After organizing decades and terabytes worth of images recently, I realized that I rarely take time to appreciate these images. I have thousands of images of my daughter, but I never look at them. They are stored in the dark, collecting digital dust. I want the best camera I can afford, so I can create photos that are forgotten. That doesn't make sense.
Some of these photos will come in handy when old age catches up and my memories fail me. I prefer not to wait that long.
Despite their neglect, these digital memories mean everything to me and to anyone else, they would mean nothing. Sure, they represent my photography skills that grew along as much as my daughter has grown, but they are not award-winning compositions either. But they mean the world to me. If my home catches fire, the iPad and the hard drives are coming with me. Everything else can be replaced.
These precious digital files captured moments that will never happen again. They tell stories of where we were, how we were doing, and remind us of how blessed we are.
Despite all this realization, I will still take photos, knowing they may never again be viewed unless I re-organize them. I will continue to purchase external hard drives and upgrade my iCloud storage to fill them up.
One of these days, I will have them displayed out in the open in a paper format, be it in a book or a frame. They mean everything to me.
Dirty Santa
2021-12-04 10:48:22
Material possessions have ruined what used to be known as the most wonderful time of the year. Why are we so miserable and feel pressured to find that gift that someone had put on a long list of “wants?” Ol’ Saint Nick went corporate and then we see how holiday season morphed into holiday shopping season.
A long time ago I chose to resume control and choose to celebrate people and joy instead.
More or Less
2021-12-04 12:08:32
Regarding my previous post about consumerism and the idea that we have to have more and more, I believe that less is actually more. The more you have, the less productive you can become.
I’ve learned this the hard way and spent a lot of money trying to find the best devices for myself over the years. In doing so, I’ve acquired more than I needed. Why is our mindset programmed to think that more is better?
This has led to my embrace of minimalism, or “essentialism.” Only buy and use what you need. More things leads to more distractions and makes us less productive.
My digital toolbox includes the MacBook Pro, the iPad Pro, the iPhone Pro Max and all the essential software I want and need to produce the work I want to. If I could, with confidence, manage my photo archive on the iPad alone, then I would not own the MacBook. Yes, it is possible, but I do not want to find workarounds. I’ll get there someday, hopefully soon, and then Mac & I will part ways.
The iPad for me is both a creative and consumption device and has quickly taken over as my primary tool. It has been upgraded with outstanding cameras but do I really want to carry Paddy around everywhere to snap photos? Nope, that is what Max the iPhone is for.
I do not need most of the things that others want. I need what is essential to me at the moment. But if we really want to become more productive and happy, then we will continue to work with less, not more.
From left to right: Paddy, Max and Mac
Cryptocurrency
2021-12-08 21:15:14
After researching the hell out of it and posting about altcoins, I finally invested a small sum to see how this plays out. It will be either a fun lesson learned or a wise investment. Who knows?
Sonya
2021-12-11 19:23:26
Meet Sonya, the Alpha 7 mirrorless camera system from Sony. I managed to grab her, an extra battery, charger, two 128GB memory cards and a Lacie all-terrain mobile 1TB hard drive. Now I need to think about a new photography work flow.
None
2021-12-11 19:56:13
The 1st Annual Denbow Awards 2021
2021-12-11 20:42:19
It’s that time of year when publishers, artists and generally most in the media like to focus on the “Best Of” for that calendar year. So, I thought it would be a good time to roll out the first ever Denbow Awards.
Books
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Project Hail Mary
The Plot
Strange Beasts of China
Apps
Obsidian
Feedbin
Geocache
Hipstamatic
Games
Asphalt 8
Alto’s Odyssey
Both games are from Apple Arcade and, for me, the only games I really play. If it wasn’t a part of the Apple One subscription, I wouldn’t play them, but they are both excellent ways to enjoy some downtime.
Film
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is the only movie I have seen in theaters this year. A nice continuity from the original actors' story line and to the next generation.
Matrix: Resurrections- I haven’t seen this yet, but I am eagerly anticipating this, so we’ll call that a win.
TV
WandaVision- Disney Plus
Foundation- Apple TV
Tech
iPad Pro M1 2021
Music
I tried to break the Apple Music algorithms by listening to different genres. You can click here for the Audio Denbow radio station and Apple has set up their annual review of most played songs for me on Replay 2021.
