Saturday, January 20, 2001

More in the Do-It-Yourself line, Bert and Bud's Vintage Coffins includes a line of coffin kits as well as some quite unique ways to make your last impression a lasting one. They will work with each client to design and build a one-of-a-kind coffin. Link "borrowed" from Rebeca

hhhm... go for one like a camera or my Macintosh?
Decisions, decisions... ;-)
8:56 PM ::link::

DIY cameras, homemade ways to capture the moment, add their own unique charm to the photographic process.
3:40 PM ::link::

A movement towards woodland burial has been underway in the UK. Using a small sapling rather than a headstone, a cemetery becomes a living parkland memorial, a restful place with its own special atmosphere.

The option for this sort of burial is slowly gaining ground here in the States, with one location in the hills of South Carolina. Having a tree as a living memorial, with a small stone bench under its spreading branches, would suit me just fine.
12:54 PM ::link::

Okay, Kaycee, I'm smiling. :-)
But I am still worried and asking any and all to send good thoughts and prayers your way.
12:32 PM ::link::

The Boston University Art Gallery is presenting "The Crafted Image", a range of contemporary prints using 19th century techniques.

The dozen online images encompass daguerreotypes, gum prints, and photograms. There's something in the feel of these pictures that says "handmade", the artist's individual touch apparent in each one.
11:06 AM ::link::

Friday, January 19, 2001

Epson and the Rochester Institute of Technology have formed a partnership to give students expertise in digital imaging.
8:34 PM ::link::

I'm certainly one hundred percent behind having a unique and individualized memorial that tells a bit about the deceased in a tasteful and decorative manner. I understand the need to perhaps leave a small memento at the grave of a loved one as a part of the healing and grieving process. However, the management at Evergreen Cemetery in Everett, Washington is faced with dealing with a situation that has gotten a bit out of hand.
8:24 PM ::link::

"It's a link to the past, and that's important"

That's what a cemetery can be. A way to keep in touch with those who have lived before, to keep in mind the times and troubles and victories of their lives. Yes, there are historic monuments to remind us of some few moments but nothing much else to bring to mind the day to day lives of those who, like us in many ways, lived a quiet and ordinary life.

Buildings are torn down, in the name of progress and renewal. Streets and entire neighborhoods may vanish. There's little enough left in our environment to speak of the past. Little enough left to touch and remember.
8:10 PM ::link::

Please send some prayer, good thoughts and healing energy to this special friend.
I don't believe in miracles... I rely on them. ;-)
4:52 PM ::link::

Thursday, January 18, 2001

Making a flipbook animation with 35mm still photographs. Probably not well suited to cemetery photography, since tombstones don't move around a lot, but still a fun game to play with a roll or two.
9:52 PM ::link::

More news on the CMOS technology imaging chips, which may bring the price of a high resolution digital camera down to a really affordable level. I'd like to see a quality camera on the market for something a bit less than my mortgage payment.
9:04 PM ::link::

Some more thoughts on the windchimes in the noisey graveyard... it seems as if some sort of compromise could be made rather than an out and out ban on them. Soft tinkling and chiming can be a relaxing and soothing agent, conducive to letting slip your cares and woes. An almost perfect solution for a place that should be devoted to gentle and loving memories and a healing of grief.

After all, if Mozart can heal, why not soft soundmakers that also provide some visual interest as well?

8:41 PM ::link::

Wednesday, January 17, 2001

When was the last time that you heard a complaint that a cemetery is too noisey?

10:03 PM ::link::

This is about the coldest bureaucratic heartlessness that I have heard.

It's not enough that this police officer is killed in the line of duty, not enough that his family mourns his loss. No, that's not enough, according to the Civil service Bureau of Hong Kong. Because his death was not "regarded as a brave sacrifice", his remains must be exhumed after six years, putting his family and loved ones through a second round of grief.

We've all dealt with people who have a greater love for proper procedure than their fellow man. Have we all become so stuck in following our own little protocols that we lose sight of the reason that we are here in the first place?
9:31 PM ::link::

Tuesday, January 16, 2001

Part of the delight in walking through a cemetery is reading the epitaphs written on each tombstone. Some are simple, a name and two dates. Some tell more of a story. Some say quite a bit in a few words. Some famous people's epitaphs are quite touching.

What would you like your stone to read?
9:33 PM ::link::

Seeing with a Master's Eye suggests studying the works of the master painters to refine your visual ability to break out of being unaware and into super awareness.

12:36 PM ::link::

Je cherche le soleil et les sourires.

Sun and smiles and good thoughts to you, my friend.
12:01 PM ::link::

More on the digital versus film scene, this article explores the growth of consumer level digital services and the average casual photographer's acceptance of the changes in technology. I'm torn between the two, seeing the advantages of both but still undecided aboout making the leap to digital. It would definitely save time and energy, as well as some money for film and processing. Most of my output is going on the web, so the quality isn't a true issue. Still, I'm riding the see-saw, so indecisive about what should be a clear choice.
11:00 AM ::link::

Volunteers in Norristown, PA spent yesterday's Martin Luther King holiday in an effort to clear Treemount Cemetery, the area's first integrated burial ground, of it's overgrowth.
10:49 AM ::link::

Monday, January 15, 2001

Look at all the happy little people hanging out at Blogging StorTroopers. Go join the party!
8:38 PM ::link::

The stories behind the headstones, one more reason to take a stroll through your favorite cemetery.
3:40 PM ::link::

Architectural photography, on display at the Chicago Historical Society, highlights the technical challenges and artistry that goes into capturing a bit of our history.
3:30 PM ::link::

Just about that thin, and with a Grateful Dead t-shirt, of course. ;-)
12:20 PM ::link::

Sunday, January 14, 2001

I'm waiting...
waiting to hear from the friend that started me down this intriguing road of cemetery photography. We've never actually met, just exchanges of e-mail and instant messages and the odd phone call now and then. You know how it is with online friendships. We've worked together on several projects, learned from each other and helped each other grow in our chosen hobbies. I feel that I owe them a debt of sorts, perhaps one that cannot be truly repaid, but I'd like to try. They mentioned recently that their site might have to wander off to the domain graveyard, as the financial burden of paying for their web hosting service was beginning to strain their budget. I offered to host their site on my space at no charge, knowing that their pride would not allow them to accept any money to continue with their present host. They've poured a lot of talent and effort onto their site and if it goes down, I fear that their spirit will go down with it as well. I hope I did the right thing. I haven't had a reply to my offer yet.
I'm waiting...
6:53 PM ::link::

I've added two photos to the Mount Carmel section and one Christmas decoration shot to the Loudon Park collection.
10:23 AM ::link::

I've been thumbing through Infrared Landscape Photography by Todd Damiano. I'd always felt that the "magic" of Infrared depended on having some trees or other plants in the photo to get that spectral glow that I love about this film. This book, with its IR photos of the American Southwest, opened my eyes to the possibilities of landscape photography with IR. Not having a conveniently located desert in the neighborhood, I had to make do with the local equivalent, a pinhole IR shot of the Baltimore harbor.
Kodak HIE-135, #25 red filter, 0.010" pinhole, f/180 at 5 seconds.

8:48 AM ::link::

The technical side of infrared photography is explained at Invisibe Light. It's great stuff to use when you want an unreal or dreamlike atmosphere in your photos. The film doesn't have much exposure latitude, so bracketing is a must. The results are worth it.
12:17 AM ::link::

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