New Covenant

Abstract Wall & Sky

Detail of the Fog Signal Building, at the Piedras Blancas Light Station, near San Simeon, CA.

Blue, deep blue, cloudless sky, on a mild winter's day on California's Central Coast. The environment, typically bound under fog, clouds, or wind, betraying itself. Calm, before the storm.

Enjoy the moment.

It will not last.

- image © 2008 A. R. Lopez

Abstract Lily

Calla lily, after the rain. Shot with a 25mm extender on a 50mm 1.4 Canon lens.

Shades of black, and shades of white, moving, turning, shifting.

- image © 2008 A. R. Lopez

Abstract Crate

Crates and bins, behind a fish market, on a fisherman's wharf, Port San Luis, CA.

Colors, shapes, lines, angles. Subjective beauty in the common, unattractive things of life.

- image © 2008 A. R. Lopez

Reality Textured

Detail of a K37 class steam engine locomotive, for the Cumbres & Toltec narrow gauge railroad, in Chama, New Mexico.

This particular locomotive was not in service and was sitting in the trainyard, awaiting maintenance. The "K" in the designation refers to the type of axle arrangement. Such engines have a wheel 2-8-2 arrangement in which the front and back 2 wheels are not driven by the engine. Evidently the arrangement allows for a more efficient placement of the firebox. The "37" in the designation refers to the 37,000 pounds of pulling force.

Despite the massive power such a locomotive unleashes, when it is in full operation, it is in no way immune from the bondage of corruption. Cracked and peeling paint, rust eating its way across the metal. Left alone, it will decay into nothing.

I was recently honored to have this image featured in the WeeklyShot category of Texture.

- image © 2005 A. R. Lopez

Surf's Up: classic 20th century pop

While on our monthly pilgrimage to Costco, recently, I spied (and picked up) the CD The Warmth of the Sun. It's a compilation of Beach Boys' tunes spanning back to about 1962. I was especially interested in this set because it includes the seminal tune Surf's Up. Not anything like the surfin' safari tunes that established their careers, Surf's Up blends the band's wonderful harmonies with  mysterious lyrics and enigmatic music. Written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, the song itself was essentially recorded in three different sessions over the course of several years. The tracks were deftly connected to one another for the 1971 album of the same name.

I found a comment by Leonard Bernstein, after a demo of the song in 1966, to be quite interesting. Bernstein said,

There is a new song, too complex to get all of first time around. It could come only out of the ferment that characterizes today's pop music scene. Brian Wilson, leader of the famous Beach Boys, and one of today's most important musicians, sings his own 'Surf's Up.' Poetic, beautiful even in its obscurity, 'Surf's Up' is one aspect of new things happening in pop music today. As such, it is a symbol of the change many of these young musicians see in our future.

The lyrics,

A diamond necklace played the pawn
Hand in hand some drummed along, oh
To a handsome man and baton
A blind class aristocracy
Back through the opera glass you see
The pit and the pendulum drawn
Columnated ruins domino

Canvass the town and brush the backdrop
Are you sleeping?

Hung velvet overtaken me
Dim chandelier awaken me
To a song dissolved in the dawn
The music hall a costly bow
The music all is lost for now
To a muted trumpeter swan
Columnated ruins domino

Canvass the town and brush the backdrop
Are you sleeping, Brother John?

Dove nested towers the hour was
Strike the street quicksilver moon
Carriage across the fog
Two-Step to lamp lights cellar tune
The laughs come hard in Auld Lang Syne

The glass was raised, the fired rose
The fullness of the wine, the dim last toasting
While at port adieu or die

A choke of grief heart hardened I
Beyond belief a broken man too tough to cry

Surf's Up
Aboard a tidal wave
Come about hard and join
The young and often spring you gave
I heard the word
Wonderful thing
A children's song

A child is the father of the man
A child is the father of the man
A children's song
Have you listened as they played?
Their song is love
And the children know the way
That's why the child is the father to the man
That's why the child is the father to the man

Here is the song as a compilation of studio demos (including the solo demo that Bernstein commented on in 1966).

