On Imagination - Trent Parke / The Black Rose (Mon 23 Mar 2015)

Imagination - Barcelona (Tue 06 Aug 2013)
Trent Parke (*) writes on Imagination (*):

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.

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.

via TRENT PARKE: THE BLACK ROSE (*).

How and Why - Max S. Gerber (Thu 21 Aug 2014)

How? (*) and (even better) Why? (*) = I don't know - Madrid (Sat 12 Aug 2013)
Max S. Gerber (*) on Process (*):

focusing on the how distracts from the why.

via The Daily Edit – Max S. Gerber iPhone Promo (*) by A Photo Editor (*).

On Observervation - Humbled by Beauty - Streetshooter (Mon 11 Aug 2014)

Flower (*) - Madrid (Sun 11 Aug 2013)
Streetshooter (*) writes On being an Observer (*):

find the beauty (*) placed in the garden and nurtured (*) by a higher source (*), the same source (*) that nurtures (*) you, that gives life (*) to all beings. To me, when I see the garden that my wife Tanya works so diligently (*) to make fruitful and beautiful, I am humbled (*).

via August 11th, 2014 … Fuji X100s …Observations (*) by Streetshooter (*).

A beautiful observation.

On Success - The Story of Telling (Wed 06 Aug 2014)

A Little Bit of Red (*) - Barcelona (Tue 06 Aug 2013)
The Story of Telling (*) writes On Succeeding (*):

doing the obvious (*) isn’t always the shortcut (*) to success (*).

via The Truth about Vanilla (*) by The Story of Telling (*).

Follow Your Curiosity - Eric Kim (Tue 05 Aug 2014)

follow - Madrid (Sun 11 Aug 2013)
Eric Kim writes:

[..] follow your curiosity. Passion and interest cannot be faked. Your subconscious is wiser and smarter than you think. Follow what your subconscious tells you.

via Advice for Young Street Photographers by Eric Kim.

On "Zen in the Martial Arts" - Melissa Hyams / LA Times (Nov 2008)

Uplifting (*) - Madrid Railway Station (Fri 09 Aug 2013)
Melissa Hyams (*) on the book Zen in the Martial Arts (*) by Joe Hyams (*):

[it] isn't really about martial arts. It's about life (*) and philosophy (*), and how to turn a negative (*) into a positive (*), how to defuse a situation by the way you handle it.

via Joe Hyams dies at 85; former Hollywood columnist, bestselling author (*) by Dennis McCellan (*).

I was given a copy of this book by Jan shortly after Jenny died (*).

I was recently reminded of it when I was putting some of my old books into a new bookshelf. Will reread it in the next few weeks, as I think in some ways (from what I remember of it) it has helped and guided me through these last 5 years. And, it has set a direction that is shown through in this little corner (*) of the Internet.

Making the most of it - Do What You Love (Tue 15 Jul 2014)

Installation - Reina Sofia (*) / Madrid (Sun 11 Aug 2013)
Do What You Love (*) writes:

Having experiences (*) is so important, but having exactly the right experience is not always necessary. [..]

However you feel (*) about your .. [situation] right now, think about how you can make the most of the situation you are in to learn (*) something, try (*) something, or build (*) one more connection (*) before, perhaps, you move on.

via Why experiences are important, but having the right experience is not (*) by Do What You Love (*).

Only the Inspired Survive - Mitch / Six Pixels of Separation (Wed 09 Jul 2014)

inspired by the light (*) - Sagrada Familia (*) / Barcelona (Thu 08 Aug 2013)
Mitch (*) writes On Inspiration (*):

When you're inspired (*), you're looking (*) for an idea (*) that creates (*) a feeling (*) or emotion (*).

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.

via How To Be Inspired At Work (*) by Mitch (*).

Found my inspiration back tonight at my first RPM (*) class in almost three weeks. Thanks Kate you were amazing tonight. You asked what are your goals in tonight's class? For me it was finding my inspiration. 7 weeks until we fly out to World Crews in Ravenna, Italy. A cold, and lots of sadness and guilt have found me losing my rhythm and motivation these last few weeks. It's always a tough time of the year and this campaign is a lot longer than then usual. It is time to pull myself up and be the best I can. Do what you can while you can. So this post and a great RPM class seem to be exactly what I needed (*). Thanks Kate and Mitch.

