Published inCounter Arts·May 25Member-onlyCan Photography Bring You Health, Wealth, and Happiness?Maybe two out of three — Health, wealth, and happiness are what it’s all about. Right? Well, at least health and happiness. Some would argue that wealth is materialistic, and that health and happiness are really all that matters. I would agree with that. But let’s leave “wealth” in there anyway, just because those three things…Photography5 min readPhotography5 min read
Published inThe Riff·May 16Member-onlyEver Feel Bad About Giving a Thumbs-Down to A Great Song?Sometimes you just have to do it — We all love music. I assume that’s why you’re reading this, anyway. And, as music lovers, we appreciate great songs — songs considered classics that we just can’t get enough of, right? Well, right. But there are limits. You can only hear certain songs so many times before they go…Music4 min readMusic4 min read
Published inBooks Are Our Superpower·May 8Member-onlyIf You’re New to Science Fiction, Start With the ABCsRead short stories from the giants — Science fiction, as you may know, is not something to just jump into. If you’re a new reader in that genre, you can get lost in space very easily. To put it bluntly — there’s a lot of garbage out there. That’s true of all genres, I suppose. Certainly, the…Books6 min readBooks6 min read
Published inCounter Arts·Apr 18Member-onlyMake Powerful Photographs Capturing Both Natural And Man-Made ElementsJuxtaposition is a great technique — As a photographer, you want to catch your viewer’s eye. By “catch,” I mean you want to get their attention, “pique” their interest, and hold on to it for at least a few moments, if not longer. That, I think, is the mark of a powerful photograph. Subject matter can…Photography4 min readPhotography4 min read
Published inThe Riff·Apr 9Member-onlyThe Best Live Album You May Have Never HeardThat is unless you’re a Dire Straits fan. — Being a Dire Straits fan in the U.S. in the early 80s made me feel … unique. None of my friends were fans. They didn’t dislike them — they just didn’t really know much about them. They had maybe heard “Sultans of Swing,” but that was it. I don’t have…Dire Straits5 min readDire Straits5 min read
Published inCounter Arts·Mar 21Member-onlyAnthropomorphize Flowers to Make Their Portraits PopThe flowers will thank you for it. — Flower photographers will tell you that their subjects, sometimes, seem like they’re posing for you. Or maybe it’s just me. I tend to anthropomorphize a lot. If you’re like me, you understand that flowers have faces; sometimes they’re smiling and happy, and sometimes they’re down and sad. Don’t get me…Photography4 min readPhotography4 min read
Published inThe Riff·Mar 7Member-onlyThe Big Ending: Why Do They Edit Out the Best Part of the Song?You know the songs I’m talking about. — I really dislike the “shortened version” of anything. Who’s with me? I don’t like seeing my favorite movies edited for television. I don’t like reading an abridged version of a great book. And I definitely don’t like it when a great song is chopped off before its big ending. You…Music4 min readMusic4 min read
Published inCounter Arts·Feb 22Member-onlyMy Latest Batch of Photography Pet PeevesThey might bug you too. — We all have a lot of pet peeves. Or maybe it’s just me. I’m an irritable guy. One of my recent “peeves” is hearing people start sentences with the word “So” for no good reason. For example: “What did you do yesterday?” “So, I got up in the morning and…Photography4 min readPhotography4 min read
Published inThe Riff·Feb 8Member-onlyHow The Beatles Blended One Great Song into AnotherTransitions between songs are key to an album’s flow. — Great albums flow well from one song to another. We all know this. The sequencing of the songs on an album is important. Presumably, the artist and producer put a lot of thought into ordering the songs in just the right way. Or at least that’s how things used to…Beatles5 min readBeatles5 min read
Published inSNAPSHOTS·Jan 27Member-onlyReconsidering the Weird CactusAlso, is it “cactuses” or “cacti”? — I’ve never been a big fan of cacti. Or cactuses, for that matter. And yes, either term is correct. I looked it up. But “cacti” sounds more academic, and is just more fun to say, so let’s go with that. Cacti always seemed to be somewhat dry, a little off-putting…Photography3 min readPhotography3 min read