Podcasts
My podcast listening has been limited, but I’ll note my two favorites here anyway. Smartless and Camp Monsters.
“SmartLess" with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity. A nice surprise: in each episode of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. What ensues is a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the SmartLess mind.”
“These are the stories of impossible encounters with impossible creatures in the wildest corners of North America. We’ll travel the country, sit around campfires and talk about that thing that ran across the trail in the middle of the night, just beyond the beam of your flashlight. Come closer to the fire. Let’s hear the next legend.”
And that’s it! The first annual Denbow Awards show has come to a close. It’s been a good year for entertainment and technology, and I cannot wait to see what is in store for 2022.
Renaissance
2021-12-11 22:59:30
It's difficult to realize historic moments when you might be in the middle of one but I believe we are witnessing a modern renaissance with art, technology, media, and minimalism.
None
2021-12-11 23:09:17
New Download Page!
2021-12-12 11:43:52
I am proud to finally offer digital downloads for the first time ever. You’ll find a dedicated space for my digital photo zines and wallpapers. These files are free to download, enjoy and hopefully share.
Let me know what you think.
ChrisList Christmas
2021-12-12 11:54:14
Every year I will create a Christmas playlist and it seems almost every year the same songs end up on it. Well, they are called classics for a reason, aren’t they?
Finally I have minted my first NFT (non-fungible token) titled Neon Nights at Buck Atoms Cosmic Curios on Route 66. Hopefully it will generate enough interest where someone, a curator, will purchase it with the cryptocurrency known as Ethereum.
I don’t have lofty expectations, but it would be fantastic to see it sold the first time out. After that, it’s time to generate some more images of interest and keep this going.
2022
2021-12-14 23:37:36
Thinking of exploring other creative outlets besides photography such as video, sketching, and maybe dust off that ukulele as well.
None
2021-12-14 23:44:23
I will never be satisfied with my art.
Uninspired
2021-12-17 23:02:27
Winter, pandemic, small town, supervising forty people 24x7 remotely from home is taking a toll on the creativity.
Reading Workflow
2021-12-18 12:18:41
Reading is one of my all-time favorite things to do. But nowadays, there hasn’t been time allowances made for it, which is odd to me because now there is more to read than ever before.
As we all know, reading has expanded from traditional printed books, magazines, and newspapers. Now we have websites, blog posts, emails, Facebook, Twitter, forums, newsletters, digital books, e-magazines, etc., etc. These types of reading can be an overwhelming reading list that we must feel we have to keep up with.
The list becomes difficult, so my solution is to not try to keep up. My reading lists are self-inflicted, and so I pare it down to a read-it-later system that works for me. In true minimalist fashion, I have scaled down my printed books to the essentials. Now my fiction reading is done with e-books. Thanks to an all-inclusive Apple One subscription, they threw in digital magazines that I will occasionally browse through. The blogs I enjoy keeping up with have been scaled back. I don’t do Facebook, “news” websites, or newspapers, so no loss there.
Even with a scaled down reading list, time for reading is still a challenge: how do you make time to consume what you want and when you want? How do you read without distraction? It’s difficult to read when you come across something you want to explore later, or notifications pop up on your screen from phone calls, texts etc.
Here’s my attempt at finding reading without distraction:Books. Rarely will I read non-fiction. I love a good novel here. Most of them are now consumed through the Libby app, which ties into your local libraries for zero cost. To avoid distractions, my reading device goes into “Airplane Mode.” I’m good for thirty minutes to a couple of hours into another world.
Blogs. I love to read blogs on topics I enjoy and love to see another author’s perspective on it. The list of authors and websites I have carefully curated is filtered into an RSS aggregator called FeedBin. I don’t visit these blogs and websites, no, they come to me through Feedbin. No advertising, everything is in reader mode. Meaning, the format is stripped down to white text on a grey background for distraction-free reading. I can save the article for later reference or clear the posts out and wait for the next ones to be delivered as soon as they are published. Genius.
