Sunday, November 30, 2014

I Learned - Leo Babauta / The Minimalists (Sun 30 Nov 2014)

Untitled - Rue de l'Aqueduc / Paris (Thu 19 Sep 2014)

Leo Babauta (*) writes on Learning (*):
I learned to trust that we’d be OK, even starting life afresh [..]. I learned that we can adapt and survive, and cope with the fear of not being OK.
via A Simpler Family Life: Starting Life Anew with Our Six Kids (*) by The Minimalists (*).

Friday, November 28, 2014

On Imperfection - Stephen Glibert / Lucy Feagins (Fri 28 Nov 2014)

Untitled - Murano (Wed 10 Sep 2014)

Stephen Glibert (*) writes Imperfection (*):
Imperfection became my new perfection, and I commenced ‘unlearning’ many skills.
via Stephen Glibert (*) by Lucy Feagins (*).

Monday, November 24, 2014

On Opinion, Truth and Emotion - Colin Pantell / Jorg Colberg (Mon 24 Nov 2014)

Untitled - "Don't Let a Kiss Fool You" - Copenhagen (Fri 22 Aug 2013)

Colin Pantell (*) writes on Opinion (*), Truth (*) and Emotion (*):
Have an opinion, tell some truth, show some emotion.
via The Helicopterism of Art-Editorial Photography (*) by Jorg Colberg (*) originally from The Dreck of Photographic Muzak (*).

Sunday, November 23, 2014

On Thinking and Landscape - Alain de Botton / swissmiss (Sat 22 Nov 2014)




Europe 2013 (*). - Central Australia / Timor Sea / Indonesia / nearing Singapore - Sydney to Singapore (Fri 12 Jul 2013)

Alain de Botton (*) writes on thinking (*):
Introspective reflections which are liable to stall are helped along by the flow of the landscape.

The mind may be reluctant to think properly when thinking is all it is supposed to do.
via Journeys are the midwives of thought (*) by swissmiss (*).

Friday, November 21, 2014

On Venice - Mirsada Hadzic / Adam Marelli (Fri 21 Nov 2014)

Untitled - Venice (Wed 10 Sep 2014)

Adam Marelli (*) writes on the Words and Photos (*) of Mirsada Hadzic (*):
there is nothing more reassuring than reading the words of a perfect stranger who is saying exactly what you feel
via Venice, through the eyes of a Writer, Mirsada Hadzic (*) by Adam Marelli (*).

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Reflecting on Life Lessons - Venkat (Thu 20 Nov 2014)

47 (*) - Kensington / London (Fri 12 Sep 2014)

ribbonfarm (*) reflects on Life Lessons (*):
the lessons you can easily generalize and share are typically not original, and the lessons that are original typically cannot be generalized and shared. Only modeled in slightly puzzling ways.
via Learning to Fly by Missing the Ground (*) by Venkat (*).

On the Future of Design - Dan Saffer / Bernadette (Wed 19 Nov 2014)

Untitlted - Darlinghurst (Oct 2014)

Dan Saffer (*) writes on the Future of Design (*):
If we don’t design human values into the things we create, we’ll find ourselves in a world that is alien to us.
Adding:
the way all progress moves forward is by someone thinking differently, trying something that no one else has tried, breaking the established traditions and rules.
via (*) via The future of design: stay one step ahead of the algorithm (*) by Dan Saffer (*).

Along the same lines of thought for Dan's last point, Bernadette (*) writes:
What is the competition too scared to try?

Say and do that thing.
via The First Step To Building A Marketing Campaign (*) by The Story of Telling (*).

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

On Subtlety and Meaning - Colin / Exile Lifestyle (Wed 19 Nov 2014)

Untitled - Tour of Great Britain / London (Sun 14 Sep 2014)

Colin (*) writes with brilliant clarity and subtlety on Meaning (*):
the most meaningful bits have also been the most subtle.
via Subtlety (*) by Exile Lifestyle (*).

Monday, November 17, 2014

On Reflection - Saul Leiter (Wed 19 Aug 2009) / Adam Harrison Levy (Wed 27 Nov 2013)

Reflection - Uluru (*) / Central Australia (Fri 04 May 2001)

Saul Leiter (*) tries to Reflects (*) on a Life (*) well Lived (*):
I don’t understand how I did what I did.
via Saul Leiter: Remembered (*) by Adam Harrison Levy (*).

