Time is the Enemy

As you can see this blog hasn't been update recently. I have too many balls in the air and one of them was bound to go splat.
Pissedpoet Pics - The Blog
SPLAT
sorry about that.

How long this state of affairs will last is anyone's guess
in the meanwhile
check out

The Expat

www.pissedpoetpics.com

and

my imagekind gallery

for the art that your saw here.
There are also lots of links in the side bar that go to interesting places.

Is the Limited Edition Print Dead?

Limited edition prints are primarily the result of a degradation of the print source, be it a silk screen, a lithograph stone or a wood cut to such an extent that a decent print can no longer be produced. After a certain number of prints the artist would decide that the representation of their ideas was not being met.

The artist would sign off on those prints that met their criteria, date them for the year of production and number them in the order they were printed. Each print was a little different from all the others with the greatest difference being between the first and last print of the series.

To a certain extent this was also true of printing from film negatives and although the number of prints being able to be pulled was greater it wasn’t infinite. And if produced by hand in the photographers darkroom there would also be slight differences between prints.

With advent of digital storage and computer printing the original artwork never comes in direct contact with the printing process. Consequently, aside from stuff ups by the printer, the same image can be reproduced a countless number of times with fidelity to its creator’s expression.

As more and more artists, working across all mediums, embrace digital storage of their creations and use those copies of their work to produce prints only prints produced by hand utilizing the old methods will need to be of a limited number. Any artist using digital technology who places a limit on the number of prints they can produce is just trying to manipulate the market with this artificially imposed barrier. When one considers the difficulty of making a living as an artist, to expect an artist who produces a popular work, that can exceed a run of 300 to 500 prints, to stop that income flow is a big ask.

That the quality and the longevity of top end digital prints exceed their hand produced counterparts is a given. The latest development in printing technology with pigment inks produce vivid colours and subtly of tones that are a match for what has gone before and if the claims of the major printer manufactures are to be believed their longevity exceeds that of their predecessors.

Where does this leave the serious collector who wants more than a mass produced artifact? Like the pre-digital artists the digital artist can check that the actual print does meet their expectations, digital printing isn’t perfect, a mismatch between the digital file and the printer interface can cause colour shifts and other strange things to happen. When the artist is satisfied they can sign off on the print by hand and date its year of production.

As with the limited edition print the collector will have a print they know has been approved by its creator and isn’t that what it is all about? That the artist may improve their income and be able to continue making their art is a win, win situation for all concerned.

Is it Art?

Henri Cartier-Bresson is reported to have said after he had given up photography.

"All I care about these days is painting - photography has never been more than a way into painting,
a sort of instant drawing."

No one disagrees that painting is art, albeit the quality may vary but it is always considered art. Why isn't this the case with photography? It is agreed that there is an art to photography which means it is a craft but photography of the highest order is referred to as "photographic art". Likewise images created on or enhanced by a computer are labelled as "digital art" or "computer art". Whereas painting is just art, be it water colour, oil or acrylic.

In part the problem lies with the artist. The discussion about photography is littered knee deep with technique and coloured with technical jargon. Seldom if ever is the art discussed. I have yet to find a discussion about a painter's work where the types and sizes of the brushes scores a mention. And quite frankly who really cares? If I was to twiddle the knobs like Ansel Adams would I make an Adam's photograph? The simple answer is no, I'm not Ansel Adams.

The photographer makes the photograph with their attitudes, opinions, experience and aesthetic. The very same attributes that the painter brings to their work, as does the sculptor, the writer or the composer. Technical ability only makes technically correct work. The most interesting work is that which is out there pushing the boundaries, ignoring the rules and making it up as they go along, finding new forms of expression.

The development of the digital darkroom heralds a new age for photography. Gone are the days of mechanical drawing, now full blown paintings are as accessible as the artist's ability to imagine them. With attitude, opinion, experience and aesthetic being the guiding principles not the recipes of those who have gone before.

It is a play ground, don't worry about mistakes it is through them that we learn. As one of the greatest artist's of the 20th Century, Pablo Picasso, said, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up".

