Your photos and text convey the great care you take with the world, and by extension, with yourself at this time of your intense need for solace. Thank you.
Fantastic perspectives John. You are an expert photographer - your pictures always inspire and this post captures your full range from macro to cosmic. Well written post and beautifully illustrated with your images.
John I'm so pleased to read all the things you've said yes to and done, and I love the shadows you noticed from the tower. Most people would only notice the view. Hang in there, and keep on noticing and shooting and saying yes. Your aurora and comet photographs are fabulous by the way. Wow.
Thank you Diana. It's funny, I forgot to take a picture of the tower even though I told myself I must, even before I got to the site. It's been like that. My head is a bit foggy. I'm not all quite there if you know what I mean. But I am allowing myself to be a total beginner again. It's like I am starting over. Your rust abstracts are very engaging. I am wondering how your weekend went. I want to get into printing too. That's one part of photography I've shied away from since getting into digital. But I can see how important it is for me to advance any further.
Aside from meeting some really nice folks and getting some in-person sign ups to the newsletter, it was a complete dud - we sold nothing but learned that it wasn't the right market for us. You win some, you lose some... Printing is tricky - for a while we didn't do any printing ourselves and just focused on large prints done by a lab we love but now we've got a printer for 13x19 and smaller and I'm already annoyed by the ink racket (expiration dates are tough if you don't print often) and all the inventory of paper and packaging materials. I don't think I'd be as bitter if we had lots of sales over the weekend, but that's ok, having a printer for test shots alone is good I suppose.
Arggh, that's disappointing. Here in Canada, people just don't buy photography. At least, that's what I've always heard from people who've tried. Even dabbling prints with a paint brush triples you chance of selling. I know one guy here who did landscapes and painted crows onto them. People really responded. Because he painted you know. Like the rest of it didn't matter. I am not looking for print sales anyways, but without printing, I'm missing two thirds of the process, the other two parts being shooting and processing.
I totally agree with you on the ink racket. That's a big part of the reason I've been so reticent. There should be laws! I was thinking of going the bulk ink route with an Epson 8550. I've been following https://www.youtube.com/@KeithCooper who has tested a ton of printers and papers and he says this model can get the job done if you know what you are doing. I still have my doubts, but I'm pretty much willing to give it a try. Seeing will be believing.
I used to have a little Epson 8x10 printer and it was great but like you say, it had to be used all the time or it would turn into a disaster. I really couldn't afford the ink back then. With Keith's help, I'm hoping to try again and meet the requirements this time, whatever they are.
How long were you and Ruth together? It might have been a blip in time on the cosmic scale, but we humans do not live or view the world on such timelines. We view our lives in days, weeks and months. And years. We carry the memories of such times. When you lose someone, there is grief and coming to terms with it. Trying to make sense.
I remember being angry when my father died in 1980. It was unfair that he died, age 69, after such a hard and difficult life. I was looking for answers and found none that were satisfying in the usual religious or philosophical sources. They are all distant and unfeeling, like that faraway comet.
I now accept that this is life for most of us, chiefly a result of human greed and selfishness by the few. Hard and unfair, but punctuated with moments of profound beauty, mystery and love. Most found in Nature. This is what keeps me going.
Thank you for your comment Perry. Yes, your father's death at 69 was one of things that made me take notice of you when I first came to Substack. We have so many similar trajectories.
Ruth was the first person I met in Toronto. That was 48 years ago. I've know her or been with her my entire adult life. She was the one, three years later, who took the phone call from my brother saying my father had died, at age 69. Ruth died on the 45th anniversary of his death. She never got to meet him. Perhaps they have met now.
I prefer not to play the blame game. I prefer to acknowledge that bad things happen to good people all the time and that none of us gets out of here alive, and to leave it at that.
I still grieve my father. It's not fair. Life isn't fair. But what am I going to do about it? What can I do? I refuse to focus on human greed and selfishness. Neither will I ignore it. But I cannot waste my precious time focusing on the self-absorbed assholes of the world. Instead, I will look for beauty. Beauty in nature in particular is my salvation. At moments like these, it seems the only thing that still matters.
But there is also love. Love and caring for the people I love and care about. Love and only love endures. Hate is cancer. And I'm perfectly fine with indifference.
Thank you Amaranta. The comet was truly spectacular and the images did not come easily. It took a long time staring into the falling dark just to find it in the sky. Once I did, I noticed my camera was already pointed exactly where it needed to be to frame the darker of the two images. It was as if I was being guided by some unseen force. I feel surrounded by benevolent angels.
So many beautiful photos! And excellent commentary. A distraction from grief, breathing in nature's healing and family support.
Thank you for this beautiful photo essay, John, as we stand with you in the river of time, scrolling.
I feel that Heidi. Thank You.
Lovely and inspiring, words and photos both.
Thank you very much Celia
Your photos and text convey the great care you take with the world, and by extension, with yourself at this time of your intense need for solace. Thank you.