Looking Down, Looking Out - Cirkewwa / Malta (Tue 23 Sep 2014)

Looking Down, Looking Out - Cirkewwa / Malta (Tue 23 Sep 2014)

On Saul Leiter - Saul Leiter Early Color / Martin Harrison (Jul 2005)

Untitled - Lower East Side / New York (Wed 17 Aug 2011)

Martin Harrison (*) writes on Saul Leiter (*), Color Photography (*) and embracing the Unpredictable (*):
Yet he found ways to circumvent these restrictions - exploiting the color distortions in outdated film stock and embracing the unpredictable color rendition in emulsions available from some of the smaller manufacturers. His openness to the accidental, and willingness to forgo the photographer's legendary control, are crucial components of Leiter's ethos, anticipating precepts that remained exceptional, even among photography's avante-garde, until the advent of postmodernism in the 1970's.
via SAUL LEITER Early Color (*) by Martin Harrison (*).

Sunday, November 16, 2014

On Happiness - Viktor Frankl / Emily Esfahani Smith (Wed 09 Jan 2013)

Street Portrait - Bologna (Sat 30 Aug 1014)

Viktor Frankl (*) writes on Happiness (*):
It is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness.
As Emily Esfahani Smith (*) notes:
happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to be happy.
via There's More to Life Than Being Happy (*) by Emily Esfahani Smith (*).

Saturday, November 15, 2014

On Leadership - A Thoughtful Leader / Ken Oehler (Fri 14 Nov 2014)

Untitled - Westminster Bridge / London (Sun 14 Sep 2014)

Ken Oehler (*) writes on Leadership (*) [quoting a thoughtful leader of an engineering department]:
People won’t remember what I did, but they will remember how I made them feel.
via What Makes Someone an Engaging Leader (*) by Ken Oehler (*).

Never a more true observation.

Friday, November 14, 2014

On Meaning - Emily Esfahani-Smith / Shooting Wide Open (Thu 13 Nov 2014)

Stairway to ..? - Venice (Tue 09 Sep 2014)

Emily Esfahani-Smith (*) writes on Meaning (*) [and Happiness (*)]:
Meaning is not only about transcending the self, but also about transcending the present moment. [..]

Meaning is enduring. It connects the past to the present to the future. [..]

Having negative events happen to you decreases your happiness but increases the amount of meaning you have in life.
via There's More to Life Than Being Happy (*) by Emily Esfahani-Smith (*) via happiness and meaning (*) by Shooting Wide Open (*).

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Being optimistic is .. - Christopher Boots / Lucy Feagins (Thu 13 Nov 2014)

Hanging in there - Bologna / Italy (Fri 29 Aug 2014)

Christopher Boots (*) writes on being Optimistic (*) and Moving Forward (*):
Being optimistic is great and at times the only thing that can drive you, but be grounded and base your decisions on being pragmatic too.
via Christopher Boots (*) by Lucy Feagins (*) of the The Design Files (*).

Getting Better - Michael Johnston (Wed 12 Nov 2014)

Untitled - The Photographers Gallery (*) / London (Sun 14 Sep 2014)

Michael Johnston (*) writes:
Getting better is never bad.
via The Digital Variant: One Camera, One Lens, One Year (*) by Michael Johnston (*).

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

On Automation - Nicholas Carr / Jenny Shank (Tue 11 Nov 2014)

Police Smash £1M Tube Phones Gang (*) - London Tube (Fri 12 Sep 2014)

Nicholas Carr (*) from his book The Glass Cage (*):
Automation often frees us from that which makes us feel free.
via Nicholas Carr’s ‘Glass Cage': Automation Will Hurt Society in Long Run (*) by Jenny Shank (*).

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

On Photography and Editing - Larry Towell / James Estrin (Mon 10 Nov 2014)

Untitled - Venice (*) (Wed 16 Sep 2009)

Larry Towell (*) writes on Photography (*) and Editing (*):
Photography is not just about seeing and taking pictures, it’s also about making sense of the photograph and making sense of it is what editing does, .. You take a series of photographs, you tell a story (*) with them and many pictures fall between the cracks in the process. [..]