Lights, Action, Camera

The adrenalin is pumping, a thousand butterflies have taken up residence in a hundred stomachs, tonight is the night. In a few minutes the curtain will rise and the performers will strut their stuff before the assembled throng. Its show time. This is what makes live performances so appealing and what the photographer wants to capture. That magical moment when the performer and audience are as one.

Be it the end of year ballet school recital or grand opera there will be these moments in every performance. This is when every photographer becomes a street photographer because no one can predict when these moments will appear. The set up and rehearsal shots just don't cut it, these shots can't be manufactured, they just happen. The street photographer's mantra comes in to full play here, travel light and have lots of film.

When shooting live shows your film speed will become your greatest friend. If you shoot digital learn to switch between the ISO settings of your camera with a few thumb clicks, if your shooting film have several cameras each loaded with a different speed film. As a rule of thumb 400, 800 & 1600 should cover most situations, just remember the higher the speed the greater the grain. Another advantage of using a range of ISO's is you can leave the aperture and shutter settings to the camera. Which 9 times out of 10 will be quicker and more accurate than either you or I could ever hope to be. This can be fast paced stuff, so much so that at times focusing can be problematical.

Using your flash to compensate for the lack of film speed is a no, no for several reasons.

Using your flash will gain you no friends with your fellow patrons and the down right ire of the production staff. They have spent several hours getting the scene to look just right only to have it ruined by the Joe in the third row with their bloody flash. If you are close enough for your flash to actually work, the scene you wanted to capture won't be in the camera.

Using your flash is the best way I know to get the tap on the shoulder followed by a request to leave from the really big usher.

Using your flash is dangerous for the performer. A performer momentarily blinded by a flash loses concentration and orientation. Imagine a trapeze catcher momentarily blinded just before a catch. The dancer spinning on one toe, flash, wobble, wobble, crash. Could be a real show stopper, literally. Now you wouldn't want that on your conscience, would you?

Rest assured, in the majority of cases the stage lighting is more than adequate for photography purposes. It does, however tend to be uneven and the best light is when the subject is being lit by spill rather than in a direct beam of light. Taking several shots as the subject moves about the stage should produce at least one good one, remember lots of film. This is where, outside of sport, the continuous drive mode on the more expensive cameras comes in handy.

The down side to these cameras is their several auto focus points which can be a real pain in the proverbial. Never too sure which part of the scene the camera has decided to focus upon. Switch it off and just use one point, set your focus and recompose the picture as desired.

Likewise a tripod is more of a hindrance than a help. Awkward to lug about and set up. Your fellow patrons are just as likely to knock it at the crucial moment if you're in an open venue and it will cost you an extra couple of seats if you're in a seated auditorium. Better to shoot hand held and if your budget will stretch to it an IS lens is an added advantage. It is comforting to know that any motion blur is from the performers rather than the photographer.

Fortunately there are medium telephotos that come with image stabilization. This is my preferred lens for this kind of shooting, especially if static in C22. A medium telephoto will give you the greatest range of possibilities, fiddling with primes is very difficult to get right before the moment is gone. Although if you're in an open venue they can work, just remember Robert Capa's words of wisdom "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough."

In an open venue such as hall, a night club or a bar your freedom of movement will be an asset to getting that great shot. You can shoot from the side, from the front, up the lead singer's trouser leg or from the balcony. Do resist the temptation to climb on the speaker stacks. Sound engineers take a very dim view of this and more than likely will dispatch the biggest and meanest roadie in your direction with orders to kill.

In the more formal environment of a tiered auditorium you should be far enough back so you can see something of the stage floor. You don't want the performers in all your shots to be cut off at the ankles. Also get your seats as close to the centre as possible. It is usual for the production values of a show to be set from the centre of the auditorium. The director, the lighting designer and the stage designer will huddle together there making the final adjustments to the look of the show and the performers will instinctively direct their performances at them.

But before you start implementing any of the above pearls, do get permission not only from the venue and organisers but also the performers. You are photographing on private property, even if owned by the local council, and will at least require the venue manager's green light. The organisers, producer, band management, whoever will own the copyright to the show and you will need their permission. The same goes for your models, the performers. Photographing your kids is fine but Mrs Smith's could be a very different story.

