NEW REGULAR FEATURE

Over the years this blog has morphed from a showcase of my photography to a variety show of photography, videos, and commentary.  I realized that since the blog is called "Michael Bluhm Photography" maybe I should at least utilize it more as an access point for photographic information and tips as well.  What a concept!

Therefore, starting with this post, I will be providing links to useful information for landscape photographers.  These will run the gambit from following basic composition rules to learning the techniques used by the pros for producing dramatic landscape images. From time to time, I will also feature one of my own images to demonstrate a particular technique.

My first link will help you learn more about how to obtain maximum depth of field, or total clarity and sharpness from foreground to infinity.  I've chosen a website called PictureCorrect and the featured photographer is Jonnie Blaylock.  Go here.

PAUL WALKER

I was browsing videos on YouTube and looking for Jessica Alba, one of my all-time favorite actresses.  I found several vids on her movie with Paul Walker, "Into the Blue".  I had seen the movie when it came out but I had forgotten until now that Paul Walker was her co-star.

As you may know, Paul Walker, most famous for the "Fast and Furious" movies, was killed recently in a car wreck.  Among the videos I was browsing was a dual interview between Walker and Alba answering questions about the movie. They took questions from fans on a program called Unscripted.  The video lets you see both actors in a more personal light. You can see how, when off screen, Paul Walker was pretty much like anyone else his age - personable and down to earth - and nice.  Walker's death is a great loss.  View it here.

RETURN TO PIKES PEAK RACING

I found a video of Greg Tracy's under 10:00 minute trip up Pikes Peak in 2013's  Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.  Like the video I posted of Monster Tajima's race in 2012 (see 2012 posting) it lets you ride along from start to finish, this time on Tracy's Ducati motorcycle.

While watching the video several times, I was able to see Tracy's digital speedometer reading only when he was leaning his bike left, due to reflections and because his helmet cam was facing the road, not his speedometer.  I was able, however, to see one reading of 124 mph! These two wheeled vehicles don't have roll bars, cages or safety harnesses. A few times he gets real close to the road's edge and you think that any dirt or rocks there might cause his bike to lose grip.  Needless to say, with speeds exceeding 120mph, it would be unlikely that anyone would survive going off this mountain.

See what it's like to travel at high speed on this winding, 12.42 mile, 156 turn test of skill and courage HERE


Personal note:  Many years ago, a good friend of mine, Jim D. Jr., bought a stock car and had it configured especially for the Hill Climb.  He graciously included me as a member of his pit crew that first year and let me ride with him in his race car on the road to the pit area on one of the practice days.  That was pretty exciting!  He participated several more times in the race, but in years past I've  lost touch with my old friend, even though he was best man at my wedding.  Guess I need to do something about that...

"OLDER" UPDATE

A few posts back, I wrote about meeting up with an older gentleman during my daily walks in the park.  I since have gotten to know him better and found out that he also is a photographer.  He actually was a pro for many years and still makes money from time to time.

His name is Tom and he is very nice and now we talk every time we see each other.  We've  exchanged stories on where to get good shots and on marketing contacts.  Who would have thought that we'd have this in common?  His specialty is fine art nude photography and wears a cap that says "Tom's Nude Photography".  Certainly must be an attention-getter!  Earlier I mentioned he needs to use a walker and oxygen but each time I see him he seems to exude a little more energy and better health. The walks must be helping!  I hope to learn as much as I can from his photographic experiences.

CANDY DULFER RETURNS!

Back in 2009 I posted a music video of Candy Dulfer and her band (still there) because I wanted to share her terrific talent on the saxophone.  I have another video I wish to share of an older but even sexier Candy.  She is performing in her home town of Amsterdam with Lionel Richie and with a much larger group.  They perform two songs-Pick Up the Pieces and Sax-a-Go-Go.  Enjoy it here.

LANDFILLHARMONIC

 If you appreciate music like I do, and want to see an exercise in human ingenuity and accomplishment, you should watch the attached video.

CLICK HERE.