And here is the final mix, released in 1971, complete with a horn riff at the beginning of the song which paid tribute to Woody Woodpecker (really). The song culminates, in a rich cascade of harmony, demonstrating the beyond pop abilities the group was capable of.

Abstract Courthouse

The McKinley County Courthouse, in Gallup, NM, (Google Maps) on a summer evening, this past June. Every night, during the summer, Indian dances are performed nightly at the courthouse square. We had arrived a few minutes early and, to pass the time, I wandered off with my new 50mm lens (and a polarizing filter).

This particular shot is of the recent addition to the courthouse (by clicking on the Google Maps link above, you can see the extent of the addition).

By using the polarizing filter, I was able to generate an image that, when converted to black & white, has a near black sky. I chose the off-angle composition at first due to the limitations of using a straight 50mm lens combined with a 1.4 conversion factor on my DSLR; but after playing around with different angles, I ended up liking the alternative perspectives I was getting.

I was honored to have this shot featured, recently, at WeeklyShot for the category, Light & Architecture.

- image © 2007 A. R. Lopez 

Abstract Zen

Calla lily, in black & white.

Sometime close to Christmas, 2005, I shot a series on several calla lily flowers in my backyard. Most of the shots I kept in color, however this particular shot seemed to call out to be imaged monochromatic. I decided to go with a tighter crop, excluding a full shot of the flower, as well as shooting the image with a vertical orientation. One of the things I like best about the image is the general flow, from top to bottom, of white to black.

I was fortunate to have the image selected to be featured in the weekly contest Weekly Shot under the category of Zen. Being a concrete-sequential thinker, I sometimes have a difficult time addressing topics such as... Zen. The idea (and the photographic results) seem to be a bit too subjective in nature and much too open to personal interpretation. That said, how does one actually get an image selected as indicative of Zen? Is it simply a matter of the consensus of other subjective opinions as to what constitutes Zen? Who is to say that this image qualifies as Zen in the same manner that another image would qualify for the category Hands?

Perhaps, just perhaps, the spiritually stagnant secular notion of Zen is but a glimpse of the enigmatic experience of Joy as expressed by C.S. Lewis, in the quote,

The very nature of Joy makes nonsense of our common distinction between having and wanting.

Joy, as defined by Lewis (and, in many respects, the Bible), is not equivalent to happiness and it certainly isn't equivalent to fun. While Zen, as an attainment of awakening, may attempt to understand Joy, such an attempt is bounded by the ever present limitations of our human existence.

Maybe, as Lewis said,

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

Weekly Shot Feature

Image - © 2005 A. R. Lopez

Tibetan Sand Art and an art critic gone wild

Mo. Toddler Ruins Monks' Sand Design, per FoxNews:

The little boy spotted the pretty pile of colored sand on the floor of the vast hall and couldn't resist. Slipping under a protective rope, he danced all over the sand, ruining the carefully crafted picture.

From the Daily Mail,

Sitting cross legged for two days a group of Tibetan monks carefully created an intricate sand design as an expression of their Buddhist faith.

However, an intervention, not of the divine variety, saw their efforts go to waste when a little boy who toddled into Kansas City's train station behind his mother spotted the display of coloured sand on the floor and could not resist.

I think they've got it all wrong... there was no ruining of efforts nor did any efforts go to waste. Rather, this event was merely an opportunity to express WARTS - to Wonder about ART Syndrome. Watching a news report video of the incident, one notices that, prior to the incident there was a minimal barrier around the sand design along with signs stating, "DO NOT CROSS THE LINE. THANK YOU!".

After the incident, additional barriers were placed around the design.

But such a response is all wrong (according to WARTS). Rather than react to the toddler's actions with measures to prevent it from recurring, the true intricacies of the toddler's actions should be analyzed and, indeed, embraced.

