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 (*).

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 (*).

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 (*).

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 (*).

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 (*).

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.

On Love and Succeeding - Khalik Allah (Fri 24 Oct 2014)

Reflection - Ceriva / Italy (Mon 08 Sep 2014)
Khalik Allah (*) writes Love (*) and Success (*:

When you offer only love to the world you can never go wrong. I am becoming an example of this. We all share the same function of forgiveness and healing, and for me photography is a channel to express that. Be well.

via Peace G. Just stopping by to show love, it's been a minute. I see you've been getting some good looks lately, [..] Keep building, you'll have books and exhibitions in no time. (*) by Khalik Allah (*).

More on Photography and Story Telling - Colin Pantall (Wed 15 Oct 2014)

Just Because I Really Love You (c) - Bologna (Fri 29 Aug 2014)
Colin Pantall (*) writes on Story Telling (*) and Photography (*) through the 2014 Booker Prize (*) awarded to Richard Flanagan (*) who:

worked for 12 years to tell this story. He told it as a love story because he says that while war stories dark about death, war also illuminates love (*) which is the greatest expression of hope (*). It's what we live (*) for.

And because it's what we live for, it's what we want to read about. Flanagan has every reason to be self-indulgent and wallow in his father's misery, but it seems like he's translating the story for readership. He's reaching out, he's editing (*), he's adapting (*), he's simplifying (*), he's making it a story that has been written for the reader. It's written on the reader's terms.

Colin questions and challenges Photographers (*)

I think an interesting question here is how often do photographers do this?; go out to the reader and sacrifice their self-indulgence to tell the story well? How often do they do this, how often don't they do this?

via Whatever Evil is, it wasn't in that Room (*) by Colin Pantall (*).

On Editing your Work - The Story Grid (Tue 14 Oct 2014)

This is Bologna (*) - Bologna (Fri 29 Aug 2014)
The Story Grid (*) on Editing (*):

The only one committed to making your book best in class is you. And guess what? That is as it should be.

via The Realpolitik of Book Publishing (*) by Shawn Coyne (*).

Same for your photos.

On Imitation - Looking for Snapshots (Mon 13 Oct 2014)

Che 'Homer' Guevara (*) - Rialto Bridge / Venice (Thu 11 Sep 2014)
Looking for Snapshots (*) writes on Imitation (*):

We know that snapshots are mostly boring, but a found photo—a snapshot or other non-art photo given meaning by someone who didn’t take it—can be boring, too: finding a photo can be as thoughtless an activity as taking one. Both logic and experience suggest that the percentages are no better for found photos than for any other kind. One way a found photo can be boring is to be derivative.

[..] imitation is something you don’t want to get rid of: cultural transmission couldn’t happen without it. There’s no bright line between an artist who imitates and one who is (productively) influenced, or between an artist who isn’t doing anything new and one who is carrying on a tradition. An artist who imitates is probably one who loves, and love is a good thing.

via Imitation (*) by Looking for Snapshots (*).

Another great piece of writing and presentation. Writing seems to be easy if you know what you want to say. Rule 1: know the point you want to get across.

The Experience of Choice - The Story of Telling (Wed 08 Oct 2014)

Smile - Bologna (Fri 29 Aug 2014)
Bernadette (*) writes on Experience (*) and Choice (*):

Making things people want goes beyond the making of the thing. How we create experiences, tell stories and give our customer’s stories to tell matters. [..]

because as Bernadette (*) concludes:

when we have an option we will always choose how something feels, before we choose how it tastes, looks or works.

via The Trap Of The Misleading Advantage (*) by The Story of Telling (*).

On Boundaries - The Story of Telling (Wed 24 Sep 2014)

Intersection (*) - Marco Polo Airport / Venice (Thu 11 Sep 2014)
Bernadette (*) writes Boundaries (*):

We know that whoever gets closest to their customer wins and that’s never been more true than it is in a world where you are not limited by the boundaries that domain knowledge, distance or even monopolies once created.

via Close, Closer, Closest (*) by The Story of Telling (*).

On Influences - Joe Newman (Wed 10 Sep 2014)

Red - Venice (Tue 09 Sep 2014)
Joe Newman (*) writes on our Influences (*):

our influences are more than just what artists we've studied or admired. We all bring our own personal experiences, biases and values to our photographs, whether it's a conscious effort or not.

via Finding the Story in Your Street Photography (*) by Joe Newman (*).

On Photography - Michael Ernest Sweet (Tue 02 Sep 2014)

Untitled - Venice (Tue 09 Sep 2014)
Michael Ernest Sweet (*) writes on Photography (*):

When I look at one of my photographs, I do not see what you see. I see the moment on the street where I made the photograph and I feel into that experience. Simply put, I do not see objectively (*) - my viewing is subjective (*).

via Joel Meyerowitz and Twelve Other Street Photographers on Their Best Photographs (*) by Michael Ernest Sweet (*).