Browsing. If you browse through the internet, you could open multiple tabs and maybe re-visit them later, but let’s be honest- you won’t. There are a lot of “Read-It-Later” services out there like Instapaper, Pocket, etc. to help out. Find an article on the web you want to keep for later? Hit the browser’s send button and deposit it there for later reading. Make the web work for you. Personally, I prefer the one-time purchase of a “R-I-L” service called GoodLinks. That is where all my articles to follow up on. Again, on my own time.
Email. This is a tool for critical notifications only. I do subscribe to newsletters, the next step of blog authors getting their articles out there. Not me. All newsletters are delivered through Feedbin. I like my email inbox for important things and keep my address locked down tight.
Social Media. Twitter, is it for me. I have found so much benefit there than any other social media outlet. I have met so many like-minded individuals there and, as a result, in the real world too. I sprung for the third-party app called TweetBot that eliminates advertising and limit my time there to maybe 2 times a week for 5 minutes. After that, I’m good.
Recommended Apps that I use for my reading workflow:
We’ve been taught that it is wise to invest in your future, so you should save and retire comfortably. So, you save and invest in hopes of a nice return on your investment. Now that you’ve saved and invested, what happens? Wait and die without living an enjoyable life? I say invest in what makes you happy, as there are no guarantees anymore. The 401k retirement plans can be worth less than what you’ve invested. Social Security is not sustainable either. But we are still taught and encouraged to keep at it anyway. Sounds like a trap for complacent sheep.
So I’ve done all that, but have a ways to go before retiring. Now I am choosing to invest in my life through other means- by doing what makes me happy while I still can.
For me, this is photography. It is a creative passport that allows me to go anywhere, capture anything and after thirty+ years, I am vested heavily.
A lot of my free time and money go to producing, developing, processing and publishing images with little reward except it makes my soul happy.
Now that I have the tools I want to accomplish these things, I will invest more time in working with other photographers and their art. Investing money into experiences, not gear. Investing both time and money into travel experiences, workshops, and anything else that furthers my desires.
Sonya, the newest and last gear investment
It is difficult to create something in a small town, in a land-locked, flyover state, in the winter, during a pandemic. So, I invested in a trip to New Orleans next month to change my perspective. I love NOLA and feel as if I can never explore it enough. The camera comes with of course to capture those experiences. Instead of investing in all the best cameras, lenses etc. etc., I’ll put my money into travel expenses.
Banksy in NOLABanksy in NOLAKarmaJackson SquareJackson Square
Investing in my own website has paid off beautifully for me these past twenty years and I encourage all artists to do so. Stop sharecropping on Zuck’s platforms and develop on your own land.
I recommend Namecheap for buying your own domain name and web hosting. After making the rounds with most of the web hosts myself, these guys are some of the most reliable. Domain name can be as low as $2 a year. Web hosting as little as $20 a year. Congrats, you have your own website, with your own email address for the cost of 3 Starbucks visits. What a great investment in yourself and your work.
Investing in photo experiences gets me out of the house and since I am currently workin from home it is a lifesaver. New experiences for the wandering misadventurer gives me fresh eyes and new perspectives to make new photos.
Investing in my life and my lifestyle is a wise choice for my time and money.
It is financially wise eating at home more than I eat out, but I haven’t been doing that. This needs to change. The money saved on dining in can go towards that next flight instead. Why didn’t I think of that sooner?
More money saved can go towards books, self-educated tools, or even investing in others through cryptocurrency to speculate on photographic works of art (NFTs.) I am slowly seeing opportunities for the blockchain to overtake “social media” photography.
Like most investors, I wish I had the wisdom to have started earlier. I want to take advantage of these new opportunities of investing in myself and earning those rewards.
Photo Denbow Redesign v. 55
2021-12-19 13:35:56
Because I am never satisfied with the way my online portfolio looks, a new coat of paint has been added. Also added is the new download page where that one person (thanks, mom!) can download and read my photography zines.
Constraints
2021-12-19 21:00:21
Lately I’ve been frustrated with the lack of shooting opportunities in small town USA. By comparison, larger urban cities are target rich for photo shooters. I’ve spent two hours on two Sundays and walked away with maybe 10 images on the new camera.
Maybe I need to adjust my thinking here and appreciate the creative constraints to just keep shooting for the hell of it.
