The philosopher Aristotle said,

“In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge.”

Photo: San Sebastian, Spain

It was a bright clear sun-filled autumn day in San Sabastian, Spain, a warm ocean breeze waffling through the park.  Camera in hand, I set out to shoot some ocean/landscape images but found myself captivated by all the seniors sitting on park benches engaged in conversations and laughter.

Before I even opened my shutter, I just stood there soaking up the scene of these scattered benches filled with friendships, noticing that even at advanced ages, these relationships were important and rooted in their happiness.

After I captured the image of these two beautiful ladies visiting together I walked away with Carol King’s song on my mind ‘You’ve Got A Friend’.  It made me really think about how friendships play such an import role in life from grade school to the retirement home.

I have always understood that in life, the pyramid of relationships is that romantic partners, parents, children all come first leaving friendships at the bottom.  But I have witnessed just how important friendships are to one’s happiness; even though it is at the bottom of the pyramid is notably vital to our well-being and inner peace.

I find that friendship is a unique and special relationship because, unlike family relationships, we choose to enter into them – they are not a given. Friends are friends because they want to be.

Friendship is commonly defined as ‘being there for each other’ – ‘having the ability to be oneself with no fear of judgement, someone to talk to, to depend upon, someone with trust, and someone to enjoy time with’ - these special powers of friendship are solid but the circumstances of time most often changes that bond.

As life accelerates, people’s priorities and responsibilities shift, and friendships are affected.

In young adulthood, there is always time for friendship, and friendship plays an important role in forming who we are. But at the end of young adulthood we no longer have time for those friends. The time is poured, largely, into jobs and families.

As we move through life, we make and keep friends in different ways. Some make friends wherever they go, others just have friendly acquaintances, and some stay close with friends over the years (the losses of these close friends are incredible).

I love this image of these two women who have a special friendship late in life. Even though life has given them losses and many changes, they seem to have found the capacity to still find warmth, shared interests, kindness, empathy, understanding, enjoyment and trust from one another.

Friends make the world more beautiful – they enhance the quality and the pleasure of life.

You just call out my name

And you know wherever I am

I'll come running running running to see you again

Winter, spring, summer or fall

All you have to do is call

And I'll be there

You've got a friend

. . . photography - the art of capturing life, culture, and humanity

“Growing up I didn’t have a lot of toys, and personal entertainment depended on individual ingenuity and imagination – think up a story and go live it for an afternoon.”

— Terry Brooks

Photo: 'Toy Maker' Tucson 2017

The similarities are obvious: fluffy white beard, three tables overloaded with handcrafted wooden toys, is this Kris Kringle? No, he is a beloved Toy Maker at the Tucson artist market.

I stood nearby for a few minutes admiring this Toy Maker. What was his story? Was he continuing with a long history of family toy making or was he inspired by starting out making toys for his own children and then it turned into something much bigger and completely unplanned? At one time, had he been a carpenter, welder, auto mechanic, engineer, house painter or college professor?  I was intrigued and wanted to know more about him!

I noticed he had the steady hands of a Toy Maker.

Children were gathered around the table playing with the toys he had made, rolling the toys up and down any available space; one little boy had a small wooden car sticking out of his pocket. 

I witnessed the Toy Maker interacting and attentively listening to the children who were handling his toys.  I am confident that he has observed a lot of children having great conversations with his toys. Conversations that hold imaginative and explorative stories.

I can envision this Toy Maker in his workshop sitting on a high legged stool with his grey mouthed dog by his side; carving tools scattered on the wooden work bench in front of him and his steady fingers navigating a block of alder wood through the saw.  Sawdust goes airborne into his silvered hair and white beard. He pauses and looks through his silver-framed glasses at his cut-out.  The workshop is filled with wooden toys in the corners, toys on the table, toys on the shelves; every flat surface holds a collection of his wooden toys.  This is his life, his lifestyle; he does it for the love of what he is doing.

Here is a Toy Maker who labors with love to bring joy to children; Tucson’s Kris Kringle!

. . . photography - the art of capturing life, culture, and humanity

“Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.”

— Yousuf Karsh

Photo:  'hot'  Tucson July 4th 2017

July 4th, 2017 - Tucson, Arizona

streets and sidewalks bare of cars and pedestrians

temperature 105 degrees

I had reservations about posting this image.  It’s not so much the man or the ethnicity that is the subject of the photograph but it is about the condition – the moment.  Obviously, I was not able to ask for permission for this photo without waking him.