On The Story of Telling - Joe Newman (Wed 10 Sep 2014)

Was it a Dream? - Burano / Italy (Wed 10 Sep 2014)
Joe Newman (*) writes on The Story of Telling (*):

Telling the story as a street photographer is different than telling the story as a journalist or documentary photographer. While journalists set out to record "the first rough draft of history," the story you tell as a street photographer is entirely in the viewer's mind.

via Finding the Story in Your Street Photography (*) by Joe Newman (*).

Burano is a beautiful little island about 45 mins from Venice by a small Ferry. It felt so far from anywhere. We arrived late in the day and the shadows were long and the colours were striking. We bumped into Loretta here and she can seen on then left path with a couple of paddlers from Mt Warning. Loretta was the Australian Team Manager in 2007 and 2013.

Best - Joel Meyerowitz / Alex Coghe (Thu 04 Sep 2014)

Lotto Superenalotto - Cervia / Italy (Mon 08 Sep 2014)
Joel Meyerowitz (*) writes on your Best (*):

best is a superlative, yet for any[one..] best also signifies a work from different periods of development and growing consciousness.

via Huffington Post and my best street photograph - alexcoghe (*) by Alex Coghe (*).

On a bus on the way to Venice from Cervia. Ravenna 2014 Club Crews was the strongest of the four I have been to. Incredibly strong competition and we really did not have a chance. A couple of seconds off the podium in the Mixed 2km, our first race. We did not know who we were racing against then and it was a bitter sweet moment. Another case of not knowing how powerful it is not to know. Overall, an awakening of where we and I stand against the best in the world. Starting to feel like I am paddling a little our of my age category, but I hope to have a few more campaigns in me. Thanks to everyone who made this happen. Onwards to Venice in an hour or so. Cheers.

Green #2 - Bolgona (Fri 29 Aug 2014)

Green #2 - Bologna (Fri 29 Aug 2014)

Green - Bologna (Fri 29 Aug 2014)

Green - Bologna (Fri 29 Aug 2014)

The New - Douglas Lowell (Tue 02 Sep 2014)

Untitled - Bologna (Sat 30 Aug 2014)
Untitled - Bologna (Sat 30 Aug 2014)
Douglas Lowell (*) writes on The New (*):

That’s what I mean by new. [..] I’m talking about when they first came out, before there was a cultural slot in our brains for them. Berfore they were familiar. Was it instant recognition? Or was it confusion, doubt, even discomfort?

via Dear Juried Exhibition, do you really want new? (*) by Douglas Lowell (*).

On Photographic Projects - Trent Parke (Wed 27 Aug 2014)

Untitled - Milan Station (Aug 2005)
Untitled - Milan Station (Thu 28 Aug 2014)
Trent Parke (*) writes On Projects (*):

Most of my projects last for years. I don’t feel I can achieve anything worth saying in a few weeks in a place. I have always been interested in why I am drawn to something and why I eventually push the camera button. Most of it comes from memory, the subconscious and events I experienced growing up.

via An interview with Trent Parke - Try Hard Magazine (*) by Try Hard Magazine (*).

Both stops in Milan (*) were short (about an hour) and these were quick shots taken with baggage in hand, explaining the wonkiness of each photo. I always remembered the 2005 photo and see it often amongst my favourite photos (*) on Picasa.

In 2005 (*) were heading north to Interlarken (*) from Genoa (*) and Jenny was with us. This time we heading to Bologna (*) from Zurich (*).

The Canon Pro1 (*) I used in 2005 has always been my favourite camera and the sensor gave beautiful textured and coloured images [see here (*)]. It was definitely a quirky camera, but my favourite.

It stopped working in January 2009 on our last Main Range (*) walk with Jenny. An omen of sorts I should think. It's last few images were ghostly white with faint silhouette's of Jenny and Joanne at the Summit (*) of Mt K.

I have said it few times here over the years, when I have talked about past photos, I think I saw my photos better back then. I was less knowledgeable and more naive. In some ways it has helped me understand what Bono (*) was trying to say in front of large crowd of fans at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge (*) looking into Manhattan (*) when he said (*) it was about:

a time in our lives when we did not know how powerful it was not to know.

Finally, as Trent's quote from above mentions, I think these two photos are about memory (*) and the subconscious (*). They are also about change - even though nothing really looks that different about the roofs, nine years have passed and so much has changed. Maybe that's what I was trying to say here (*) about change (*) before we departed.

So, I am happy to have these two photo, the opportunity to make them and these random thoughts here now.