A Poignant Sunday - April 14th 2013

I want to thank Rick Martinez for inviting me to the Sunday Press farewell. As I entered the building from the north entrance I was struck with the sweet aroma of ink. Smells really do trigger memories, and at 155 Michigan Sunday April 14th a flood of memories overwhelmed me. The poignancy deepened when passing the empty marketing department, but I could hear music coming from editorial. A brief round of hellos and plumbing the depths of ackwardness ensued. Kept asking what I assumed were former employees what they were doing now. Only to discover they were still current employees. Ooops, I'm really outta of touch, and only knew about the farewell because of Rick.

Soon I felt a bit like a party crasher, and had an urge to visit other areas of the building. The first spot I went to was  just outside the editorial photo department. On 9-11-01 I was standing watching a little TV perched on a pillar with many others in the newsroom as tower 1 burned. Then the second plane hit. I can still hear the newsroom gasp in my head, and the instant realization that this wasn't any accident. Next I went to Photo, Imaging, and Dispatch as Rick and I visited. I slipped away to visit where my desk had been in marketing, and headed back towards editorial. When I reached the double doors at the top of the escalator I saw the banners from the pinnacle of the Press's achievements were still hanging. "We're on Top of the World" declared the middle one.  I looked down the escalator toward the lobby. Then went to the lobby to visit the press room window - all that was left was the bed of concrete and steel that use to house the presses.  This is what I saw, and it was enough contrast for the day.

 

March 2013 - Mom

A hard act to follow

My mom is amazing. She is in better health than I am 40 years her junior. She has been incrementally packing up her life in little plastic shopping bags and having family and loved ones carry it all away bit by bit. She has never mentioned her intentions, but it is clear what they are. This photo was from a lunch this March, and the highkey is to reflect on a life well planned.

February 2013 - Angus

A product of his upbringing

After the concert, Angus had an eruption. Never one to hide his emotions, nor varnish his disapproval - Angus let fly in this less than 5 second tyraid of facial dexterity (and verbal lashing). I had to edit the number of photos, because my camera captured many more similiar images. I love the sincerity with which he delivers his disagreements with me. Even when I try and be serious he makes me laugh more often than not. You may ask what the disagreement was about? I don't remember!

January 2013 - Pickels?

Inspired by a song...

Arlo Guthrie's "I don't Want a Pickle" line inspired this latest cross section image. There are some good live versions of the song on youtube - that you should watch. The song has always had a strange appeal to me. Almost like a childhood story, with outrageous elements. In fact, story doesn't quite cover it - it is a yarn. It spins and unravels into utter delightful nonsense. Much like my cross sections photo gallery HERE

Fog

There is something quite magical about the fog. As the landscape fades into the distance it adds a special depth to the view and/or image. On November 21st there was a wonderful fog...and I knew right where I wanted to go.  The pumpkin patch, and the river. Click photo for a larger view.


You can see the river photo HERE

Unplugging or cutting the cord...

I unplugged from TV and my land line phone Monday October 1st. I simply can not afford the outrageously high utility rates. That left only the Internet as my link to the outside world. As a phone replacement I have re-activated our Skype account, and set up two laptops with VOIP phones (that I already owned) attached. Cost was $50 for the year ($30 of which was for a static number). For TV I hooked up a co-axial cable to the 1960's era antenna that was already on the roof of my home...and split it between two analog TVs (With free government converter boxes) and one HD TV. There are channels out there that I had never seen before. RT (Russian), and Al Jazeera English language news are now some the few free channels I can watch; Plus, a host of Internet video content is available.
Interestingly, Huffington Post Live launched the same day I unplugged.

Red Lures - CONTEST

Sticks of reddish hue that get males attention. How did this start? What was the happy accident that led to this discovery? A free cup of coffee to whoever comes up with the most creative story.

It's a matter of scale

I went to see the wind turbines being installed in Michigan near Ludington - just to see them. I didn't realize they are almost 500 feet tall (476 feet actually)  - and what that looks like on the landscape. In this photo to the left is a typical two story house - the turbine is behind the house about 0.5-1 mile further away from the camera than the house. The trees behind the house are also typical Michigan hardwoods - about 60-80 feet high. Just look at the scale of these turbines...they are HUGE! The 300mm lens does magnify the difference some, but the reality is really an amazing differential. This is all about perceived size and actual size. The first time I ever saw a wild moose was on Isle Royale (from three feet no less)...I thought they were about the size of a horse, and had no idea they actually were quite a bit taller and larger. It is the oddest feeling having an animal ignore your existence...which is the same feeling I had when I saw these wind turbines. Suddenly, the home owner, community, and landscape mean nothing to the over-riding effort to generate power with these monstrous machines. I am in favor of wind power, but I think I don't care for the location they have installed the 31 turbines I saw that day. I believe installing them off shore in lake Michigan 5-10 miles makes much more sense, and the scale would fit the big lake better than in someone's back yard. (Click photo for larger view)

Book Published Today!

 

 

Publisher, Sensory World (a division of Future Horizons & Gilpin publishing), has begun printing the book that author Carol Gray and I began working on last July. The book title is "The Last Bedtime Story That We Read Each Night". One of my illustrations has already been pulled to use as a cover on the trade publication "Creative Play Retailer's" May edition. A testimonial reads... "Short, sweet, reassuring, and to-the-point, this instant classic helps children go to sleep quickly and calmly. According to parents, this book has ended bedtime arguments after just one night!"

Barnes and Noble Link


Publisher Future Horizons Link

Over a million views

I have an offsite photo gallery at Fredmiranda.com that has crossed the one million views mark a couple days ago. I'm not sure why it has gotten so much attention. When I won the gallery from Fred - I put up an initial gallery that got only about 4000 views in 6-7 months. So, I threw away that entire gallery and started again....thing is, I'm not really sure why this one worked and the other didn't? Anyway, here is a link to my fredmiranda.com gallery.....HERE

Contrasts - Vase & Twig

This year has been a contrast to the first three years. The business has been better, and more varied. Some traditional niches have faded only to be replaced by some exciting new adventures. This photo embodies these contrasts - I hope it speaks to you as well.

Social Media

The Social Media pages have been re-aligned this past month. I have broken the Facebook portion of the social media equation into three distinct pages. The newest is the online stock photo Photomatter Facebook page,

Located HERE

The next is the bricks and mortar Studio Facebook page; aka "James Markus Photography - Portrait and Commercial Photographer"

Located HERE

and lastly is my personal Facebook page. Located HERE

Additionally there is my twitter feed...

Located HERE

as well as LinkedIn...

Located HERE

Please stop by and "connect", "follow", or "like" and of these social media pages

*AND HERE IS THE DEAL*
If you "like" the Facebook Photomatter, and Studio pages
PLUS If you "Follow" this very Blog, and my Twitter feed PLUS If you "Connect" via LinkedIn You can have 20% off your next print order.
If ordering online - Please contact me first for your discount code. Offer good until May 31st 2012