4 Windows

This photograph came about during a day of experimentation with different aperture and shutter speed combinations. The settings for this photograph are identical to the settings for Breakfast. The main difference between the two photos is that 4 Windows uses the regular portrait setting while Breakfast was taken on a macro setting. Also, like Breakfast, there is a strong back light.

The most striking thing in this photograph is the color. There has been no color-correction or post-editing (except for resizing) done. Perhaps it is the gradient provided by the reflected light of the white lamp between the two middle windows that causes the whole composition to have a desaturated look that I find very aesthetically pleasing.

The additional elements of a wooden chair and a vase of roses give this scene some context and mystery and the photographer would like to humbly call the viewer's attention to the small blue flower in the window sill second from left. I really enjoy how this accent of blue contrasts with the consistently warm colors in the rest of the scene.

Aperture: 2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/2,000
ISO: 100

Breakfast

This photograph is a study in false perspective. The subject is a peeled orange. My hope is that the first impression the viewer has is of a subject sitting on the floor within a few feet of a door of some kind with light shining through and under. In fact, there are two sources of light that are separated by a distance of about 8 feet. The main light source is the morning sun coming through the kitchen window (roughly 8 feet from the subject). The second source (the bright spot at left-center) is only a few inches from the subject. It is a reflection being thrown by the beveled front of the stove. That these two light sources seem to combine into a single plane of existence is a remarkable illusion in my opinion. Other aspects of composition took a back seat to this effect and in retrospect I would have liked to have had just touch of fill lighting. Perhaps even a small bounce card of come kind throwing some of the sunlight onto the unlit part of the subject.

Aperture: 2.8
Exposure: 1/2,000
ISO: 100

What Probably Damaged My Camera

Over the holidays I did some photography experimentation. Specifically I was practicing my macro-shooting. I was at my sister-in-law's house when I was inspired to try a detailed focus on a candle flame.

There is nothing spectacular about this picture other than the fact that it was after I took this picture, I noticed my retractable plastic lens-shield was not completely closing when the camera was powered off. Other than leaving the lens exposed while the camera is not in use, it does not seem to be hampering the function of the camera.

However, now it seems like when my camera is powered off that it is only pretending to be asleep. I have convinced myself that I obsessively store the camera in its protective case to keep dust from scratching the lens. In reality it is because the transformation of the camera from a utilitarian technological tool into a robot feigning sleep makes me uncomfortable.

Blink: Lyrics by Elam Blackman

[Update] --- Elam made his goal and then some! Congratulations, friend!

My friend Elam is trying to raise money via kickstarter for a new album. Dale Mackey has a knack for video and put this together in support of the project. Sound is my universe, so I went a different route.

Not only is Elam a friend but he has also been an inspiration since the first time we met.

I was still touring as The World's Tallest People when I had my first meeting with Elam. We were playing a show together at a small Knoxville coffee shop. The first thing that struck me about Elam is that he was short. Also, he seemed much more serious than I had imagined him to be. Until he started talking. There was an ease in his speaking. A tempered irreverence emboldened by likable contempt. I was taken completely away by Angel of the Floor and incredibly entertained by Buddah Cat.

When he played a show in my living room 100 years later, I was reminded of his patience and constant sincerity.

At times I have thought: {Elam : coffee shops = Dondero : bars}

After some gentle insistence, Elam finally sent me a copy of his journal surrounding the time about which Angel of the Floor was written. 120 pages of letters, journal entries, stories and poems that begins with a seemingly spontaneous decision to travel to Mexico with Forest Sun. Throughout the journal, Elam details the intimate workings of a soul in evolution.

Elam speaks as he sings and sings as he speaks. His writing is similar to both. So as a tribute to my buddy Elam I wrote the song Blink. The first few stanzas as well as the chorus are Elam's bio from his website.

The final stanzas are a passage taken from Elam's journal about a venue he and Forest were playing at that burnt down.

Although Elam and I may write in completely different genres, he has been a big influence on my approach to songwriting. I hope that you will consider supporting him as he puts the finishing touches on his new record. Click Here to Kick in something.

Blink

Nothing Is Strange

Nothing Is Strange is the latest release in a series of online EPs I have put out as George Burl. It is comprised of music conceptualized and written for the Bernie Slavich short film The Act, to be released online in 2011. There are detailed liner notes available for this EP with every download from bandcamp. The official bandcamp version of this release (featured below) includes an alternate take of Long Standing Marsh recorded live last December.