JARED LETO-THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS

In just two short days, I've become a Jared Leto fan.  In my small encapsulated life I had never heard of him until I watched him play the lead role in the movie,"Prefontaine" yesterday.  It was a great movie and even though I knew who Steve Prefontaine was and was aware of the movie about his life, I was surprised that it had taken me 15 years before I watched it!

As an actor, Mr. Leto is very gifted. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, a docudrama of Prefontaine's rise to fame as a 1970's cross-country champion runner for the University of Oregon and his quest to win the gold medal at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.  Steve Prefontaine's story was certainly meant to be made into a movie.

But today, I was watching an unrelated video and saw Jared Leto's name associated with Thirty Seconds to Mars and the fact that he is the lead singer for this three-man group.  Naturally, I had to hear this group in performance so I watched one of the available videos.  I now know just how multi-talented this man is.  Now 41, with rock star long hair, I'm very much  impressed with his singing as well!  The other band members are his brother, Shannon Leto the drummer and guitarist Tomo Milicevic.

I'm sure many of you discovered Jared Leto long ago and have enjoyed his performances in the TV show, "My So-Called Life" and  more than a dozen movies including "Girl, Interrupted". 

I could go on, but I'll let you watch a video of Jared Leto chatting with August Brown, music writer for the Los Angeles Times, about his career and what the future holds HERE.  After watching the interview, you can watch Thirty Seconds to Mars perform "The Kill (Bury Me)" HERE.

NOT YOUR ORDINARY AUTUMN GALLERY

Well, I decided to follow and photograph Shook's Run creek at the Middle Shook's Run Park close to where I live.  Every Fall the creek's water reflects the golden leaves of the shoreline trees and this makes for some interesting photos.

On this project, however, I decided not to omit the other sights found along the way.  For instance, this is a popular area for temporary camping of the homeless.  Normally, you won't ever see anyone there during the day, but you will see where they've been and sometimes even their belongings.  Sometimes they leave it there and never come back.

 

 

 

 

Why did I photograph this stuff?  I guess I wanted to document the reality of how sometimes beauty converges with stark, ugly reality.  To temper the effect of humans on this landscape created by the area's homeless, I also photographed some awesome artwork they left behind.

Some of my best friends were once homeless and I know they never wanted or expected to find themselves in that situation.  As they say, "S..t happens".  One could argue that some bad decisions were made along the path of their lives, but now-a-days, I think the economy can take some of the blame as well.

Regardless, I felt it was photo-worthy.  (The artwork of the person in a wheelchair, the Italian restaurant with spaghetti, and the purple mountains were created by volunteers from various community-wide groups.  The others have unknown origins)

ON GETTING OLDER

Indulge me while I reflect on the last 40 minutes.  I just returned home from my regular 30-40 minute fast walk through my neighborhood.  I've been doing this for years, even when I was still working.  I retired a couple weeks ago and although today is Sunday, I know I'll be walking again tomorrow. (nice to know)

My path from home is usually on a wide sidewalk route through the Middle Shook's Run Park nearby.  I saw him up ahead of me again.  He's a tall, elderly gentleman who uses a walker and carries an oxygen tank with him.  When I saw him before he would take a few steps and then stop to rest before he  took a few more.  As I passed  him, he had a painful expression and I walked on by without comment.

Today, when I saw him again I thought, " I must at least greet him, since acknowledgement is the least I can do".  As I got closer to him, he turned around and saw I was coming and immediately turned his back to me.  When I reached him, I had to turn around to look at him and I said, "How's it going?" He replied with a smile, "Pretty good, how about you?"  "Good!", I replied.

I chuckled to myself as a passed him, realizing that even though this man looked like he was grumpy and anti-social, he obviously liked being outdoors and enjoyed the warm sun and the scent of the falling leaves. His reply told me you can't judge a book by its cover.

You know, even though I'm still young(ish) and strong now, someday I may be in his shoes and I hope I can still get outside into the warm sun and enjoy life like he does.