In the world of the ARTS, and especially regarding the WARTS variety, boundaries are crossed (sometimes violently), new frontiers are explored and invaded. Is it so difficult to envisage the profoundness of a mere child, crossing the minimal barrier placed in front of him, ignoring the written word - most likely not even understanding the written word - which kept the older, stronger, and supposedly wiser adults at bay? And, rather than join in the tedious efforts of the monks he, instead, chooses to destroy the work or - perhaps even more complex - he chooses to forcibly impose his unorthodox, avant-garde style of sand design; this, after declaring himself free from the bonds of barriers and the written word. The image above is, no doubt, an expression of the toddler's deepest emotions. In it, we hear him screaming, "I AM FREE FROM MY BONDS! YOUR SIMPLE BARRIERS CANNOT KEEP ME FROM EXPRESSING MY FREEDOM! WHAT IS COLORED SAND, IF NOTHING BUT TO BE TRAMPLED ON UNDERFOOT?"

Indeed, we would do well to ponder long and hard on the chaotic rendition this young prodigy has graciously bestowed upon us.

Or... it could've just been the actions of a little brat.

Reality Damaged...

The right front turn signal indicator on a Kenworth dump truck, in Chama, New Mexico.

My parents have some property in northern New Mexico and we like to, occasionally, spend some time there vacationing. Last September, while on a walk, I decided to check out a Kenworth dump truck which was parked nearby. The truck has, obviously, seen its share of action (also see here, and here).

I was intrigued by the damage on this turn signal indicator. Amidst the massiveness of the truck, amidst the heavy steel bed, which carries dirt, rock, and debris, a tiny plastic light housing gets cracked by some errant pebble. It's to be expected when operating equipment such as this. Yet, the function of the dump truck remains intact, despite the minor damage it has sustained.

I wonder, how much of our lives is mimicked by the circumstances surrounding the dump truck? How much of the damage we carry is to be expected?

image © 2006 A. R. Lopez

Innovation...

An interesting post, at the Technology Liberation Front, on the difference between invention and innovation.

Abstract Doors & Window...

Two doors, and a window, on the side of a metal building, in the tiny town of Los Ojos, New Mexico.

It was a lazy afternoon in late September of 2006. Only a few days before, an early snow had dusted much of that region in northern New Mexico. This afternoon, however, the weather was mild, and the sky cloudless. We were on a two-week vacation, and I was getting a bit cabin-crazy, so I decided to go for a solo drive - just me and my camera.

In Los Ojos, not much was going on. I don't think much ever goes on in Los Ojos. I stopped by the San Jose Catholic Church to see what photographic opportunities might present themselves. On the north side of the Church there is a large field, along with a covered area, presumably for outdoor gatherings (e.g., picnics, cookouts, etc.). On the adjoining lot stood this building, gleaming in the late afternoon sun.

I found the harsh shadows on the wall, complete with the dents, to be strangely appealing. Two white doors, one black window, and the vertical lines of the green wall. I wonder - how many of these structures have been manufactured? How many are still standing? How many have been found to be attractive?

- © 2006

(also ref. WeeklyShot)

A.R.T. Syndrome...

While the origin of A.R.T. Syndrome (aka ARTS) is widely debated, one thing is certain, its effects are without prejudice with regards to race, gender, national origin, etc. The impact of ARTS, when fully manifested, can be devastating. Once infected, an individual may find himself coming to conclusions that are embarassingly inane.

Reality Inversion...

A temperature inversion layer, which leads to the accumulation of particulants beneath it - smog, looking out over Los Angeles, California. The Griffith Observatory is situated upon a hill overlooking the city of Los Angeles. The brown L.A. haze is not perpetual, but was quite evident the day I happened upon this location.

It's interesting, in a paradoxical sort of way, to consider the causes for that dirty air. Quite simply, it's people... take away the people, and the smog would not be there. Yes, the temperature inversion layer would still occur, but man-made pollutants would not be dumped into it. On the other hand, one of the reasons that so many people live in the southern California basin, is that there are plenty of opportunities to make a living (another reason is the climate - the photo above being taken in the middle of January with the temperature in the mid 70s).

Many of the people who live here have come here because there is virtually no opportunity to provide for their family from where they come from. So, is the smog a necessary environmental evil?

- photograph © 2007 A. R. Lopez

Abstract Solar...

A view of the open dome and the stairway leading up to it, which houses three solar telescopes, at the newly renovated Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, CA. Inside the observatory, at the west rotunda, visitors can view a real-time white light image of the sun (weather permitting), a diffracted spectrum image, and a filtered red spectrum image (allowing for real-time observations of solar prominences).