On Finding Yourself - Spencer Lum (Tue 08 Jul 2014)

Untitled - Reina Sofia (*) / Madrid (Sun 11 Aug 2013)
Spencer Lum (*) writes On Life (*):

The whole point of life (*) is to figure it out for yourself. To love (*) the challenge (*) and live in the process (*). It can’t flourish in the light (*) of others. Comparison is the surest path (*) to bitterness (*) and grief (*). Explore (*). See your power (*). See what you can do. Success (*) is not being better than everyone else. It’s finding you.

via Living the Better Life (*) by Spencer Lum (*).

Spencer (*) at his Philosophical Best (*). And a great thought for the 1600th post and 146,000th pageview here (*), give or take a couple.

To believe in the Good - Isaac Asimov / Brain Pickings (Thu 03 Jul 2014)

overexposed (*) - Barcelona (Wed 07 Aug 2013)
Isaac Asimov (*) writes:

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 (*).

On Inspiration - Ellen Fisch (Tue 01 Jul 2014)

Architectural Detail - Sagrada Familia (*) / Barcelona (Thu 08 Aug 2013)

Ellen Fisch (*) writes Inspiration (*):

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 (*).

Gaudi (*) found inspiration in nature for much of his architectural detail. From his wikipedia page (*):

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.

On Understanding - Alex / Foureyes (Sun 29 Jun 2014)

Untitled - Barcelona (Mon 05 Aug 2013)
Alex (*) writes On Understanding (*):

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 (*).

On the Photographer and Life - StreetShooter (Thu 19 Jun 2014)

Angel (*) Heart (*) in Flight (*) - Lisbon (Wed 14 Aug 2013)
StreetShooter (*) writes On the Photographer (*) and Life (*):

The photographer (*) validates his time on the earth by the photos he makes. Photographers record what the planet looked like during their visit (*). We are all tourist thru life, no one gets a permanent Visa.

via June 19th, 2014 … Fuji X100s is a Streetshooter’s Dream (*) by StreetShooter (*).

On Seeing - The Story of Telling (Fri 13 May 2014)

Eyes - Barcelona (Tue 06 Aug 2013)
The Story of Telling (*) writes On Seeing (*):

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 (*).

Love finding a random piece hiding away from the passing traffic.

On Memory - Melting Asphalt (Tue 20 May 2014)

Hold Out - Barcelona (Wed 07 Aug 2013)
Melting Asphalt (*) writes On Memory (*):

[..] 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 (*).

On Pioneering - Story of Telling (Sun 18 May 2014)

Why not go first? - Barcelona (Tue 06 Aug 2013)
Story of Telling (*) writes (*):

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.

Our biggest learnings (*) and successes (*) come from going first.

via Why Not Go First? (*) by Story of Telling (*).

On Seeing - Sergio Larrain / Leicaphilia (Tue 29 Apr 2014)

Glasses - Madrid (Sat 10 Aug 2013)
Sergio Larrain (*) writes On Seeing (*):

By looking, you will learn to see. [..]

it takes time to see, but the secret will slowly reveal itself, and eventually you will see what is good and the essence of everything.

via How to Become a Photographer (*) by Leicaphilia (*).

On Photography - Imply vs Declare - fototazo (Fri 02 May 2014)

Street Portrait - Sagrada Familia (*) - Barcelona (Thu 08 Aug 2013)
fototazo (*) writes On Photography (*):

Photography frequently works at it's most powerful when it's allowed to imply instead of being asked to declare

via Photobook Review: "Suburban Dreams" by Beth Yarnelle Edwards (*) by fototazo (*).

Did not know I had this photo, until I looked back just now. That's an intense look .. but it was just an unknown fleeting moment (*).

On the Humanities - Robert Heinlein / AthanasiusKircher / Slashdot (Fri 02 May 2014)

Street Portrait - Barcelona (Tue 06 Aug 2013)
Robert Heinlein (*) is quoted (*):

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 (*).

On the Camera - making it happen - eyecurious / Conscientious Redux (Tue 12 Apr 2014)

Horizon Camera (*) - Lomography Store (*) / Barcelona (Mon 05 Aug 2013)
eyecurious (*) writes on the camera (*):

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 (*).

I have a copy of Going Home (*). And I was very interested in the Horizon (*) Panoramic Camera (*) in my early days (*).