The magic of photography

I am an amateur photographer and taking pictures is a hobby for me , often combined with walking in the countryside . However , I like photographing different objects , places , sometimes people . So I often wonder,  what is so special that people attach so much attention to the pictures , taken by a device invented nearly two hundred years ago . Why freezing a moment of time is so fascinating ?

Surely many people take photos as souvenirs when on holiday , short trip or celebrating something important , even when meeting  friends on the saturday night . Why not ? But often single photograph by an accomplished photographer can be admired by huge audience , moreover , this small piece of our real world , snapped and reflected on a paper sheet or a screen , recalls many emotions . Something what is  hard to notice just when passing by , one have no time or focused on matters of everyday life . But there is some magic around us if we try look closely .

I remember one episode from movie  "Smoke" , based on a novel by Paul Auster  "Brooklyn Boogie" . The owner of the Brooklyn's tobacco shop , played by Harvey Keitel , everyday used to take his camera outside and took one picture . Everyday at the same corner of his shop , in the same direction . And in this episode of movie , he shows  albums with all these photos  to his friend , a writer from the neighbourhood . He coments on them - but why , these are all the same showing the same crossroad . Yes , he replies , but every picture is different , taken during weekdays or weekend , in different times of the year , with the sun casting light in different angle . Some with people , some without . And to see these differences , you have to slow down . Just slow down your life , he concludes .

So maybe the photography could be a tool for slowing down and  noticing things around .

When I look outside my window , I often want to take a photos , despite the view is very familiar to me and I have taken many picture before . But as it was told , I find my surrondings look differently depending on the weather , the way the light cast its rays , time of the year or of day and so on .

That's from my window on sunny/gloomy day

Tulisa - a honest view .

I have read that Tulisa Contostavlos released her autobiography entitled :  Honest : My Story So Far .
Ok . Everybody can do it if publishing house is intrested in . That's just businnes . But that is crazy . She is only 24 and  famous mainly thanks to be in jury of Ex-factor programme . I guess then she will  be capable to write a couple more in the future if she is long popular  in the world of the media . I can understand that the president of USA writes his autobiography as the road to get this status had been rather long .

I personally don't mind Tulisa , he is really nice .But it doesn't  mean I would like to read her autobiography.
I think that publishers can't see , in pursuit of profit , the limits . In that way the plastic , artificial world created in TV shows will be consumed by larger and larger audience . Just in order to feed growing multimedia industry. People will know better what Kim Kardiashan had for her last dinner than who is running their country . Or maybe one day Tulisa will be running the country ?

Spring time in my garden

The spring in full - and temperatures nearly like in the summer . So I have visited my garden at last - there was nothing to do during winter time . But in the warm rays of the sun - that's different place now . And a green place - needs only some clean up .

 

Progress and the loo

 Some futuristic predictions 30 years ago claimed that 21 century would  be the era of technology and gadgets. So in everyday use robots , people would commute using  propelled space-suits and talk to each other using special walkie - talkie , like mobiles nowadays . Of course that was only forecast how future would be look like. In reallity not so much has changed , but defenitely one thing occured true ; 21 century is the era of gadgets .
For more and more people gadgets are the measure of high technological advance . Interesting artical has been published in " The Times "  about an impact of modernisation on rural society in India . 54% of population in rural areas use mobile phones , comparing to 4%  ten years ago. But access to sanitary amenities has increased  in the same population during last decade by only 10% . In fact , it's easier to deliver a mobile phone than to build a proper sanitary network , like sewage system and  running water.

Possibly the same situation is in many places on the glob. So far , for the couple of last centuries , the improvement in the sanitary system  enabled us to develope higher level , better living .
Now there is another priority ; to have all these electronic gadgets which makes life easier and more important than having loo .

The art of the joy

A couple of days ago I saw a documentary , which told a story of hunting a crocodile. The whole story took place in a small village in Madagascar. This was a crocodile killer  who settled down in the channel running to the village ; the place very useful to villagers and where children used to play , in the water. Because the monster caused death , the local authorithies gave permition to kill the animal. So professional , armoured hunters came and started the hunt. After a few days of seeking, observing and choosing right tactic, the hunters decided to kill the crock at night , when the reptile goes hunting. Nearly four metres long , it wasn't an easy task , as they had to shoot from the boat . But the mission was succesfull.
In the morning , the hunting crew took the crock from the water and started show ; everybody had to see that crocodile was death , unable to make any more trouble to people of the village. And villagers were extremely happy ; everybody was crowding to see and touch the crock ; even small children were allowed to clap scaled body. But that wasn't the end - as the monster was being carried from the bank to the village, the crowd was cheering , dancing and singing. And the hunters themselves were happy that they could be useful and made people happy. There was a sheer fiesta , village people were spewing the joy and relief . No more fear , the water was for use without limit . No fear the crock could kill again.