Man seems to have always had an interest in the Sun. One of the exhibits at the observatory illustrated how mankind has used the sun, moon, and stars to measure time for both the short and long term. What a wonderful opportunity that provided me, as a homeschooling parent, to reiterate to our children that Genesis 1 indicates that God made the sun, moon, and stars to "be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years". It would seem that God is interested in being intimately involved with his creation, even if such involvement means taking the time to create entities so huge, and so distant from this planet Earth.

Besides that, how very cool it is to learn about his creation!

- photograph © 2007 A. R. Lopez
 

Reality Glory...

A swallowtail caterpillar preparing, as it consumes the leaves of a fennel plant, for its potential transformation into a swallowtail butterfly.

We found many of these little fellows in our yard - they like fennel plants. Life is hard on them, though, as gophers like the fennel plant as well. Birds, on the other hand, like the swallowtail caterpillar, and it is not unusual to see the caterpillar's numbers dwindle from day to day. Rescuing a few of these guys, we placed them in a butterfly incubator, along with a daily supply of fresh fennel. In time, with suspended chrysalis, they performed their transformation dance, eventually emerging as swallowtail butterflys. Life renewed, our pleasure fulfilled, we granted them their well earned freedom, from their safe confines, into the landscape of our front yard.

What an envigorating experience it was, to see an aspect of the handiwork of God, creator and designer of the natural realm. The integrated complexity of even a small section of the ecosystem we live in is truly amazing. Yet not even the slightest motion of a cog, nor the barest turning of a wheel, goes without notice, or approval, of the One who created it.

How wondrous is their transformation... a renewal of sorts... life anew. Hope. Hope for what is to come. From the cursed bondage of corruption, to the hope of the future of glory, we rest assured.

(also ref. Imago Articulus & WeeklyShot)

- photograph © 2006 A. R. Lopez

Abstract Blue...

The corner of a roof, against a deep blue sky, on a vacant building in Chama, New Mexico.

Blue on blue. Cracked, chipped, and peeling paint. Just a rundown, vacant old building, wasting away at 8,000 feet above sea level.

How near to our lives is the juxtaposition of this building against the sky? Next to the simplistically pure beauty of God, do we waste away, cracked and chipped? Manmade artifacts, decaying in the thin air of higher elevations. Color that is close, and yet so far from the real thing. Layers of paint that, while they mimic the hues of reality, have nothing near its steadfastness.

Curse this bondage of corruption...

- photograph © 2006 A. R. Lopez

Abstract Curve...

A bright, sunny autumn morning in Williams, Arizona.

At the Grand Canyon Railway, tourists lined up to board the train to the Grand Canyon. Avoiding the crowds, we grabbed some morning coffee, and then headed into town to do some shopping (and, some shooting...). Situated right on the old Route 66, Williams is an interesting place - sort of a combination of tourist trap chic with an Americana ambiance. After finding some leather goods (including a nice hat), it was time to leave. The railway station, now devoid of tourists, offered a variety of potential camera targets. A red caboose, on display, provided the inspiration for a detail shot along its side. I wish my investments would follow such a curve.  [also ref. Imago Articulus & WeeklyShot]

- photograph © 2006 A. R. Lopez

Abstract Rust...

The rusted side of a railcar, at Cumbres Pass, in Colorado.

The Cumbres & Toltec narrow-gauge train had just stopped for water, after climbing a couple of thousand feet in elevation from the town of Chama, New Mexico. It was late September but only a few days before, on the last day of summer, an early storm had dropped about 10 inches of snow on the ground. Upon quenching its thirst, the steam engine whistled a warning, and the train pulled out of the station on its way to Antonito, Colorado. A few moments later, with but the echoes of the train's whistle to be heard, I meandered about the small yard, curiously spying for a photograph. The brilliant warmth of the rusted railcar, alit in the midday sun, caught my eye - and my shutter finger.  [also ref. Imago Articulus & WeeklyShot]

- photograph © 2006 A. R. Lopez