If you have thoughts of anything other than the family album, even the internet, it would be best to get it in writing. Property and model releases at the very least and the more professional the show the greater the need. Getting them before the show is the best course of action, decreases the chances of embarrassing moments and trying to get them after the event is very hard work if not impossible.

Then after the curtain falls and the applause fades away, you will have some moments in your camera that will bring back fond memories of a great night. Perhaps even earn you a dollar or two if you have the paper work in place.

congratulations Mr Swift

This is a first for me, 2 posts in one day, but today sees an event of such momentous proportions that it cannot go past un-noticed. Perhaps it may also have something to do with the restrictions imposed by the weather...... whatever.

The second best blog on the net is celebrating 7 months of posts and 100,000 visitors, both on the same day.

A very big congratulation goes out to Jon Swift. Your number of visitors is very well earned and also very well deserved. Following in the tradition of your name sake you have made the world and for sure the internet a much better place, perhaps even a better place than it deserves to be.

If you dear reader havent read Jon Swift do yourself a favour and do so, the link is on the right.

In the Zone

In the zone is a term used by street photographers when they are tuned into their surroundings and the pictures are coming easily.

It isn't unique to street photography, it can happen in any field of endeavour. You are in the zone when you are so engrossed in an activity that space and time seem to stand still. What seems like minutes to you can be hours in the real world. It is that place where you are doing rather than thinking about doing, there is no thought about the how, it is just happening.

Intuition is in the driver's seat, training, knowledge, experience and rational thought are at the back of the bus. More than likely playing strip poker or engaged in some other childish pursuit.

It is the street photographer's nirvana. They are one with the street. They are part of and at the same time removed from the activity that is happening. They are the objective viewer of the dance they are dancing. Their presence is integral to the action and accepted by the other participants without influencing the proceedings. There are no photo faces; it's almost as if the photographer is invisible.

Canadian street photographer John Brownlow talks about going blank, he surveys the scene through his camera until he goes blank and that is when he presses the shutter.
With painting, writing or gaming being in the zone can last for considerable amounts of time, with street photography it tends to be fleeting, but can happen several times in a walk . It is the dynamic of the street, the ever changing kaleidoscope of activity, and the nature of photography, the captured moment in time, that make it so.

But it is in these moments that the inspirational pics happen. Although this is not apparent until later, when looking through the results of your walk, mainly because rational thought was losing their shirt at the back of the bus.

When a street photographer takes their camera for a walk, being in the zone this is their hoped for destination

It's Nicked

A few days ago I discovered someone had nicked one of my images and posted it on their site without permission. So what’s new you say, it’s the net, it happens all the time. That is true, but it is still theft, people who make photographs or write articles put a lot of time and effort into their creation and post it on the www for others enjoyment or not as the case maybe.

That is what the net, especially personal blogs, is all about, sharing! But nicking somebody else’s hard work isn’t sharing. Putting a credit and link to where the work came from is. It becomes a swap of value for both parties concerned and that is sharing.


I email the guy who nicked my image requesting a credit and a link which he happily provided. His blog was interesting so I provided him with a link from one of my other my blogs, The Expat, which has related content, everybody wins.

Most people would be flattered that someone else found their work interesting enough to post on their site. A credit and a link back and they would be happy campers and if they were told about it nine times out of ten a new friendship would be forged.

Although, there a few hard noses out there who would just send the owner of the blog an invoice. If it is a commercial blog or web site, fair enough, but it’s a bit rough for personal blogs. In those circumstances, if you can’t afford the cost you would have to take the material down, but that would make for an interesting post in its self.

By the way it isn’t all that difficult to spot those sites that have articles or images that have come from some place else. A change in prose style, images that vary widely in style, it isn’t rocket science. If the said material is unaccredited the site owner is a thief and what credibility do you accord thieves?

Street Photography

Street photography is an approach to photography rather than a location, although the streets are the usual place that it happens.

The plethora of equipment (tripods, lenses, filters, lights etc) associated with "serious" photography is left at home, or better still in the camera store. It’s just too heavy and bulky to cart around, takes way too long to set up and by the time it is set up the moment is gone.