I thought to myself that their spontaneous joy was something amazing - unimaginable for dwellers of modern, industrial areas. If this reptile was killed , let say on Florida or somewhere in Australia , people would say "good job" and everybody would get back to everyday chores. But for these villagers that was the reason for a big celebration . More important than hundreds matters of our world. And what was remarkable , for them it wasn't  another case of victory over the world of dangerous animals and elements. They weren't revengful to body of crocodile - only joyful.

Benefits of being sad

From time to time I want to be sad . Not that I want actually , I do feel I need that . But it seems this isn't popular way of being . People who have sad , gloomy face are considered to be unpopular . Sadness is undesirable - smile is in need. So keep smiling - that's main slogan. In fact , laugh is really healthy. A person who can laugh , despite of difficult situations we come across every day , has got an easier life , I think . But what I really mean , smiling and laughing are good if you can have moments of sadness or melancholly. For the better balance of the body and spirit .
Somebody once wrote , nevermind who -  'The joy - that's a serious thing '. For me thats true. Beethoven's  'Ode to joy'  is fine example .

I often feel like beingl sad . As if I  need to experience a kind of grief , which I haven't gone through yet . And I wonder if it is possible , because nobody wants to experience the grief . And I feel stranded between these two needs , the grief and the joy. As most people try to evoid sadness and grief , the signs of depression , such feeling sometimes rescues  from turmoil inside me . I am only afraid to sink deeper in sadness.

Simple - like David Hockney

I liked his paintings since I saw his " Big splash" first time . Simple in form , balanced colours , just nice . And recently his big exhibition in London has been wide discussed , as contains large number of paintings , including latest ones , inspired byt he landscape of  Yorkshire , where he has come back . What I like in this kind of painting is just simplicity , the way the painter shows patterns captured in nature , geometrical shapes and contrast between objectsc. Like in cubism and in pictures of some impressionists ,  Matisse or even Van Gogh .


I like as well this way of finding natural structures in landscape in photography . I am  always trying , if possible , to take pictures using existing patterns , like roads , lines of trees and hills , walls stretching across fields and hills . I think that's the kind of admiration for nature's creation on the earth .
So below some examples of similar kind of scenery I have photographed .

Slow Loris - damned gremlin

Once there was  a popular thriller - movie story about small creatures who invided our planet . They were very cheeky and very dangerous as roamed in large numbers. Although at first they seemed to be cute , quickly became hated . Shortly speaking, the gremlins have become a symbol of something opressive .

The new BBC documentary ,which I have freshly seen , " Slow Loris - jungle gremlin " , shows things differently. As the hollywood story is fictional , real jungle gremlins are now revealed. But of course , that's the different case. There is no specimen on the planet able to be dangerous for us , humans . In reality , we are dreadful danger to the " jungle gremlins" - slow lorises .
 
                                                  Pulling out Slow Loris' front teeth .

The specimen has become very popular as a pet animal , due to be considered  very cute. The animal lives in the south-east Asia's rainforests , and as it's name indicates , moves slowly. That means , this particular subspecies of bigger Loris family , related to lemurs , is very vulnerable. So to protect themselves from bigger predators , and for hunt , slow loris has got a toxic bite , what is rare among mammals.

Slow lorises has become depopulated , and listed as endangered , mainly because of deforestation and pet trade. Slow loris has been long used in traditional medicine in the South-East Asia , but now additionally as an object of exotic pet trade . It's possible to sell  one slow loris to Japan or Russia for 2500 $ , but as documentary showed , on the local pet market in Jacarta tourists can purchase this animal for mere 25 $ . And pochers in order to deliver them to sellers , pull out or cut their front teeth , to evoid toxic bite. What results in infections ; many animals dies. As hidden camera showed , they are kept in cages or plastic boxes , often couple of them squeezed  cruelly .

This is of course merciless , just sheer desire to get profit . But another fact , pointed out by the author of this documentary, is even worse  for me. The slow loris as a pet has been popularized via Internet . The You Tube video of owner tickling slow loris has reached 12 milions views . Many of these pets are thrown away after some time . One Indonesian woman owning this small primate , after her pet had started to stink ,  has to now wash her loris once a week .

