Odds & Ends

Issue 189 – I'm busy with everything except photography

What I’ve Been Up To

Personal Stuff

My wife, Ann Marie, has been a nurse for almost 40 years. Over that time, she incurred two different back injuries which have been increasingly debilitating over the years. This past Wednesday, she had a cervical spinal cord stimulator surgically implanted which we hope will abate the pain. She came home from the hospital Thursday wearing a stiff, bulky neck brace and two Prevena Wound Vacs hanging from her back. As you might imagine, she cannot do much. She’s been relegated to the bedroom upstairs, and I’ve been doing my best to be a nurse for her. I’m not very good at it.

I apologize for not having much time to do much work. My newest Lightroom course, Lightroom The Easy Way!, is 80% completed. I hope to finish it this week. Dare I say that this is turning out to be the best course I’ve ever created. I think you’ll like it. When it’s ready, I will announce it via this newsletter. Thank you all for your patience and in the meantime, check out what else I sell—like everybody else, I need the cashflow.

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Something You Might Be Interested In

The Social Documentary Network Portfolio Reviews are coming up on April 5th. If this is something you’re interested in, click the button below:

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What I’ve Been Watching on YouTube

For some reason, I’ve been binge-watching travel videos. I’m not sure how I started, but it has occurred to me that I’d like to do something similar, except I would make photography a significant feature.

For example, I’ve been watching several videos from the YouTube channel Joe & Nic's Road Trip. Partners Joe and Nic travel primarily around the United States, showcasing mainly small towns. Recently, they’ve been traveling abroad and will sometimes be in larger cities. The main gist of their videos is that they show the town by car and sometimes on foot, while along the way, showing the town's population, poverty, and crime statistics. I find the videos interesting but many may find them a snoozefest. Here is one:

I want to do something similar, but as I mentioned, I want it to be more focused on photographing those places.

Another channel I’ve been watching is Drew Binsky’s. I mentioned in a previous newsletter that I purchased his book. Binsky is a world traveller, and I find the people and cultures he encounters fascinating. Here is an example of one of his videos:

You may remember that I closed my studio during the pandemic. I’ve been home much too much. Once my wife’s health returns, I’ll be getting out doing something like those channels, except with a photography slant.

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What I’ve Been Reading

Last week I wrote about the books I received for my birthday. I also received an Amazon Gift Card and since I have everything I could ever want or need, I purchased more things I didn’t need—two more photography books.

Post Truth: A love letter to Los Angeles through the lens of a pastel postmodernism

Last week, after I sent out my newsletter about the books I recently received, a newsletter reader emailed me recommending this book. I’m glad he did! I love color photography, and George Byrne’s book is beautifully illustrated with Topographic images of Los Angeles in color. Most of the photos in the book are similar to the cover image—buildings and parts of buildings vividly painted. I remember one or two images with a person in the background. There are also images of trees in an urban environment.

Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century

This large, thick book contains most of Henri-Cartier Bresson's famous pictures. Still, unfortunately, it’s not set up to showcase the photos—the first quarter talks about Bresson and his impact on the world of photography—the last quarter lists when and where the pictures were taken. The middle half contains the images. What I don’t like about it is that several pages have multiple images. The good news is that there are many pictures in this book. The bad news is that some are printed relatively small. Overall though, I am happy that I purchased this book.

*Book links are my Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

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What I’ve Been Listening To

I recently watched the Bob Dylan movie A Complete Unknown, and because of that, I’ve been listening to a lot of Dylan. It depends on my mood but lately I’ve been listening to his early stuff like this early performance from his album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan:

Thank you all for subscribing and I hope everybody has a GREAT week!