Street photography is photography from the hip, the rules of photograph, the f stops, the shutter speeds, the rule of thirds etc are left in their dust jackets on Amazon shelves. By the time all the technical considerations are taken into account, the birdie is in another country.

It is just the camera and the photographer with their enthusiasm, intuition and open mind.

Street photographers are optimists, for them the glass is always half full. They go out on a photo shoot with no plan in mind secure in the knowledge that a subject, a situation, a scene will present itself. All they have to have is the presence of mind to capture it when it does.

Street photographers see the usual, the every day with fresh eyes. The reflection in a rain puddle, the colours in a crowd, the balance of a negative space. Their minds are open to all the stimuli that they see and they curse the days when they leave their camera at home.

Street photographers are not only on the streets, they are at weddings, school concerts, next to you on the train. They look a lot like tourists, it’s their favourite cover but they are one without the big flash. It was left at home, the available light will do.

Street photography is, what all photography is, a snap shot. What shines through is the photographer, his/her interpretation of the scene, what they see in the situation, their reaction to the stimuli, the art they see in the every day.

Top Cop Defends Photographer's Rights

The Melbourne (Australia) daily, The Age, reported Tuesday “A spokesman for Police Minister Tim Holding said there appeared to have been a misunderstanding on the part of the officers because there was no law prohibiting people taking photos in a public place.”
The full story can be seen at geelong snappers on the watchlist.

Two Geelong Photographers, Joe Mortelliti and Hans Kawitzki, received visits from the police after taking photographs of the local oil refinery. As Hans said “In my case I spoke to one of the company guys told him what I was doing and that I was a camera club member etc. He took my car rego number "for security reason" and hour or so later 2 police officers rocked up at our door step, it was about 9.45pm and dark outside when my wife opened the door.
She thought that something must have happen to one of our kid's but it turned out to be about me taking a photo at Shell. It's quite a scary thing to see the police on your door step at night>” The Police informed Hans and his colleague Joe Mortelliti, when they visited him for the same offense, that they shouldn’t be taking photos of industrial sites and they should pass this directive onto their colleagues at the Geelong Camera Club.

Along with their colleagues at the Geelong Camera Club, they took the story to their local paper, The Geelong Advertiser, which ran a full, page 5 story. The story was picked by the metro dailies and by the National broadsheet, The Australian. The Australian’s story can be seen here

Civil Liberties group, Liberties Victoria, entered the fray with president Brian Walters SC saying “Police directives about what could and could not be photographed were an abuse of power and should be ignored.”

As a good pollie Tim Holding started to back peddle the next day in a second story in the Age which can be seen here. The electronic media picked up the story and ran with it for 2 days.

Joe and Hans along with the colleagues at the Geelong Camera Club received on line support for their actions in the forums of Passion for Pixels, the online presence of the Melbourne Camera Club. Photographer’s rights had been a matter of concern within the forums at P4P for some time.

It would seem that photographers do have a friend in the 4th estate, which is understandable. The freedom to photograph, if curtailed, would seriously impinge on their ability to report the news. One hopes that other photography forums would support their members rights if a similar situation were to develop else where.

The final line of this saga must go to the Geelong police. When asked, by the Geelong Camera Club, for a list of industrial installations that are off-limits to their lenses, their request was refused on the grounds that such information was secret

The Norton Virus

My main puter has been brought to its knees by the Norton Virus. Whether it is the bastard or programmed child of its parent Norton Anti Virus I have no idea. But upon trying to un-install the parent it crashed my Netscape & Opera browsers and although IE continued to operate, access to secure sites was a No, No.

The only fix available is a complete reformat, but the Norton Virus has made the backing up of files problematical, to the extent that I have had to ship the CPU off to the store of my local geek. (I know save often and back up as often)

This is being written on my son’s machine without access to a lot of my material. Consequently the updates here and on its sister site The Expat are a bit erratic. Hopefully things will back to normal very soon; it’s been 2 days so far. Who’s breaking out in a sweat and hands are starting to shake.

Does make one wonder, if there were no virus’ would there be a need for anti virus software and if there was no need how would anti virus companies make a quid? Especially those that charge serious change for their services as opposed to the public spirited companies that offer their anti virus software for free.

