2018 Photos of the Year

It's time to review our year's work and pick a favorite. Being greedy, I can't limit myself to just one. There could be lots more but these are my favorites. People notice that I shy away from pretty pictures. There are some in my portfolio but what interests me is the ironic, the street, the theater and personalities. So...

TIE FOR FIRST PLACE 

         

Night walk in a forest near Monteverde, Costa Rica. How the guide found this tiny lizard I cannot say. Lit by only a flashlight.

A scene from a play called Pain during the St. Louis Fringe Festival . Actually, this is my favorite but I thought it would put people off if I placed it first.

THIRD PLACE

Fourth of July fireworks at the Arch.

ELLIE 

Utter concentration while building a Lego tower. At the Magic House, our area's children's science museum.

STL LOCAL

Autumn in Forest Park. Okay, I guess this qualifies as a pretty picture.


BEST ARCH PICTURE

First published just a few fays ago.

THEATER

The irrepressible Lola van Ella at the St. Louis Fringe's fundraiser Act Your Pants Off.

TRAVEL

Specials at Ricky's Cafe, Hanover, Kansas.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, taken from the north shore of the bay.

Part of The  Heidelberg Project, Detroit. Look it up!

A happy new year and good shooting to all our City Daily Photo colleagues. Take a look at of our members' best work here. It's starting to go up.

Year End, STL

The end of another trip around the sun in our river city. My family is all here in reasonable shape, although I had some significant health issues. Nothing, though, that I couldn't overcome with our gold-plated Medicare supplemental insurance. That's great, given that we have the worst, most expensive, inefficient and profit-centered healthcare in the industrialized world. I got to watch my granddaughter Ellie continue to grow into a a poised, intelligent young woman. I'll meet my first grandson in a few months. Mrs. C and I are approaching the 45th tick with no regrets at all. We feel secure, at least for the moment. (Wheel of fortune and all that.) I began to slip out of my practice, which turned out to be 44 years of tragicomedy.

And then I think about the recent past and near future, like the horror in the White House. Just by following the trail, I feel almost certain that the Russians are blackmailing him. But with the forces of (relative) light about to control the House, his own personal hell may be about to break lose. I'm sickened by the rigorous, willful destruction of the planet, alienation of our best allies and relentless kicks in the teeth to working people. Maybe, I hope, that will change.

And beyond? People who try to seriously predict the future are always wrong. There are far too many variables and those unknown unknowns. Nevertheless, I see no reason for optimism. There is a triad at work here: mass climate disruptions (sure hope some technical Lone Ranger rides over the hill to our rescue); the rapid strides in artificial intelligence such as Google's AlphaZero which can analyze complex situations and teach itself how to overcome problems, something that may far surpass our own intellectual capacity; and genetic engineering with CRISPR - CAS3 modification of living things. What role will remain for us? I know this a downer but you really should read up on this stuff.

This blog's header advertises the occasional rant. I've occasionally been criticized for writing almost none. I guess this qualifies.

. . . but ol' man river, he just keeps rolling along.

Ellie Goes to the Symphony 2

I think the kid has been to a small scale circus in Powell Hall but never a performance of the symphony. Mrs. C and I have been subscribers to the SLSO for something over 40 years. It was a real pleasure to share with Ellie something that has been such an important part of our lives.

In the first picture, Ellie and our daughter Emily pose on the grand staircase, seen from above in the third photo. And, if has a mind to, she knows how to pose.          

Ellie Goes to the Symphony 1

When Mrs. C and I are off to somewhere, Ellie frequently pipes up with "I go there sometime?"  We always say yes or we hope so. She has mentioned this several times when we were going to the symphony. Last night was her turn,

The marvelous St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has several holiday programs. This weekend it's excerpts from Disney animated films with the orchestra playing the scores, led by resident conductor Gemma New. Ellie was spellbound as the screen went through old and new favorites, including Moana, Frozen, Winnie the Pooh and several more. More pix to come of her experience.

Beware of butcher birds

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You know you're not in Israel when the only potential danger from above is a BUTCHER BIRD attack! 
I saw this sign while walking my granddog in our leafy northern suburb of Sydney; I didn't know whether to laugh or run!

(I came to Australia in November to see the grandchildren and now I am housesitting for them until late January while my daughter and their family tour America.)

