Fog-O-Riffic

I am trying something new here, sharing my love of fog with whoever reads this blog anyway.

With my interest in the super-sensible worlds, I suppose it is not such a stretch to see how I would love fog. Fog has to symbolize delving into worlds unknown, going blindly into something, a place or a situation, and going wherever the fog leads. Objects can be illusive in the fog, with portions hidden from view.

Whenever I see fog, I head to the cemetery first. Unfortunately, because fog can dissipate so rapidly, and some areas are foggier than others, I find it difficult to shoot over to any cemetery I want. So I hit the closer ones, while the hitting is good. Another consideration is that many active cemeteries have business hours and sometimes the fog is best before they turn over the 'open' sign.

A few years back we had a brief period of intense fog and I was out having intense fun, and nabbed a few of my older favorites:



and



The later reminds me of a movie set from a classic Hammer horror film.




Not of the dead:









Back to the dead:













Larger images of these can be viewed in my Flickr gallery.

Filters

While viewing a fellow Flickr-head, it dawned on me how each of us filters what images attract our attention with very different sets of inner eyes. I know when I drive through affluent suburbs with massive homes and strong indications of privacy, with a strong 'keep out' feeling conveyed through signs, fences, and order, I fail to see images that catch my fancy. My photos are tainted by my reaction to the area in which I visit and my inner filters finds little of interest in such a setting, with no death, destruction or decay.

Is that what I'm about most of the time?

Back to the point, I noted that this one particular Flick has a very distinctive approach to imagery and I do believe I could pick out his photos from a general mix. I do not mean to pigeon-hole anybody and think they are limited by what I believe to be their photo-gathering filter.

However, we must have some sort of inner thing going on that draws us to a particular style of photo.

I can't judge just who I am and how others see me, especially when interacting with me in person, but I sense that judging me just from my choice of images, the death, decay, destruction one would think I'm morbid, wear only black clothes and listen to obscure Goth and art rock, have black fingernails and watch every vampie flick that comes out. (Well, actually, I do tend to do the later, though I do pass on teenage romance vampire films like "Twilight.") That is not me at all.

So I have a style, I scan the terrain looking for a certain type of image.

One interesting self-imposed exercise I sometimes do is to fix in my mind beforehand something I want to find on a trip out for photos. Perhaps it is a specific color, or shapes, maybe globes on a partciular day. My filters shift and I notice new things with that filter on. I can alter what sorts of images I'm likely to find on that particular day.

Most of the time, I am unaware of my own filters.

I particularly enjoy finding scenes with incongruity is the theme, things that are not normally linked, perhaps a leisure chair out in the middle of nowhere, or objects that I force interaction with in a photo, signs, words, advertisements, statues, anything. I like the unexpected. The surprise. The big "huh?"



This is an example of what I mean, totally.

We create our own filtering systems, though largely on a subconscious level, and I do believe that just being aware of this, we have a great deal of control of the whole process.

Still, I do not think I'll ever be comfortable driving through affluent neighborhoods looking for interesting things to shoot.

Living in the Fog

Ah, golly gosh darn, the fog made only a short stopover here. There is meat and potatoes (if you are so inclined), coffee and cigarettes (again, if you are so inclined), spring and love, and fog and cemeteries. Truly a natural for the mysterious question of what happens when...we die. The fog enhances the mystery.

So much going on, and I don't know why anybody would be interested, and I don't even know why I'm writing about it. Maybe to sort things out inside my head a bit.

Detroit. My adventures came to a standstill when I developed some serious car issues this past summer. With an older car, I had no desire of breaking down in the areas where I go for photos. I'm on edge enough when I do so without having to wonder about the mobility of my being.

Equipment. I haven't had such good 'luck' with my cameras these past few months. The newer Fuji HS10 is really a fun camera and I love the manual zoom because it gives me much more control of my composition while I'm shooting. However, the shutter is slightly delayed and I miss shots with the camera. Overall, I am really pleased with the photos. And like an earlier Fuji I had years ago, a S5000, it was defective from the start. It has to go back for repair, though it doesn't appear to be a major problem affecting the image itself. Before I could send it back to Fuji (with a nasty letter about all these defective cameras I have been buying!) I had to secure my other camera, which also was having issues, the Canon Power Shot SX10 IS. It was already back to the factory for warranty repairs, and Canon only addressed one of the three issues. About the time that the factory warranty expired, a new problem arose, one that I would have to pay for no doubt, had I not purchased the extended warranty. Whew. I'm not a firm believer in those services, or at least I wasn't. The camera went back and was evaluated for repair, which was too costly, and the repair was declined and the store gave me a brand new SX30 (with that wonderful 35X optical zoom!) I am definitely a zoom-aholic. Great. Then I took it out for a spin a few days ago and the zoom mechanism was a mess, freezing up at times, moving in the opposite direction when engaged. Very strange. I got a replacement and so far this one performs as I expect.

So there that accounts for the equipment issue.

Back to Detroit, I can only visit for so long until it starts getting to me, seeing how people suffer, how people have so few options anymore. The world economy and recent events weigh heavily on my soul. We all seem to be morphing into something else, something unknown, something bad. I wish I could stop the world so I could get off, or just stop the world and have everyone evaluate where we are going.

And there has been so much else going on in my personal life, which has been swirling in a blender set to 'pulverize.'

On top of that, I really needed to move my photography into a different direction, and unlock the grids where it seems only my Detroit photography is deemed worthy a look. I don't kid myself about my skill level as I have no aspirations to that of a professional or 'arty' photography. I do what I do and I derive immense satisfaction most of the time. I started out my photography days in the cemetery, some decades ago, and I really enjoy it, the atmosphere, the elements that I like to bring together to create images that transcend 'just a grave marker' type photo. I like to set a mood, create a feeling perhaps.

But that's the tip of an un-melting iceberg of my photographic interests. I enjoy so much more, and in fact am just enraptured with the process of taking pictures. Some themes and topics come more naturally, but the whole practice of freezing an unique moment in time...is so intriguing.

So that's what's up.