Photographs Rights

We have all seen the scene of the photographer being surrounded by the heavies, the camera being confiscated and the film being thrown on the ground. Makes for great dramatic footage but in most jurisdictions such behaviour is illegal unless accompanied with a court order.

Essentially if you are in a public place, you can shoot away to your heart’s content. Even in the paranoia of post 9/11 and officers from security forces both private and government saying otherwise. But do use some commonsense, taking pics of military installations is just dumb as with any other sensitive government building.

However you will have to exercise restraint with regard to a person’s privacy or expectation of the same. The person seen in the window of your shot of that lovely composition of windows could land you in trouble if they took exception to being in the pic. Conversely, the same person walking down the street would be fair game.

An excellent article on the state of play in the US by Andrew Kantor, published in USA Today, can be found here. As he says, “If you can see it, you can shoot it”. He also refers to a downloadable PDF by Bert P. Krages The Photographer's Right.

In England things a little more complicated, not only do you have to take English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish law into account, which can vary from place to place, but the European Convention on Human Rights also gets a look in. An extensive over view is the The UK Photographers Rights Guide

There is no such guide available for Australia at the time of writing although the information available from the Art’s Law Centre indicates that taking photos in public places you can just click away. Justice of the Peace, Barry Daniel spells it out a lot more here and in essence says. “The general rule in Australia about photographing in a public place seems to be that, unless there is a legal prohibition such as a statute or ordinance or a legally authorised sign indicating photography is not allowed, you can photograph virtually anything you wish.”

For street photographers, overcoming the invasion of another’s personal space is a greater concern. It does take some nerve to get in close and personal with a stranger. Although being completely legal, the subject’s reaction could be down right illegal. If it comes down to a choice between a broken/stolen camera and a broken photographer, I know my choice.

Fortunately it rarely escalates to that extreme and in 5 years of street photography it has only happened to me once and that was my own fault. I was so intent on what I was shooting I didn’t notice the agitated subject in the lens, who was incidental to my shooting. When he turned up a short while later with 2 large mates in tow, well a stolen point & shoot isn’t high on the police crime statistics.

If you do find yourself the subject of a street photographer, ignore them. It isn’t you they are shooting it is the scene, which you just happen to be a part of that is their point of interest. Unless you are providing a street performance, in which case its free publicity. If you’re embarrassed by your performance, should you be doing it in the street?

Canadian street photographer, John Brownlow has some very good advice regarding overcoming shyness when engaged in street photography, it can be seen here. Nitsa, another very good street photographer suggests taking a friend along on your shoots, not only are they good back up but can help distract a subject from giving you their photo face. More of her thoughts and tips can be seen here.

In this post 9/11 time of terrorists under the bed, shooting infrastructure will be sure to attract attention. As happened to a colleague in Australia, who became enthralled by the way the light was working the local oil refinery. He stopped to take some shots and a couple of hours after getting home the local gendarmes were on the door step with the mandatory who, what, where and especially why.

It escapes me why the person with the big, black SLR is such a subject of official concern. Any self respecting terrorist is going to go to some trouble not to be noticed in their activities. If they can’t get what they want with a Google search, one would suspect that a cell phone would be their camera of choice. But such are the times we live in.

Although here in the Philippines, which has a very real terrorist threat, it is one of the most photo friendly places around. So much so that often a shot is ruined by a very helpful Filipino with a big smile jumping into the shot to give it some human interest. Especially if you look like a tourist and have a big camera.

What's it Worth

Out of the blue a business contacts you wanting to use one of your pics. They have seen it at your web site, on your blog or at an exhibition and are requesting availability and price. After the warm glow wears off how do work out what it is worth? What can you ask for and still get the sale? But you don’t want to give it away, do you?

Firstly they are not buying a print. They are requesting the right to use your pic a multiple number of times in a way that will enhance their business and their sales. They will handle the printing side of things you are just providing the image. So the question really is what is it worth to them?


