Nodding (off)

01.31.2008 Nodding (off)


This 5:30 am business is kicking my ass. It's not even 8 and I'm ready to sleep for the day. I'm so off schedule. Now the advantage of having a set precedent of doing this every night is that for the sake of tradition I'll suck it up and get my photo out of the way.

Sometimes I'll come up with something good on the spot. This one isn't too bad, is it? I really like the light on my fingers, probably my favorite part.

Dorsal

01.30.2008 Dorsal

What a long, boring and unfulfilling day. No work due to a snowless snow day and plenty of other bull to deal with.

On the brightside and sad, Y the Last Man reached its conclusion and the series is at an end. If there is anything I respect about Brian K. Vaughn's created storylines, it that they have a beginning, middle and end. Who would guess that simple storytelling could be so difficult?

Anyway, it was a fantastic series. Certainly one that I will read again and recommend to everyone. My girlfriend is halfway through, she likes it but she's not a comic book fan, which explains why she doesn't love it.

Anyway, the above picture is inspired by the last cover of Y the Last Man. The lighting needs work, but all I've got to work with are the bathroom, hall and parent's bedroom lights. I wish the wall was blank, but pictures looked better than nails. If and when I get a place of my own, every room is going to be able to be converted to a studio in less than five minutes. I'm so sick of having to deal with my whole family's surroundings.

So anyway, school tomorrow unless there is a another snowless snow day. I'll see you tomorrow.

It's a Matter of Perspective

01.29.2008 It's a Matter of Perspective


Long day. I certainly have more respect for my mother's job. Watching kids and teaching them is definitely harder than it looks. And to think, I have it all to do again tomorrow. That's ok, 2nd day is much easier than the first. I'm kind of looking forward to it.

Mother and Son

01.28.2008 Mother and Son


There's plenty to write about today, but little time. I've been called in to Sub for my mother and cover her class while she deals with sickness. This will be my first day substitute teaching and I'm quite nervous, but confident. The past hour or so has been a crash course in teaching and this picture, taken in the midst of it all, reflects that.

My initial reaction once I saw it cropped and in gray scale was "Whoa." There's a ton of nice gradients here and the shadows at both of our backs just give everything a moody feeling. I love the vertical stripes on the wall, its the first time in years that I've appreciated them. I really want to use them in the future of Twenty Three.

Anyway, enjoy the photo, I've got work to prepare.

I Have but Two Faces

01.27.2008 I Have but Two Faces


"Forgive me
I have but two faces
One for the world
One for God
Save me."
-Tuomas Holopainen

Since I've heard this song by Nightwish, I've been thinking "Oh, that would be good for a self- portrait." It's a pretty meaningful quote, take from it what you will. From what I understand, the quote reflects a anxious and depressing time for its writer. It's actually from a larger work titled The Poet and the Pendulum located within their latest album, Dark Passion Play.

The Poet and the Pendulum is quite dark, even tragic in a number of ways. Above all, it is incredibly well written and composed in the style that defines Nightwish. That being full orchestra, choir and metal band. The basic premise is that of the Poet lying upon an altar with the swing blade above, a la Edgar Allen Poe style. Personally, I found it interesting and moving to walk through all 13 minutes and 55 seconds of the piece to witness a man self analyzed, criticized and wandering for solace and peace. For me, there is in this song quite a bit to relate to and to recognize.

I chose the quote for its truth and mystery, not to mention the melody that you may not have heard, and the momentum of the song as a whole. Again, I find myself playing with shutter speed, which I'm still getting the hang of. For today's photography, I more than anything wanted a studio in which I could change backgrounds and lighting with relative ease.

I'm going to have to arrange something.

Headache

01.26.2008 Headache

Ooch. I've got a headache. I think its the light and the colors.

Another playing with shutter speed photo. This one was a little less intentional. But that's how it comes. Half intention, half luck. C'est le vie.

Speed Reading

01.25.2008 Speed Reading


Sometime I get in these reading funks where I can't stop. I've been working in Akron, about 60-70 miles from home on occasion and I ride in with my Uncle Carl. I brought a book to knock the bore out of the ride and it sparked a frenzy. I suppose it makes sense, I've been out of my 'read an hour a day' loop since December. The book I was reading, A Roman Revolution, was just so dense that I barely made any headway at all. Anyway, my reading frenzy began with a less academic book: Long Way Down. Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman motorcycle from Scotland to South Africa, a real life adventure that just dances in my mind. Now, I can't read while I work but its like my head is still in the book. The world has such a surreal sensation to it and everything happens without words.

Not to mention the subject matter storms through my head. I wonder if I could embark on such a journey. I don't even know how to ride a motorcycle. I don't even know the first things about mechanics and engines and what not. Well if my Dad can learn all about Alpacas in his 50th year, I can learn something about motorcycles in my 23rd.

I'd have to start small, maybe tour Ohio in two days. Civil War battlegrounds in three days. Cross country riding in mysterious Canada? One day, maybe, I could do Ohio to Cape Horn in South America. My head has been a hurricane of lust for adventure today. I suppose reading helps to fuel that. Keep my ambition up, you know?

Anyway, I've been reading comics during the night. I try to avoid this, but I usually end up reading more than one thing at a time. I don't worry about confusing things though. The X-Men are a little difficult to reconcile with motorcycling in the desert.

The ultimate conclusion is: I need to get off the bed and away from the books to go out and find something worthwhile. That is what this picture is. What I'm doing and why I need to not be doing it.