Thank you Mia for recognizing that. It seems to be the only way I know how to deal with everything at the moment. It's all so much.
Fantastic perspectives John. You are an expert photographer - your pictures always inspire and this post captures your full range from macro to cosmic. Well written post and beautifully illustrated with your images.
Club is meeting tonight - doors open at 6:30,
59 Ballantine St, Cobourg - entrance on the south of the building close to the parking area.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Excellent. See you there.
Thanks Andy. I'm glad you enjoyed the post. Is there a club meeting tonight? If so, I think I would like to attend.
John I'm so pleased to read all the things you've said yes to and done, and I love the shadows you noticed from the tower. Most people would only notice the view. Hang in there, and keep on noticing and shooting and saying yes. Your aurora and comet photographs are fabulous by the way. Wow.
Thank you Diana. It's funny, I forgot to take a picture of the tower even though I told myself I must, even before I got to the site. It's been like that. My head is a bit foggy. I'm not all quite there if you know what I mean. But I am allowing myself to be a total beginner again. It's like I am starting over. Your rust abstracts are very engaging. I am wondering how your weekend went. I want to get into printing too. That's one part of photography I've shied away from since getting into digital. But I can see how important it is for me to advance any further.
Aside from meeting some really nice folks and getting some in-person sign ups to the newsletter, it was a complete dud - we sold nothing but learned that it wasn't the right market for us. You win some, you lose some... Printing is tricky - for a while we didn't do any printing ourselves and just focused on large prints done by a lab we love but now we've got a printer for 13x19 and smaller and I'm already annoyed by the ink racket (expiration dates are tough if you don't print often) and all the inventory of paper and packaging materials. I don't think I'd be as bitter if we had lots of sales over the weekend, but that's ok, having a printer for test shots alone is good I suppose.
Arggh, that's disappointing. Here in Canada, people just don't buy photography. At least, that's what I've always heard from people who've tried. Even dabbling prints with a paint brush triples you chance of selling. I know one guy here who did landscapes and painted crows onto them. People really responded. Because he painted you know. Like the rest of it didn't matter. I am not looking for print sales anyways, but without printing, I'm missing two thirds of the process, the other two parts being shooting and processing.
I totally agree with you on the ink racket. That's a big part of the reason I've been so reticent. There should be laws! I was thinking of going the bulk ink route with an Epson 8550. I've been following https://www.youtube.com/@KeithCooper who has tested a ton of printers and papers and he says this model can get the job done if you know what you are doing. I still have my doubts, but I'm pretty much willing to give it a try. Seeing will be believing.
I used to have a little Epson 8x10 printer and it was great but like you say, it had to be used all the time or it would turn into a disaster. I really couldn't afford the ink back then. With Keith's help, I'm hoping to try again and meet the requirements this time, whatever they are.
So much beauty. Thank you for sharing all of this.
You are welcome Georgia. It is my privilege to be able to. Thank you for dropping by and commenting.
How long were you and Ruth together? It might have been a blip in time on the cosmic scale, but we humans do not live or view the world on such timelines. We view our lives in days, weeks and months. And years. We carry the memories of such times. When you lose someone, there is grief and coming to terms with it. Trying to make sense.
I remember being angry when my father died in 1980. It was unfair that he died, age 69, after such a hard and difficult life. I was looking for answers and found none that were satisfying in the usual religious or philosophical sources. They are all distant and unfeeling, like that faraway comet.
I now accept that this is life for most of us, chiefly a result of human greed and selfishness by the few. Hard and unfair, but punctuated with moments of profound beauty, mystery and love. Most found in Nature. This is what keeps me going.
Thank you for your comment Perry. Yes, your father's death at 69 was one of things that made me take notice of you when I first came to Substack. We have so many similar trajectories.
Ruth was the first person I met in Toronto. That was 48 years ago. I've know her or been with her my entire adult life. She was the one, three years later, who took the phone call from my brother saying my father had died, at age 69. Ruth died on the 45th anniversary of his death. She never got to meet him. Perhaps they have met now.
I prefer not to play the blame game. I prefer to acknowledge that bad things happen to good people all the time and that none of us gets out of here alive, and to leave it at that.
I still grieve my father. It's not fair. Life isn't fair. But what am I going to do about it? What can I do? I refuse to focus on human greed and selfishness. Neither will I ignore it. But I cannot waste my precious time focusing on the self-absorbed assholes of the world. Instead, I will look for beauty. Beauty in nature in particular is my salvation. At moments like these, it seems the only thing that still matters.
But there is also love. Love and caring for the people I love and care about. Love and only love endures. Hate is cancer. And I'm perfectly fine with indifference.
Love the images of the comet and sugar maple 🍁🙌🏼thank you for sharing this
Thank you Amaranta. The comet was truly spectacular and the images did not come easily. It took a long time staring into the falling dark just to find it in the sky. Once I did, I noticed my camera was already pointed exactly where it needed to be to frame the darker of the two images. It was as if I was being guided by some unseen force. I feel surrounded by benevolent angels.