To determine this you need more information.
What is its intended use: Advertising or editorial?
Specific use: Newspaper & magazine ads, packaging, point of sale, brochures etc for Advertising (remember if it is for advertising you will need model releases for any recognizable people); Books, newspaper or magazine story illustration, news letters etc for Editorial.
Size and Placement: Full page, ½ page, ¼ page or spot, front cover, back cover, inside.
Distribution: How many impressions and/or times will it be used. If in a newspaper or magazine what is the circulation? If it is packaging, how many bottles of wine will your image label?
Exclusivity: Can you sell the image to a competitor or does the company want exclusive use and if so for how long?

Once this information is in place you are in a position to calculate the value of your image to the company. There are several places on the net that can help, Stock Photo Price Calculator is one. Use of this calculator will get you a high, average and low price based on current market expectations which you can use for your negotiations.

When I contact the enquiring business for the above information I usually ask, in that initial email, what their intended spend is on the project. Mainly to get an idea of how professional they are. If they indicate the overall budget for the project, 20% to 25% will be for resources, just be aware that your image is part not all of the resources. If they don’t have a budget, mmmmmmmmm.

If the business is unknown to you or it is your first dealing with them, asking for your money up front is not out of the question. It can also be a face saving tactic when being pushed for a lower price that you feel is their top offer. If you are offering payment at a later date, it is essential that you include on your invoice “licensed rights are not assigned until the invoice is paid in full.” This will give you some sort of fall back position if the money never arrives.

Beware of the old chestnut of “we will be buying a lot more of this type of image in the future, can you do something about the price”. My response to this one is along the lines that I give discounts to regular buyers and a regular buyer is one with a history of 5 or more purchases. To the exposure I will get, just think of the dollars in the bank in the future, argument my response is I have to pay my bills now. I mean who really does the read the photo byline on a wine bottle label?

Don’t forget this is a business negotiation, the buyers job is to get the image at the lowest price they can, your job, apart from making the pics, is to get the best price you can for your image.

Cathie T Come on Down - A reprise

Cathie mentioned two images she was trying to decide upon in her comment to the first

"Cathie T come on down".

In an attempt to keep you in the loop gentle reader those two images are displayed in this reprise.

The Barbed Wire Cat

and the the one she chose

Frangipanni

It goes with the curtains
sob, sob, sob.

If you can’t beat them, make them the subject

When I first came to the Philippines the omnipotence of the power lines had me in their thrall. There were so many of them and they dominated the skyline as can be seen in the above pic.

After a few days this visual pollution just became part of the background noise. Only came to the surface when I forgot to shoot round or under them and the black lines slashed across the image. A frustration, an ugly element to be avoided.

Subsequent visits and the decision to reside in the Pearl of the Orient and they are becoming an integral element of my pics. I now find myself looking for ways to include them in my images. In fact I find myself making images in which they feature as the dominant element.

The challenge is to find the beauty, the abstract quality that they can add to the image.



In art, as in life, finding ways to incorporate what we cannot change is the way to go. The trick is to know the difference between what is changeable

and what isn’t.

The above may not be a silk purse but it is a pretty damn fine pig’s ear.

Does Size Matter

When making prints of your images it seems to me that the smart way to go is to print to the size of the available frame. Obviously taking into account any mat you are intending to use.

When displaying images a frame is essential and for paper based works being under glass goes without question. If you’re printing on canvas and mounting the work on a stretcher it becomes another story, although if digital printing is used putting it under glass might not be a bad idea, longevity of the inks etc.

With computers printing to the required sizes is so easy it is a no brainer. And the cost savings can be considerable, like about a tenth.

There are a myriad of kit frames out there, like wise the mass produced pictures sold in department stores come in a range of sizes within pretty decent frames. The picture may have the value of squat but that is not a bad frame. Then of course there are second hand and junk shops with frames going out for a song, they just need a bit of a clean up.

This becomes especially true if you are planning an exhibition. The cost of custom framing when you have a lot of pieces can do serious damage to the piggy bank.

Have been there and done that.

This can also be a selling point when selling your work on the net. Offering customers a custom print size can enhance the experience for all concerned.

When is a photograph not a photograph

This image started life as a photograph of a discarded length of plastic pipe on a building site. It was heavily manipulated in Photoshop using a variety of tools and filters.