When you’re editing you’re editing towards a certain end, and when that end is met you forget about the pictures that didn’t make it, .. What this Magnum project has done is allowed us to go back and re-edit. There isn’t enough re-editing being done today.
via Magnum’s Archive of Once-Orphaned Photos (*) by James Estrin (*).

Venice.

Monday, November 10, 2014

A Reflection on the Little Things - Kirk Tuck (Sun 09 Nov 2014)

The Little Things - Monet's Garden / Giverny (Wed 17 Sep 2014)

Kirk Tuck (*) writes Success (*) and Failure (*):
Funny how all the little things add up to success or failure
via I wrote a blog about an LED panel on Friday. I wrote it in a hurry. I didn't like it so I ultimately deleted it. I'll get a new one up after tomorrow's shoot. (*) by Kirk Tuck (*).

A reflection on the Little Things. My experience (*). Little things are hard to catch first time around. Only when you reflect (*) that you can see the reason for the success or failure. That's why it is important to reflect. Now you have this experience, if you are paying attention, you can catch the little things next time around. This is what experience brings to a situation. Sometimes it is ignored or undervalued, but good people want to find it, draw on it and react to it. In some ways this blog is a reflection of the little things and that's what keeps me going. Thanks Kirk, I learnt a lot from those little words above.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

On Photography - jtinseoul (Sat 08 Nov 2014)

Street Portrait - Obey - Westminster Bridge / London (Sun 14 Sep 2014)

jtinseoul (*) writes on Photography (*):
When I take “street” photos (*) now, they are a little different. I don’t feel I’m of the HCB (*) school of finding moments. I don’t care much about moments. I probably won’t be famous, so the photos I take are for me. Things that are unique to where I am and things that will remind me of what it felt like to be here.
via November 8th, 2014. (*) by jtinseoul (*).

Saturday, November 8, 2014

When it Works - Christopher Nolan / Andrew Purcell / Spectrum (Sat 08 Nov 2014)

Crossing the Garonne - Toulouse (*) / France (Sat 19 Sep 2009)

Christopher Nolan (*) writes Inspiration (*):
when something works the way you intended it to, just in that moment it's a tremendous thrill.
via Interview: Christopher Nolan (*) by Andrew Purcell (*).

Yes. We all know that feeling. It happens when that program compiles and runs the first time, and works exactly as you intended. That's a rarity, but it happened a lot when I was using Eiffel (*). It happens in sport. It happens with photography, though sometimes you don't know it worked until years later.

Always get a nice quote out of the Interview from the Saturdays Paper Spectrum Magazine (*).

On Photography - Jennifer McClure / Elizabeth Avedon (Fri 07 Nov 2014)

Joanne and Betty - Take 2 - Victoria / Gozo / Malta (Tue 23 Sep 2014)

Joanne and Betty (my Mum and our No.1 Supporter) - Take 1 - Victoria / Gozo / Malta (Tue 23 Sep 2014)

Jennifer McClure (*) writes Photography (*):
there is often a huge difference between intention and execution, there is no shame in reshooting, you must be genuinely interested in your subjects, and your photos have to tell a story
via Elizabeth Avedon Castell Photography Exhibition (*) by Elizabeth Avedon (*).

As always these learnings can be applied to all aspects of our lives. BTW, Gozo and the rest of Malta for that matter. What an amazing place.

Joanne and Betty - Take 1 - Victoria / Gozo / Malta (Tue 23 Sep 2014)

Friday, November 7, 2014

An Approach to Modern Life - Kirk Tuck (Thu 06 Nov 2014)

Untitled - Monet's Gardens / Giverny (Wed 17 Sep 2014)

Kirk Tuck (*) observes:
Sometimes experiencing (*) something with undiluted intention (*) is the only way to either enjoy (*) it or even understand (*) it.
via Imagine life at high speed. Imagine the adrenaline on all the time (*) by Kirk Tuck (*).

