Photography and what inspires a Hunter.
Part One.
By Mark William Darus
I had a rebirth of my fondness for photography this past July 2012. I have no clue where the impulse came that had me purchase a 49 dollar Kodak EasyShare camera from Big Lots. Within an hour, I took over a hundred shots, came home, excitedly planted them into my HP and was once again transported into the realm of capturing life on many angles.
This occurred roughly a month and week before Progressive Insurance canned me for a single error. Nice!
Painfully, slowly, many a stumble fallen with smashing nose, smallest of baby steps attempted, I found out how to post them here in my ever growing Brain-Child: Psychopathy: Another Life.
After posting these on F-Book, albeit with the ignorance of an absolute beginner, I began receiving so many positive responses I was most completely flabbergasted.
In time so short after strolling once again in the lands of Cleveland Ohio, capturing my tiny corner of the world as I saw it, I was asked for permission to use one of my photographs for a book cover by a great author of poetry. Once living in the USA, she then resided in Thailand, currently heading toward another life in Beijing China. She shared with me how her publisher was somewhat hesitant in using a shot from such an unknown shot-taker like me. I understood this fully, and was grateful for her consideration. Know this: Who in their right mind, or in my case, a odd mind, would think it could possibly happen?
A word on my ‘odd mind’ statement: I have always been labeled ‘different’ than others by girlfriends, friends, coworkers and others parents over the decades. Based on my thoughts and viewpoints that so clearly walk a separate path from them. I usually alienated many in short spans of time that I learned to accept it as merely a matter of course. <pardon this small pun, but many said I was very coarse. Some further said I was like that of 20 grit sand paper attempting to caress an exposed thin-skinned forearm.>
Without further delay, please accept the words behind these photographs.
<<<click on the photos for full view.>>>>>
This was one of my favorite shots in the first 24 hours of going digital. I was sent the FLO (Prog promo BS, with the name ROADKILL) Granted, she had a view of me that accepted my way of thinking, but took the time to not only give it a nic, but to have a major company print it and make a magnet for it. How friggin' cool is that? I had set the objects in this pic many months before my psych-leave. < I was diagnosed being bipolar and another aspect of mental difference.> I've always loved rhino's since my youngest daughter took a liking for my Brunswick Rhino-Pro bowling ball back when. From that point, nearly everyone gave me rhino's. The crayon coloured part in the lower left was from someone i worked with: Her tag was BOBO. The rest of it, well, tell me how Rhino's don't rule.
This caught me. It graced me with several colours and sharp clarity. Off center, I was drawn into the lower left, ascending to its center.
This was the first of my photos to have a title: naming this after a Missing Persons song: Noticeable Ones. I labeled this: Notice me!
Taken in Solon Ohio on a deck in mid July 2012, this one holds a special place in my minds eye.
As the man made quite often defies nature, I was given this chance when I fell leaving work on 07-19-2012. Falling was solely on my part as I failed to step over a fire hose. Looking up, this is what I saw. Remembering an LP Cover by YES: Going for the One, albeit dizzy, I snatched this one. This was a shot of the marriage of happenstance and some insight I will never understand. I believe this 'marriage' would follow me, grace me, take me in its arms and guide me.
Often enjoyed what I have often referred to as 'God Paintings', I have always looked to the sky in awe. Know this: Every time you look to the clouds you will NEVER see a picture just like it.
Be your god, Allah, Atheism (Where you are your own God.) Baptist, Buddha, Calvinists (a church a great American, Stonewall Jackson was a member of), Catholic Church and its leader, The Pope. The Church of Bob (the Subgenious), Emperors (to many a fine Country that believe this person Divine in their leadership and God.) Flying Spaghetti Monster (also know as Pastaforians by its followers), Frisbee (and it's mystical spinning), Jehovah Witnesses, Judaism (and when you, Christians, talk down about the Jews remember this, wasn't Jesus a Jew by birth? , KKK (and their unique twist on Christianity,) Mormon, Neo-Nazi's (not so unlike that of the KKK, they have yet another spin on the word of the Christ.) Satanism (so unlike Christianity, they just are with no subdivisions i know of.) Wicca (a church, if you will, that Enya and other so-called Pagans are called.)
Call me pointless after the above paragraph, but in my opinion, all of us have some form of higher power we look up to.
Allow me to present to you the wondrous grace of images that are so freely given to all of us each and every day of our lives.
All the cloud photos are untouched in any way, shape or form.
All i saw when I aimed the camera was the laser-like beams. I took this one in 'AutoMode'. This occurred a few weeks before I felt confident to go complete 'manual mode'.
From clouds, which I will always look to every minute of every hour whenever I walk this Earth as I raise my eyes to see their splendid paintings, I went to things I could never grow yet always marveled at their glory......... I ventured to flowers. Yeah, this caught a few off guard with my interest.
What caught my eye was simply this at first: Like the myriad of snowflakes that landed on my glasses while skiing, no two ever looked the same. So very similar to humanity with its subtleties, grace and frailties, each with its importance and place around us, individual and needed sharing a common ground as it lives.
Granted, this capture is not so one of flowers and nature. I found this while strolling a path with a highly loyal woman in my life. These flowers sitting on a bench struck me like a sledge hammer crushing a foot. Before I took this one of three shots, i had to ask myself what were the thoughts, reason, emotions given by someone that placed them here?
Were these placed as a memorial of a lost romantic loved one? Did someone miss a passed parent that shared this beautiful place them as they grew up? Did some guy proclaim his love to a woman that did not share his sentiments?
I'll never know, but I had a sense/vibe that someone should take notice and give it some justice or memory. Above this shot was a grand canopy of green leaves and skies.
Someone placed or tossed them there. I am thankful for this.
While strolling our fantastic and free Metropark system and Riverside cemetery, I met many an inhabitant. In their village it was I that was the stranger. Stealing both my mind and spirit by their unyielding fear of me treading on their soil, I began to fire off shot after shot. Insects and animals, no different than any of us as we share this planet with them, I hunkered down. Funny how allergic to bees I am and my fear of them, that is, unless i hold a camera in my small hands.
We share this place with so many species. What we all have in common is the desire to survive and raise our children. To not be destroyed and crushed and placed into oblivion.
This last is what I consider to be my best living life shot to date. I was fortunate enough to catch a bird, lower left, going for food.
This is the Closing of part one. The next segment, which will be placed here this coming Sunday, will have what I call violent seas, threatening skies, Cleveland Steel, shots of humanity loving, praying and simply walking away. It will also comp shots as I saw them.
Til then, be at peace and the splendor around us.
With Milk and Kisses,
Mark William Darus 10062012