Marc Riboud on taking Pictures that Matter:
We take good pictures, we become good photographers by living life, by talking to people, avoiding preconceived ideas, and being open. That’s how we get to take pictures that matter.via Marc Riboud on Photography, Hard Work and How We are All the Same by Ayesugul Sert [original here]
Iain S. Thomas on Hope and Love:
I hope every tear you ever cry makes you feel a little bit bettervia 300 Things [here by Iain S. Thomas].
While I have shed a tear just about everyday for what has been lost - a life, a love, a relationship and a future - I have only shed them to myself. There have only been two times since Jenny died that this has not been the case.
The first time was at the end of the day of Jenny's Funeral. The others headed upstairs when we arrived home that cold winter's evening. I stayed downstairs and went into one of the rooms, closed the door and in the darkness curled up on the floor under the desk and let out a howl that I had not heard before or since. The others came down and comforted me. I had broken down after a week of being brave and doing what I had to do. The other time is for another day but would happen a few months later in a small town in the south of France.
You go through stages and when you stop shedding tears for a time, you wonder if you are forgetting or your heart has just turned to stone. Invariably, something happens - a person, an event, an anniversary but mostly a song - and the tears flow again and you feel better. There is no need to be comforted. I am strong enough to shed them on my own. They are mine only and I find comfort in them because that's what they are for, to make you feel better.
Symbolically the Balck Rose represents death, or the overcoming of a long journey. It is the search for absolute perfection as the Black Rose does not truly exist. It is also referred to as Black Magic.via TRENT PARKE: THE BLACK ROSE (*).Imagination is the key to the whole Black Rose. It is the most important thing. Imagination is always so important to me. And Dreams allow you to get to those places you can't get to in your normal day to day working. They up open things up you could never possibly think of.
It seems to me that beliefs about the future are so rarely correct that they usually aren't worth the extra rigidity they impose, and that the best strategy is simply to be aggressively open-minded.via How to be an Expert in a Changing World (*) by Paul Graham (*).
When you're inspired (*), you're looking (*) for an idea (*) that creates (*) a feeling (*) or emotion (*).via How To Be Inspired At Work (*) by Mitch (*).
What you do once you're inspired (*), is up to you. [..]
To be inspired, you have to get inspired. This is where most people fall down. [..]
You have to decide right now, how much of your time you are giving to allow yourself to get inspired.
What you will uncover. Slowly. Very slowly. Over time.
Inspiration is, ultimately, what will keep you engaged (*) at work and happy (*) at home.
It will make you healthier (your mind (*), your body (*) and your spirit (*)).
Think about it. Apply it.
To me it seems to be important to believe (*) people to be good (*) even if they tend to be bad (*), because your own joy (*) and happiness (*) in life (*) is increased that way, and the pleasures (*) of the belief (*) outweigh the occasional disappointments (*). To be a cynic about people works just the other way around and makes you incapable about enjoying the good things.via Isaac Asimov on Optimism vs. Cynicism about the Human Spirit (*) by Brain Pickings (*).
Inspiration (*) comes in many forms and from many sources. What I have learned (*) in doing architectural photography (*) is to be open to new ideas and to see the possibilities that present everywhere. [..] The ideas keep coming because inspiration (*) on its own may arrive in erratic bursts, but going after it consciously (*) day by day makes for a rewarding journey (*) and consistently better photography (*).via In Photography, Inspiration is All Around You (*) by Ellen Fisch (*).
Gaudí's position in the history of architecture is that of a creative genius who, inspired by nature, developed a style of his own that attained technical perfection as well as aesthetic value, and bore the mark of his character.Thanks Ellen for making this so clear.
It was so interesting to me how we all interpreted and approached the issues we were talking about totally differently and to again realize how important understanding (*) someone's cultural background is when dealing with different situations. Moral of the story? We all have room to be a little bit more understanding (*).via FOUREYES ON THIS WEEK #15 (*) by Alex (*).
What if we stopped trying to be seen and learned (*) how to see (*) instead?via Shifting The Focus From Results To Relationships (*) by The Story of Telling (*).
[..] memories don’t seem to live ‘in’ the photographs. Instead, each photo is like a key, which triggers or accesses a memory (*) that actually lives in your mind. But without the photo to act as a key, there may be no other way to access the memory (*). What then? If a memory (*) is rendered inaccessible, it’s lost. Sometimes you lose memories by synaptic degradation; other times, by misplacing a photo.via Your Oddly-Shaped Mind (*) by Melting Asphalt (*).
Following in their [pioneers] footsteps might seem like a shortcut, the irony being that pioneers mostly succeed (*) by being pioneers—by doing what others don’t dare to do, because it isn’t obvious or easy.via Why Not Go First? (*) by Story of Telling (*).
Our biggest learnings (*) and successes (*) come from going first.
Photography frequently works at it's most powerful when it's allowed to imply instead of being asked to declarevia Photobook Review: "Suburban Dreams" by Beth Yarnelle Edwards (*) by fototazo (*).
Whatever our calling, whether we are scientists, engineers, poets, public servants, or parents, we all live in a complex, and ever-changing world, and all of us deserve what's in this toolbox: critical thinking skills; knowledge (*) of the past (*) and other cultures (*); an ability to work with and interpret numbers and statistics; access to the insights of great writers and artists; a willingness to experiment, to open up to change (*); and the ability to navigate ambiguity (*).via An MIT Dean's Defense of the Humanities (*) by AthanasiusKircher (*).
even today, things can still happen (*) by simply taking a camera (*) and going out into the world.via eyecurious: I just got my hands on two books, Going Home and... (*) by Conscientious Redux (*) / Jorg Colberg (*).
She was a servant of her talent (*), compelled to use her servitude (*) to make what she needed to make. [..]via Jerry Saltz on Finding Vivian Maier: An Invisible Artist and the Man Who Found Her (*) by Jerry Saltz (*).
Bells go off when you look at her pictures; you become witness to something big. Proust talked of "the apogee of the particular." That's here. This gives Maier's work psychological and philosophical force, something deeply observant. At the same time, she also has an outsider's (*) view of the world. She's one who watches, silently observes (*), is alert to the tiniest disturbance in the visual or psychic field. [..] The valor of being alive comes into focus.
The Flow State is a place where the impossible becomes possible, where time slows down and a perfect moment becomes attainable,via Achieving The Rise Of Flow: An Interview With Steven Kotler (*) by Sports Are 80 Percent Mental (*).
I felt like THE LORD was shining a light (*) for me to make a photo….Oh man, what a feeling…it was like an experience that one should remember for eternity. I raised the Leica with the 35cron and just as I put it to my eye….via Fuji XP1 & 35mm Find The Light … and Some Other Things (*) by StreetSooter (*).
I kinda heard a voice in my head and I thought it was THE LORD as he said….Schmuck, your shooting TRI-X.
Those are the kind of experiences (*) that effect your life…or not! For me things like that leave me open to the possibilities of what ever life throws at me.