P.S.  I must add this note. The above note was posted in 2013.  It is now 2017. Tom and I eventually became good friends. I found out that we had a love of photography in common. He always carried a small camera with him and told me he was a "figure photographer". This meant he specialized in taking nude photos of female models. Not porn, but the kind of poses you would find in an art magazine or book in black and white format.  He told me also that he used to own a gallery in town and through that and his photography, became familiar with many local photographers, and he in turn, became familiar to them. 

My friendship with Tom lasted three years. He passed away last year (2016). He had a serious heart disease, and that's why he always had to carry an oxygen tank everywhere he went. He was living in a care center across the street from the park where I met him (pictured above).  I always think of him every time I walk through the park. I miss him.

Shh!

What a great relationship these two have!  Who knows?  Maybe we'll see this four year old again one of these days when she's on America's Most Talented.

Cute Father/Daughter Video is HERE.

THE PERCEPTION OF TIME

Imagine yourself in each situation:

Read quietly then send it back on its journey

To realize
The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.

 

To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.

 

To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

 

To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.

 

To realize
The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

 

To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
Who has given birth to
A premature baby.

 

To realizeThe value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

 

To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

 

To realize
The value of one second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.

 

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.

 

To realize the value of a friend or family member:

LOSE ONE.

 

The origin of this letter is unknown.

Remember....

Hold on tight to the ones you love!

BETTY DAVIS EYES

I just listened to the song "Betty Davis Eyes" on the Jim Brickman radio show.  It was a 1981 hit by Kim Carnes. Info on Wikapedia says ""Bette Davis Eyes" is a classic hit song written by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon, and made popular by American singer-songwriter Kim Carnes. It spent nine weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Billboard's biggest hit of the entire year for 1981. The recording won the 1982 Grammy Awards for both Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year."

I miss Kim Carnes  on the airwaves!  She had a sexy, raspy voice.  Mr. Brickman said he always wondered if Betty Davis heard the song about her.  He found out that yes, she had listened to it and liked it.  In fact, Kim  Carnes actually got the chance to sing it to her in person.  If you're unfamiliar with the song or would like to hear it  again go  here

Another song by Kim Carnes I like even better is "What About Me?" sung by Carnes, Kenny Rogers, and James Ingram.  The song was written by Rogers, and Richard Marx.  Videos of the trio singing the song  are visibly terrible, but the audio is not bad.  Listen to the song HERE

MR. WRIGHT

My nephew Cliff is a high school physics teacher.  I was browsing his Facebook page today and someone linked the following video about another great physics teacher and how he engages his students so well and keeps their interest on a high level of learning (just like my nephew).  One day he shared a part of his personal life with them.  The following is what he revealed about his son.

Follow this link:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201121146883732

NEW WORDS

Below is a copy of winning words and deFUNitions created in two contests held by Mensa and the Washington Post:


The Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are the winners:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
2. Ignoranus: A person who’s both stupid and an asshole.
3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high
8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.
9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
11. Karmageddon: It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.
12. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
13. Glibido: All talk and no action.
14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.
16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
17. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you’re eating.

The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.
And the winners are:

1. Coffee, n. The person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted, adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. Abdicate, v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4 esplanade, v. To attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly, adj. Impotent.
6. Negligent, adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.
7. Lymph, v. To walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle, n. Olive-flavored mouthwash.

FIREWORKS HAND-HELD

There's a large park near downtown Colorado Springs and not far from where I live (Memorial Park).  Every year, when allowed, the city puts on a large fireworks show on the 4th of July along with a concert by our philharmonic orchestra.

Fortunately, I can view most of the fireworks from my front porch!  There is just one obstruction-a large elm tree in a neighbor's yard across the street, but I can still see most of the explosive bursts in spite of that.  I normally use a tripod for any night time exposures and especially for long exposures.  This time, however, I couldn't locate my adaptor for my camera to tripod and decided I would try shooting hand-held.  I knew it would be impossible to keep everything looking normal even if I used my porch railing as a support, but decided to do it anyway.

The resulting images presented curious, mind-blowing abstracts that I believe are more interesting than what might have been achieved if I'd used a tripod.  I even put them in a slide show with Andrea Bocelli singing as background music!

