The Prophet's Way

He who helps in the saving of others, saves himself as well. Hartmann von Aue

The Lake District - England

My cool wife.

We were driving North to the Lake District in England (early August 08) - the weather of course was overcast and the sky (for photography) awesome as you can see. This picture was another one of those shots that turned-out better than I expected.

Aperture Priority @ 55mm.

The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1862), 1809

Ramblas Performer

I captured this gorgeous artist at around 10am last August on the Ramblas, Barcelona. Of the hundreds of pictures I recorded on this trip, this is one of my favourites!

Nikon D60 (aperture priority); Nikon 70-300mm VR @ 300mm; f5.6; exposure 1/320 , ISO 400.

Gregory Crewdson

You've probably not seen Gregory Crewdson's work before. I certainly hadn't until I stumbled across a book in a local bookstore a number of years ago.



Unique, powerful... maybe there's a 'part' of us in all of these stories?



A picture's meaning really can express a thousand words...

What happenned? Is she thinking twice about her decision? Is she scared or angry? Has she just broken up with her husband? Why is the cab parked across the street?

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

I just had to post one more of my Mumbai pictures. Of course it's of the famous Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) - a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I shot this image on the 27th of July last year and am reminded of the building's magnificence every time I look at this shot.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhatrapati_Shivaji_Terminus

Love

"There wasn't enough truth in me for that kind of sorrowing because my heart wouldn't believe him dead. I'd loved him too much, it seemed to me in that winter of war, for him to simply be gone, to be dead. If so much love could vanish into the earth and speak no more, smile no more, then love was nothing. And I wouldn't believe that. I was sure there had to be a pay-off, somehow, and I kept waiting for it. I didn't know then, as I do now, that love's a one-way street. Love, like respect, isn't something you get; it's something you give." A passage from 'Shantaram', page 759.

I was deeply moved and forever changed after reading the above - a potent and age-old message that's as true today as it has ever been.

Beautiful Mumbai

Following on from the pictures of Mumbai that I posted on May 9, I just had to share these three too.

The image (above) isn't as sharp as I would have liked, but the power of it is not lost. We were passing through a Mumbai slum when I shot this picture. It wasn't just the colour that struck me, but rather the palette from which it was drawn i.e., the love and pride of a proud father - a watchful mother, material poverty... yet abundant joy. I love it - I love it for all that it is and all that it is not. It represents all of us in a way - a part of us is them, and a part of them is us...



The smell, the vibrancy and of course the colour.



My gorgeous wife Dana with our Mumbai guide Raj. We met Raj by accident while strolling around the Gateway of India. Five minutes after meeting him he'd talked us into using his services. He was awesome - one of the loveliest people we've met and he showed us the real Mumbai. Thanks Raj!

Humanity's last great challenge

We have had our last chance. If we do not devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door.
Douglas MacArthur (1880 - 1964), September 2, 1945

Perspective...

Think of the earth as a living organism that is being attacked by billions of bacteria whose numbers double every forty years. Either the host dies, or the [parasite] dies, or both die.
Gore Vidal, "Gods and Greens," Observer (London, 27.8.89)

de Lempicka - Self Portrait

What absolute style... 'Green Bugatti', 1925 (oil on wood)

More Art Deco

Tamara de Lempicka's 'Woman with Dove' (1931) - also known as ' Femme a Colombe'.

War

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, from those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.
President and five-star general Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), April 16, 1953

Magical Mumbai

I was in Mumbai (with my wife Darn) late July last year - our first time in India and my God - what a magical place and what beautiful people.

I took the above picture late in the late morning of July 27. Of course we were in Mumbai during the middle of the monsoon (which runs from June to Sept.) and it (the rain) didn't stop for the entire time we were there. I particularly like the 'old world charm' of this shot - but a brief moment in time. Note: the words on the back of the cab window appropriately read WATER KINGDOM.

I shot the above image less than 10 minutes later. We were on the renowned Falkland Rd - the red light district. The two girls above (like many of the Mumbai people) were impossibly beautiful at that time, in that place, amongst the challenges that Mumbai puts to its 20 million inhabitants every minute of every day - just incredibly moving.

Starr

'Vivacious' (above) & 'Mad Hatter' (below) by Brisbane artist Starr.

I fell in love with this artist's work the moment I saw it - bought a piece immediately and 'another' just last year when I could least afford it. But hey - when art pulls at your heart, you're no longer in control... or rational for that matter.

Anyway - Starr's style speaks for itself and her paintings have been exhibited in Singapore and New York and of course right around Australia. In Brisbane her work is represented by Red Hill Gallery, Red Hill - see: http://www.redhillgallery.com.au/

For more info on Starr, check-out: http://www.starrartanddesign.com/paintings.html

Down the rabbit hole...

How far down the rabbit hole are we really prepared to go? I dare say that most of us aren't prepared to go far... not because of what we might find, but rather what we may not. The 'not' being that which supports and/or validates our view of ourselves, our God, our being, our everything. In other words, it's 'just' easier to accept as truth that which we already believe because somehow at some point, we've decided to make a call. We've decided that if something's not congruent with what we believe, that it's wrong and so we get what we've got in the world today.

While it's important to have beliefs, it's equally important that we allow ourselves - give ourselves the right to challenge them, to question them day-in, day-out.

The video (click on it below - it only goes for 5 mins) blew my mind when I first saw it. It's a clip from the documentary 'What the BLEEP Do We Know'. If you like this 5 minute clip, tap on the Title above - it links to the BLEEP website where you'll be able to purchase the full doco and trust me, watching it will cause you to question more than you think you're capable of.

Art Deco

Tamara de Lempicka's 'Girl in Green' (1929) - also known as 'Girl with Gloves'.

Absolutely one of the most memorable art deco paintings ever. Elegent and modern, sophisticated yet entirely innocent... beautifully perfect!

See: http://www.artinthepicture.com/artists/Tamara_de-Lempicka/

Hmm...

If someone says "I always lie", are they telling the truth? Or are they lying? Unknown

Shantaram - Brilliant!

Even if you're not a 'reader' of books & even if you've never been to Mumbai, read this anyway - you will not regret it! Thanks for this gift Ren -))

The book's about Gregory David Roberts and his life after breaking out of an Australian jail in the early 80's. It tells of his escape to Mumbai and describes in powerful and poetic detail of his experience (living & working) in a Mumbai slum - his time in an Indian prison (Arthur Rd) - his work with the Mumbai Mafia - his learning of Hindi & Marathi - et cetera.

A beautifully witten book - you'll have a better understanding, appreciation and love of India and its people after reading it. check out the Wiki link (click on the title above) or Google for more info!