I hesitate taking images of people sleeping in the streets suffering the worst time of their lives or lingering in parks waiting for a feeding.  Photographing homeless people makes me uncomfortable.  Some photographers pursue these types of photos because their goals are to draw attention to the challenges of homelessness, to petition change and to solicit action through their images.

I understand that the homeless occupy their own private space on the street. Some believe that shooting a photo of a homeless person is a violation of that person’s privacy and is creating illegitimate work. I find it difficult to agree with the entirety of that thought. Is there any situation where privacy is voluntary and privacy is relinquished?

I avoid obvious shots of intrusion and regard the homeless as unfortunate souls who deserve respect and privacy.  It is a challenge to respectfully photograph scenes that characterizes the human condition within public places creating photographs that tell a story and leaves us curious.

In 2016 Tucson reported that out of 1762 homeless people in shelter and housing: 211 were chronically homeless, 479 were chronically mentally ill, 460 with a substance use disorder, 90 with HIV/AIDS, 333 were victims of domestic abuse, and 281 were veterans - by no means, do these numbers give an accurate picture of homelessness overall.

The image of this man, wrapped in a plastic garbage bag on a 105 degree day, sleeping on a hot steel bus stop bench, leaves me distrubingly curious about his story..

What set this man on the road to homelessness? Is this man ‘chronically homeless’ – does he have a medical, mental or addictive condition? Did he step out of a mental health program? Did he find shelters too difficult to live in and then determined that the safest place to sleep was on a sidewalk bench?

What responsibility does society have for our homeless? Do we fear homelessness? Do we worry that homelessness could happen to us?" Do we judge the homeless, sometimes in disdain or disgust, wondering, "why aren’t they working?  can they do more than just beg?".

Every day we pass people on the streets but do we see them? 

If I were on the streets, with no hope, would I lose my mind, start taking drugs or drinking?  Have the homeless become so invisible that we might not notice our own family members living on the street? Would I too become invisible?

From sorrow and despair to compassion and respect, I sit in tears over this image.

. . . photography - the art of capturing life, culture, and humanity

“I learned that the right mentorship is capable of cementing our passions and giving us each an invaluable well to draw from until we click our final frame.”

— Manuello Paganelli

Photo: 'Mentor Ron' Amsterdam 2010

There is a rich history of mentoring.  In Homer's Odyssey, Mentor is a trusted friend to whom Ulysses leaves the care of his household when he departs for the Trojan War. Mentor was entrusted with the development and education of Odysseus's young son; he educated him in the ways of the world, providing the knowledge and support he required. Thus, Mentor's name – with a lower-case "m" – has passed into our language as a shorthand term for a wise and trusted counselor and teacher.

Acquiring a ‘photography mentor’ isn’t an easy task, yet it is truly rewarding and learning from the best always advances one’s study of photography. I strongly believe that mentorship is very important in all aspects of life, whether it be for business, education, sports, faith or personal. A mentor exchanges their own knowledge and experience; lessons they have learned first-hand. The ultimate payment of a mentorship is the exchange of knowledge.

My mentor is my most favorite photographer, he is my truest confidant, and has been my partner in business and in life for forty-six years. Not everyone can have a live-in mentor; but those I know who are experienced and passionate about photography are always willing to give of their time and share their knowledge.

When one finds a mentor that is right for them, the next step would be to determine what they want from their mentor (critiques about images, post production, lighting, or composition, etc).. Working with a photography mentor is inspiring, challenging and frustrating at times, but so rewarding. Also, being a ‘mentee’ has its responsibilities too.  Being respectful of a mentor’s time, their critiques and the information they share is so important. Practicung the art of listening, having an open mind and being patient is the key to a successful mentor relationship. Most importantly, one should enjoy and have fun with the experience!

I have been a mentor and discovered that when teaching another person I sometimes find details that I didn't completely understand myself.  I love mentoring; I learn more about myself, I get energized developing trust, creating  personal relationships and observing the mentoring process and accomplishments.  I have also been a mentee (professional and personally); I feel that there is no greater gift than to be the recipient of such generous good will of sharing time and knowledge. Being a photography mentee gives me a ‘personalized’ opportunity to acquire new skills and expertise; and to receive objective perspectives.  Having a mentor has truly enhanced my knowledge and has continuously stirred my passion for photography.

I am a big believer in the pay-it-forward methodology – giving can be an even greater joy than receiving.