On being a Photographer- David Campany (Nov 2014)

Bride and Groom - Sacre-Coeur / Montmartre / Paris (Thu 18 Sep 2014)

David Campany (*) writes on being a Photographer (*):
there are only four ways to function as a photographer. Either you are independently wealthy; or you get paid to take pictures (a commercial photographer, with whatever independence of mind you can retain); or you get paid for photographs (i.e. as an artist [..]); or your photography is a hobby, a pastime, and you earn your living elsewhere.
via Walker Evans: the magazine work STEIDL, 2014 (*) by David Campany (*).

I definitely fall into the last category. I have a few photos in books and given away some prints to friends. So, I guess, being a photographer, is mostly about me.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Beyond Boundaries, Limitations and Barriers - Vernon Gambetta (Wed 05 Nov 2014)

It's Kind of fun to do the Impossible (*) - Gozo / Malta (Tue 23 Sep 2014)

Vernon Gambetta (*) writes:
Most of us limit ourselves because we believe in boundaries (*), limitations (*) and barriers (*). There are no boundaries and barriers! Get out now and do it better than you did yesterday. Action not words!
via Getting Better (*) by Vernon Gambetta (*).

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

On Data - Nathan Oostendorp / Mac Slocum / O'Reilly Radar (Thu 16 Oct 2014)

It is not the End It is the Beginning - Gozo / Malta (Tue 23 Sep 2014)

Nathan Oostendorp (*) writes on Data (*):
the next Industrial Revolution is about automating the collection of that data, it’s about being able to get insights out of that data that you wouldn’t be able to without a computer, and it’s about being able to do predictive and prescriptive adjustments to a [..] process
via Signals from Strata + Hadoop World New York 2014 (*) by Mac Slocum (o*).

I'm spending more and more time every day on this very thing. It is challenging and very interesting. Starting to make some breakthroughs with the software and with those who ask the questions. Often I am finding answers to questions that have not even been thought of, or asked. So in some ways it feels like a new beginning for an old dog like me.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

On Creativity - Tamsin Carvan / The Design Files (Tue 04 Nov 2014)

Another Chair (*) - St Julian's / Malta (Sat 20 Sep 2014)

Tamsin Carvan (*) writes on Creativity (*):
I’ve learned (*) that hidden away in the need to practice thriftiness and frugality is creativity (*),
via Tamsin’s Leek Tart with Floral Salad (*) by The Design Files (*).

Monday, November 3, 2014

On Making A Photgraph - Rachel Kara / The Design Files (Mon 03 Nov 2014)

An Afternoon at Eileen's (*) - Ealing (*) / London (Sat 13 Sep 2014)

Rachel Kara (*) writes on making Photograph (*):
I always walk into a shoot and try let the space or person have a chance to show themselves to me, rather than the other way around
via Rachel Kara (*) by The Design Files (*).

You see (*) it. And you know that feeling. That feeling that you just want to take a photograph. It comes from seeing and observing something - a curiosity. As Rachel says, it shows itself. I just wish I had the courage to make the photo from that feeling. Most times I just let it go even when I have my camera in my pocket.

But sometimes you push yourself and don't let it go .. an example (*) from just on 10 years ago. Maybe one day I will change and make these moments happen more often.

When you travel you feel you have permission to be a photographer and that's why in part I've pushed myself and come to love travel for 10 years now and I thank Jenny (*) and Joanne (*) for that.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

On Music - Annie Lennox / Bernard Zuel (Sat 01 Nov 2014)

A Chair - Saint Julian's / Malta (Sat 20 Sep 2014)

Annie Lennox (*) on her Music (*) and its reach:
you don't make music in a void. You want to reach people.
She adds about her most recent Album:
I wanted to do it while I can
via Could Annie Lennox's new album Nostalgia be her last? (*) by Bernard Zuel (*).

Just as I say:
Do what you can while you can (*)
I guess what I am learning now, is knowing what to do.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

On Architecture - Harry Seidler / Penelope Seidler / Nicole Elphick (Sat 01 Nov 2014)

A new dining table and chairs along with a borrowed stool - kept it simple - Alexandria (Sat 18 Oct 2014)

Penelope Seidler (*) quoting her late Husband, Harry Seidler (*) on his approach to Architecture (*):
Make the most from the least
via Penelope Seidler maintains interest in architecture, arts (*) by Nicole Elphick (*).