In this form can it still be considered a photograph?

I know its history, as do you dear reader, but to the casual observer at an exhibition or here on the net, without the explanation, its photographic credentials wouldn't even be considered.

It would be considered an abstract image, end of story.


This image has more of a photographic feel about it with some recognizable elements that fit within the photography genre.

Those with an intimate knowledge of photography would recognize these elements, the motion blur, the chromatic fringing and the double exposure.

But, to the average viewer it would be considered a semi abstract if not just an abstract and again end of story.


This third photograph is closest to "real" photography of them all and I suspect would be recognized as such by most viewers. It has an abstract feel to it but the subject matter is quite recognizable.

That all 3 have had post production in the digital dark room in their creation, to varying degrees, is fairly obvious. Although the last one has had no more done to it than the usual tweaking of any photograph by a photographer with access to Photoshop.

For me the final image is what it is all about, how that is achieved is secondary. What the image says is all, be it a black & white photograph straight out of the camera or an abstract that any resemblance to a photograph is purely co-incidental.

When implicit rules are laid down about the authenticity of the photographic process being the judgment criteria of an image I am left cold. So much so that in my usual conversation I tend to leave photograph out of my vocabulary and refer to images, pictures or pics instead.

Cathie T come on down

Making a NYR that you can keep for a year without any effort and then break it at the last minute, just for hell of it, definitely appeals to the pissedpoet mind set. Sounds like a great pre-requisite for a career in politics. Can really confuse the voters with core, non-core promises.
Congrats Cathie, head on over to pissedpoet.com and pic away.

Megan, good try but I'm into Spanish wines at the moment. Although did have a glass or 3 of Mr Morris' dry red in the black box on NYE. Talk about rough red, it was a panadole morning.

Dianne S, what can I say? Your NYR was hooked onto the wrong post and wasn't found until after all the shouting had died down. Silly, silly girl. Too much of Mr Morris' RR the night before?

Anyhow thanks to you all and have a great 2006 and you never know when the generosity bug will bite again. So keep on coming back, you hear.

Not going to drink any more

Yes, its that time of year again. When passed behaviour is reviewed and intentions for a new and better life are made. Never mind that January is littered with good intentions its the thought that counts. Just like the fourth set of monogram hankies received for Christmas.

My New Years resolution is "Not to drink any more", not going to drink any less, will just try not to drink more. :-)

So now it's over to you. Post your New Years Resolution in the comments section and be in the running for a free 8"x10" (20x25cm) print of your choice from http://www.pissedpoet.com . The resolution I like the most that is posted with a date of 31 December 2005 or 1 January 2005 will receive a print on Kodak Ultima Paper (which they guarantee to have a fade resistant life of 100+ years) of their choice from the over 300 available at http://www.pissedpoet.com .

Yes folks, Pissedpoet Pics is offering you the chance to pic from the pissedpoet (OMG Henry that one is really bad). Anyway the result will be published here in a few days time.

Christmas Shopping

This pissedpoet pic is of the third floor of the Pasig Market in the Philippines.

The fat man in the red suit has done his sweep of chimneys across the world and credit card companies are rubbing their hands in glee. Those days leading up to the festive season are ones to behold with the throngs that descend upon merchants from the department stores to the humble street vendor. Everyone gets their piece of the action and the Pasig Market is no exception. A flea market three stories high selling everything from pork ternderloin to latest cover for your cell phone. And the crowds are something to behold, well it is Asia and it is Christmas in this most Christian of Asian country's.

A subject of your choice

The problem is,
He said,
What to choose?
Pithy, preservative laden prose
That will resonate
Over the millennium?
Or hard, fast words for today?
And
That
Before the consideration of content.

A subject of your choice?

Indefinate article, noun, preposition,
Pronoun and verb arranged in a phrase
More lavish than a desert trolley
The day before the diets been
Abandoned.
Twenty letters, nine vowels
And eleven consonants
That fill the nostrils with chalk dust.
What did I do on the holidays?
What will empress the web master
Who jives the Java speak?
A phrase of five words
That won't let me forget.

Your a subject of choice.