A little research came up with this:

Called butchers because they hang their meat: "Grey Butcherbirds are aggressive predators. They prey on small animals, including birds, lizards and insects .... Uneaten food may be stored in the fork or a branch or impaled." and "Butcherbirds get their name from their habit of hanging captured prey on a hook or in a tree fork, or crevice. This 'larder' is used to support the victim while it is being eaten, to store several victims or to attract mates."
Another source says "With its lovely, lilting song, the Grey Butcherbird may not seem to be a particularly intimidating species. However, with its strong, hooked beak and its fierce stare, the Grey Butcherbird is not a bird to be messed with. When a nest or newly fledged chick is around, if you venture too close, a butcherbird will swoop by flying straight at your face, sometimes striking with enough force to draw blood, and each swoop is accompanied by a loud, maniacal cackle."Another source says "With its lovely, lilting song, the Grey Butcherbird may not seem to be a particularly intimidating species. However, with its strong, hooked beak and its fierce stare, the Grey Butcherbird is not a bird to be messed with. When a nest or newly fledged chick is around, if you venture too close, a butcherbird will swoop by flying straight at your face, sometimes striking with enough force to draw blood, and each swoop is accompanied by a loud, maniacal cackle."

Happy new year 2019 to you all! 
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The Darkest Days

Gloomy around The Lou these days. Mostly overcast, bare trees, getting colder. This is Forest Park near sunset a few days ago.

Thursday Arch Series

Taken last weekend with the new Fujifilm X-T3 and a wide angle lens (note, VJ) at the equivalent of 25mm on a full frame camera. Quite a lot of luck here but I think this is one of my best Arch pictures ever, IMHO. The four people standing at bottom center were a gift. They make the picture.   

Sighting At The Botanical Garden

Wreath time in Australia

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You know you're not in Israel when your Jewish grandson comes home with a Christmas wreath. :) Eyal's 5th grade class here in Australia made wreaths this December. 
From coat hangers and cut up garbage bags! 
Eyal chose fragrant yellow ones for his wreath. 

Libby and Billy the Cavoodle enjoyed having their first-ever wreath.

Merry Christmas to all our Christian friends! 
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Merry Christmas From Saint Louis

Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Tracking Santa's Progress

Despite the idiotic partial government shutdown, NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, will continue to track Santa's progress from the North Pole across the nation. Not sure, but this image could have been from last year's mapping system or this year's Garden Glow display at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Seasons Greetings from the White House

Thousands of federal employees laid off just before Christmas. Others, like TSA airport security personnel and Border Patrol agents forced to work without pay. And who is responsible? Take it from the horse's mouth.   

And To All A Good Night

Some final pix from Santarchy and then time to move on. There is something appealing about the sweater in the first photo. In the second, Lohr Barclay seems to be expressing some Yuletide cheer but if I read the micro-expressions correctly the woman on the left isn't entirely comfortable about it. Further down, some bright color and strange dress in a bar called B-Side, as in the back of an old 45 RPM record. Last, one of the more subdued partiers brought his mandolin. I loved it when he was playing La Habanera from Carmen.

New material tomorrow.

Your Face Or Mine?

I'm not sure if what's in the man's right hand is a mask or a decoration. You could experiment.

Not real happy with the color correction here but there is no chance to use gels when shooting on the fly. My Photoshop skills are OK but hardly advanced.              

Christmas Cookies

Yes, a traditional and popular way to pack on the calories at this time of year. The interpretation of the sweater, gentle reader, I will leave up to you.    

Elves, Maybe

The people at Santarchy were encouraged to dress in something Santa-ish. I didn't have a costume so I wore a red shirt, sweater and jacket. Lohr gave me a Santa hat. Fortunately, no one took my picture (that I know of).

You could be an elf. Santa has elves, right? I'm sure that was the man's intention. The woman costume was perhaps an interpretation.

Taken at Yaquis restaurant and bar on Cherokee Streer. Big windows facing east, good in the afternoon.  

The Quality of Light

Another picture taken in Lucha. I don't remember the people's names so if you see, this identify yourselves!

Light from the outside can have such an impact on indoor photography. Lucha has large windows, nearly floor to ceiling, facing north. The light couldn't be more beautiful on a winter afternoon, although I probably used a little fill flash. Not that I am comparing my work but this kind of illumination is used so beautifully by Vermeer and most dramatically by Caravaggio. When taking run-and-gun pictures, we have to make use of every advantage.