn't simple to install by any means (and it was more of a bitch to get into the basement)... but all those pipes and wires make much more sense after helping with the installation. Now we basically have a metal box in which we keep the ever burning fire fed periodically with fresh little black rocks. I find myself sitting in front of the saucer sized opening enjoying the blueish flame, just as I would a camp fire. It's like my instinctual caveman joy... making fire. Such a basic need this time of year, heat,  but sometimes it takes getting to know a process at it's core to appreciate it on a different level.

IF........

.... I were to get off my ass and take pictures today, I might have taken something like this. I might find the inspiration to pick up my camera before the day is done. However,  unless I don't,  I offer these......