FINDING THE PERFECT LENS

What do both of these photos have in common? No, not the fact that the subject of both photos is a hairy animal (though this is a good guess). Both photos were taken with Canon telephoto lenses. I told myself that when I sold my home my reward would be a nice new lens. I currently own two lenses that I really enjoy: the Canon 24-105mm 4.0 L, and the Canon 17-40mm 4.0 L. The weak point in my current roster is not having a super fast lens and also one with good telephoto. Could I get both those qualities in one lens? The top photo is shot with the Canon 135mm 2.0 L lens.  It is a terrific piece of glass. Super fast, super sharp, and incredible background blur. The only problem is it doesn't offer me much reach over my 24-105. The bottom shot was taken with the Canon 200mm 2.8 L II lens. It has the telephoto, the speed, and incredible sharpness.  The big downside is its lack of versatility. It can really only ever hope to be a portrait lens. To further complicate matters,  every professional photographer I know swears by the Canon 70-200 2.8 IS L lens, which I want desperately to like. I've rented it, played with it for hours in stores, and in the end I still feel like its too heavy and intimidating for my style of photography. But alas, maybe there is one more option. It has the versatility, a solid reputation with professionals, the telephoto, the sharpness, is relatively light, and has image stabilization to boot. I think the winner is the Canon 70-200 4.0 L IS. Now all I need is a fast prime! 

THE LAUGHING HEART by Charles Bukowski

your life is your life

don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.

be on the watch.

there are ways out.

there is a light somewhere.

it may not be much light but

it beats the darkness.

be on the watch.

the gods will offer you chances.

know them.

take them.

you can’t beat death but

you can beat death in life, sometimes.

and the more often you learn to do it,

the more light there will be.

your life is your life.

know it while you have it.

you are marvelous

the gods wait to delight

in you.

WAKING LIFE QUOTE

There are two kinds of sufferers in this world: those who suffer from a lack of life, and those who suffer from an over-abundance of life. I have always found myself in the second category. When you come to think of it, almost all human behavior and activity is not, essentially, any different from animal behavior. The most advanced technologies and craftsmanship bring us, at best, up to the super-chimpanzee level. Actually, the gap between, say, Plato or Nietzsche, and the average human is greater than the gap between that chimpanzee and the average human. The realm of the real spirit, the true artist, the saint, the philosopher, is rarely achieved. Why so few? Why is world history and evolution not stories of progress, rather this endless and futile addition of zeros? No greater values have developed. Hell, the Greeks 3,000 years ago were just as advanced as we are. So what are these barriers that keep people from reaching anywhere near their real potential. The answer to that can be found in another question, and that's this: which is the most universal human characteristic: fear or laziness?

THE SUN SETS ON SAUVIE ISLAND

After almost 5 years living on a floating home on Sauvie Island in Portland, Oregon, the sun is setting on this chapter of my life. It has been a very readable chapter. I have no regrets. I came to this place as an educator looking for a challenge and leave as an artist with a burning desire to make this world a better place. I came here at the urging of my soul; I leave in the same vein. My Portland experience was the first time in my life where I felt I belonged in a place, where I felt I was home. I will miss this home. I will miss the roots I grew here. Maya Angelou once wrote, "There is no agony like bearing an untold story within you". Recognizing that truth, I leave this special place to allow my life to continue writing. 

THE POWER OF A PICTURE (OR 6)

A friend of mine and excellent photographer, Patrick Cavan Brown, suggested I try a new method of indoor photography as I began preparing to sell my floating home here in Portland. The method involves taking 6 or so vertical shots across the entire length of the room and merging them in Photoshop. It also involves hiding behind couches and popping fill flash into the shot. In the end you get a fantastic picture with coverage you can't get from any one lens. One error I made in the above shot was that I forgot to zoom my wide angle lens in from 17mm, thus creating the distortion in the ceiling (though people think that my house has costly curved lines). The result of my photo shoot has been an overwhelming response to my house that has only been on the market 4 days. People love the photos. It really does pay to have someone who knows what they're doing shoot your house to expedite its sale, or at the very least, someone who is a quick learner.