CELLO ANYONE?

Since I like almost all kinds of music, I appreciate classical as well. Sometimes, classical artists and instruments cross over to rock, which I like even better.  Lucia Micarelli's violin solos are an example (see earlier post).  Over the past year or two, I've grown to appreciate the cello more because my two grandchildren, Chase and Alyssa, both chose the cello for school orchestra.  They have become very good!

Linked here is a music video of a cello ensemble called Break of Reality that really rocks! Check out other videos of them as well.
HERE

TAX TIME

Today marks a milestone of my personal progress in getting my federal income tax return done.  Every year about this time I struggle with when I will start preparing my return.  This is even though every year I get a refund.  I dislike pouring over my personal financial data so much, I put this off as if I actually had to pay the IRS income tax!

Not particularly because I am a full time accountant during the week and a photographer only during the weekends, I always do my own return.  I do this for two main reasons:  I haven't been audited yet (so I must be doing something right) and I refuse to pay someone else to do it.

This year, I've had more time to work on my taxes since my employer, in order to remove the liability of having to carry my vacation (Paid Time Off) hours, has forced me to take this week off with pay.  As they say, it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

So what is the milestone you ask?  Today, I printed out the tax forms I will need for my return.  I feel so proud of myself!

I WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS

Hello out there in internet land!  If you're visiting this blog for the first time or are a faithful follower, I want to see your COMMENTS on what you see here.  I welcome them!  Your feedback is important to me and validates at least one thing: you found something here that interests you.  Mission accomplished! 

Please understand that because I occasionally receive spam, I must moderate all comments before they are published here.  But I won't shy away from allowing constructive criticism.  I also will try to reply or answer your questions.  This blog, as I said in my introduction, was created for those of you who enjoy photography and music.  There's lots of that here, so feel free to browse older posts and if you leave a comment, I'll know it and appreciate it. As always, thank you for visiting!

UPDATE ON CONNIE FRANCIS LINKS

If you visited this website over the last 47 days and listened to the Connie Francis album posted earlier, you were one of the fortunate ones.  If you try to go to the video that has her songs now, you'll see that Connie has claimed copyright infringement and has broken the link.  As the message says, "Sorry About That!".

I understand why there are copyright laws.  I wouldn't want anyone to download my photos without consent or without purchasing them.  HOWEVER, you can at least view and enjoy my photos on this website for free and won't ever hear from me if you try to copy them since all of them have been uploaded at low resolution and almost all have my watermark on them. It would be hard to sell them that way.

 I still love Connie's music, but I think her people don't realize how many people out there have never heard any of the songs I uploaded and now may want to search the stores or internet to buy them.  You're welcome, Connie!

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

Sometimes it's good to think outside the box and experiment with photography.  I've uploaded some examples of various images that were good to start out with but needed either slight or major enhancement to make them extraordinary. Sometimes a little manipulation is all it takes to transform ordinary photo subjects into something remarkable.  Hope you like them!

  

Flash Frozen

Reclining Juniper in the Garden

Incident at Yankee Boy

Morning Glory Universe

Sundown Enhanced at Paint Mines

Paint Mines Neopolitan

ROMANCING THE WIND

During the wintry days now and ahead, it's great to have a diversion from the cold and to fantisize about the coming Spring. With Spring, here in Colorado, comes the wind, and with the wind comes the opportunity for kite flying!  The gentleman in the attached video brings this exercise to a whole 'nuther' level.  Below is information about the person who controls the kites:

The man flying the 3 kites is in his 80s, and he's from Canada. He
comes to the Washington State International Kite Festival every year. 

His skin is like leather as he normally flies with his shirt off. He is
deaf, so when he flies people hold their hands up and wave them for applause.

He flies 2 with his hands and the 3rd one is attached to his waist. Enjoy! 

You must watch to the end to see the amazing landing of
that last kite! And of course, make sure the volume is turned up
because the music is wonderful and totally reflects the soaring of the kites. Beautiful

                                                            Enjoy it HERE.