I ask you . Do really people have to be so spoilt ,to not take into an account that keeping not domesticated , exotic animals brings problems for either keepers and their pets ? That's not snake sleeping in one spot most of the time , although snakes should be left to live in the natural environment as well .
I wanted to place another photo of slow loris to show how it looks , but I have changed my mind  finishing this post . I don't want to help exotic pet's traders to get more money .

Do we need Myths ?

In present times , is the Myth still worth to think about ? The Myth , as a symbol has been always present in the culture , but is still valuable ? I have reminded to myself about the power of the Myth just having read another blog , where the author mentioned how important for him was to find  in life the way , which  heroes of myths used to follow -  http://tomandatticus.blogspot.com/

As I can recall , I started to be interested in myths when I was 10. I used to read , since that age , Greek Mythology and stories of the Old Testament . Later on , that was  famous  fantasy saga  about Conan of Cimmeria , by R.E. Howard , however of course , that was only artificial mythology .

Well , who remembers this days about myths ? Old , good myths , seems to be have been replaced by urban myths . Urban myths and tales are nothing new actually , as cities themselves have long history . But nowadays urban myths are created by pop culture and Hollywood stories , like " Batman " , "Superman " and so on .However , recently more popular has become Fantasy movies , which have much common with old myths .Where the powers of devil are overcome by the power of Good . Like in " The Stars Wars " .
But indeed were the first  myths  created  in order to illustrate that the Good  is finally always on the top , and to show which side to choose in this dual world ?

I have looked  to Wikipedia to check up the teory of myth by Joseph Cambell , reffered by the author of that blog I mentioned above . According to Cambell , the heroes of traditional myths were archetypes . Just in universal way indicate how, through lonely journey and fighting against bad world ,to reach initiation and wisdom . And that wisdom should be used after coming back. In early mythology there was no particular differentiation between the World of Dark and Light . In greek mythology all Gods acts either through good and bad deeds . The same in Celtic Mythology - I looked to  book by Carl McColman " 366 Celt " - according to the author , in the stories of gods, goddes and heroes , " we can find an insight into the mystery and majesty of our own ".

I have reached to my shelf with books again and taken " The Mythology of Greeks and Romans " . In the Epilog , I coul read a short summary about antic myths . So I read, that mixing with mythology means to stand on the edge of abyss . Abyss of contradictions of life , contradictions , which are impossible to sort out .That's a tragedy of human's life . And in this dark side of Greek myths we can find a bit of  consolation  for  ourselves  .                                                                                                                        The heritage of Greek myths and culture is continued , over centuries , by latin culture . This antic heritage encourage to the patience and bravery without complaining , against incomprehensible and often horrifying world .

This seems to be very true , what Greek myths say to us . Even now , in the time of popular , plastic culture of western world , antic tragedy is still evoking . It's enough to remaind the succes of Hollywood production " 300 " . And many more stories based on greek myths .
But greek mythology is ,as the matter of fact , the part of tradition , in which myths played significanr role in human culture . All over the world myths and fairy tales were helpful to face the danger and chaos of the world . And prepare to initiations . According to American poet and writer , Robert Bly , the lack of old myths and stories , being transmitted from generation to generation , unable the process of initiation . Initiation of young men in modern society .

So the secret , which myths hold , is simple . People however , usually look for the secret which would allow them to gain the power , richness , means for getting material things and admiration .
Some people , who I know , would be disgusted at such an idea as seeking for wisdom in myths or just notice the magic of life . Actually , this isn't about reading myths, but looking into ourselves . Cynicism and calculation  seems to be the only way in  life sometimes . Am I wrong to see the things like that ?

New Year's ride .

On the bike . To the Cramond Village . The weather was welcoming , and many people jumped to the same idea . When I came to Cramond late afternoon , there was horrible traffic jam , in the narrow street coming down to the shore . At this time of day the tide was low . So many people wanted to take stroll to Cramond Island . The Island lies in the Firth of Forth , 1.5 mile off  Cramond . And as walkway is exposed when the tide is low , that's easy way to get to the Island .
The place is really nice . Small old village just opposite the Island , and river Almond , finishes it's run  in the very same spot .

River Almond pours out freshwater into the bay . When high tide , in this place these waters mix . On the picture ,  you can see that river's waters run where normally sea waters stay .








Below ; walkway leads to Cramond  Island

                                                  Mud walking when the waters " escaped "

                                                 Low - tide landscape of Firth of  Forth

                                                                          Silence

                                     Solid walkway running towards the Island