Mentor On!

. . . photography - the art of capturing life, culture, and humanity

Photo: 'Mr. Dad' Tucson 2017

It was a ‘hot’ evening for Street Photography but oh how I love the art of capturing life and random encounters.

Depicted here is a father with two small daughters that had been sitting on a hot steel bench at the city center bus stop for what seemed like forever. The father was trying to stay ‘cool’ and engaged himself in constant conversation, laughing and making funny faces with his girls.

My first question in trying to put their story together was ‘where is mom?’ Is he a ‘Mr. Mom” or a father sharing parental custody and it is his designated ‘care’ time?  I thought to myself – wow he must be SO amazing to take these two little ones downtown on a bus, navigating through the city in a sweltering heat wave.  Then I pondered on that thought for a while - maybe I was being a bit condescending in thinking that he was SO ‘amazing’ (he truly might be amazing) but was I giving him too much credit for what he was doing – after all he was just ‘parenting’; I probably would not have had that same thought about a woman.  

There has been an underlying assumption that women and men differ on what matters in life; some men don’t find childrearing that rewarding while women regard it as a phenomenon human experience. But is that assumption categorically true? I am not sure that it was true for this father at the bus stop - he was so absorbed with his daughters and enjoying the moments of silliness – they were what ‘mattered’ to him.  Over two million men are stay-at-home dads! Currently there is a concentrated campaign to get the term ‘Mr. Mom’ banished from the English language – they want to be known as just ‘dads’ who love parenting their kids.  “Any man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a dad”.

Today’s street photo … a story to behold.

. . . photography - the art of capturing life, culture, and humanity

Photo: Thailand 2016

The Joy of Two wheels

No fuel No Insurance Free Parking

The last bike I owned was Periwinkle blue, its white seat was adorned with flower-power stickers, plastic powder blue tassels hung from the handles and old trading cards were clothes-pinned to the spokes to make clicking noises as I peddled. That was in the sixties; my pre-teen years.

I was a free spirit and riding a bike was exciting and wildly liberating. My daily bike rides was when I felt solitude, an intimate connection with nature and an awareness of what was happening around me; I have always been an independent and curious type. I enjoyed riding down long steep hills catching the wind, my hair whipping around my face and the fresh breeze cooling my skin. (That was before head protection gear became popular).  The rides made my young soul feel full of joy and peacefulness; I was confident, aware, excited and oh so happy. I would stop after my long rides, lift my face to the skies, close my eyes and just ‘breathe it all in”. 

It is fifty-plus years later; I am feeling that same kind of joy, excitement and awareness as I engage in a new journey of ‘street photography’ It is like riding down a long steep hill catching the wind and feeling wildly liberated. I am learning to once again be keenly aware of my surroundings, of chance encounters and random incidents.

According to the philosopher/psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi— to be in the ‘zone’ or a state of ‘flow’ is the secret to ‘happiness’. “To be a ‘happy’ is to be 100% focused in whatever you are passionate about— to grow, develop, evolve, and to be fully-creative.”

Street photography puts me in a “zone” — I lose all sense of time as I become fully-engaged. It is like when riding a bike, soaring through the streets fully absorbed – it is the speed and its physical energy that sharpens the wild spirit. When all the elements of street-photography come together – action, composition and lighting – it connects to my photographic vision and my creative spirit comes alive!

Street Photography is such a ‘sweet’ ride and so addicting – it feels great and wildly liberating!

Now it is time to get pumped up. go out to do some Street Photography and enjoy the ride!

. . . photography - the art of capturing life, culture, and humanity

Photo: 'Asian Influence' San Francisco 2013

I love to photograph because I am curious and adventurous and a story teller.

Once I started studying and exploring street photography I then termed myself as an ‘On-looker’. Yes, I am a passive spectator; I am someone who watches the scene without being involved.  Most importantly, I have an irresistible passion for capturing a scene that holds a story with heart and soul.

I found myself an obscured spot outside the hotel lobby, a perfect location to shell myself from the space of these gathered chefs; I leaned against the concrete wall, put my eye to the view finder and focused in on the scene. I was curious about what this group of men on the other side of the street were discussing, how they lived, how they felt about America and where they happy. I felt there was distinctive cultural value to this story.  It was at that moment that I became intensely aware of my new passion and new willingness to see the world differently through ‘street photography’. 

. . . photography - the art of capturing life, culture, and humanity