MyPad
2021-12-21 21:55:53
After playing with my Apple toys I’ve come to the decision that the iPad is the one I play with the most. A close second would be the iPhone. A distant third would be the MacBook.
With the iPad, there are few limitations. As far as I can tell, the one drawback would be image capture even though the iPad Pro is no slouch, not with these tech specs such as the built in Wide and Ultra Wide cameras. But who wants to use both hands on a 12x9 frame and snap a photo with it?
With an iPad all is achievable.
I have work related apps loaded on there such as Microsoft Office so I can stay in communication with my team anywhere I go (helpful, but depressing.) A keyboard that also is a protective case is always handy. Wifi where available and 5G cellular when it isn’t so I am always connected. You can’t get that on a Macbook. The same for the #2 Pencil. It can’t be used on the Macbook or the iPhone.
5G connectivity on my tablet
When I am not working, I can catch a movie, crank up the tunes, or read a good book. The iPad is my mobile photo processing lab, my video editing room and my gaming console.
My advice is to skip the Macbook if possible and spend the extra money on the iPad Pro. I maxed mine out because I knew it needed to endure everything I put it through. Work, play, entertainment, everything.
Travel Photography Tips
2021-12-21 22:40:41
Like everyone else, I am tired of this damned pandemic and want to experience a different reality. So, I’ve masked up, received a vaccination and started booking flights.
Where to?
Migratory birds and pensioners have it right, so I suggest going south for the winter. New Orleans is a little slice of Europe here in the States. Guadalajara has a great blend of Europe and Mexico. Mexico City is on the list for its views. I’m always keen to go back to the Dominican Republic.
Boca Chica
When the weather turns warmer, I’d recommend San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Savannah, Charlotte, Miami, and Chicago.
Hit The Road
I’ve traveled the length of Route 66 from Chicago to LA and kicked myself for not taking the time to stop for better photographic opportunities, so this is definitely on the list again. Big Bend National park on the Texas/Mexico border has been canceled twice due to the pandemic or wildfires. Maybe this year? Pitch a tent, rent an Airbnb or rent, even better, a trailer in a west Texas nomadic hotel.
El Cosmico, Marfa Texas.Joshua Tree National Park, California
Stealth Mode
Wearing a mask and shooting street photography from a distance can be beneficial and fun.
Minimal Clothing
One backpack filled with limited apparel and essentials. No checked bags at the airport, buy what you need when you get there.
Minimal Gear
For me, it is one camera, one lens, the iPad, external hard drive and the chargers.
Shoot Everything
Memory cards store numerous data, so fill them up. When done for the day, dump them on the iPad and then go back out to play.
Plan Ahead
Map out where you want to shoot, do your homework and take notes. Check out Atlas Obscura for unique finds, Geocaching can take you to unexpected places that aren’t in the tour guides. Refer to these often, so you don’t miss anything.
Airplane Mode
Not just a good idea when you are on a plane, but when you are on the ground and trying to focus. Leaving the phone in Airplane mode limits your distractions, to disconnect, to think, meditate on your life, to create images, you know, the whole reason you started this adventure.
Recover
I go away to get away from it all. It’s funny to me that I rarely do so. Next time, I must promise myself to be in the moment and enjoy it. Otherwise, what was the point?
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Preserve
Neon Nights NFT Collection
2021-12-22 22:48:53
My first foray into NFT and cryptocurrency trading has begun. I have just minted two digital images for sale on the OpenSea market for .25 ETH coin. This translates to a lot of USD$ for only two images. Will they go to an earnest collector/curator? Time will tell as they are up for a three day auction. If not, I’ll try again for a month long auction.
It’s different, and I’m learning as I go but the speculation is fun!
And we’re live.
Journaling
2021-12-27 18:53:23
Date: December 27, 2021 at 6:24:52 PM CST
Weather: 54°F Mostly Cloudy
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Almost one year since I have last utilized this journal app called Day One properly. My plan for 2022 is to journal daily. I want to track fitness goals, blood pressure, nutrition and random thoughts as well. Hopefully by purchasing a premium subscription I will use this more effectively towards my goals.
Me, today
A few months ago the parent company of my web host, Wordpress purchased the Day One journaling app and I was hoping to see some sort of integration by now. Maybe in 2022?
I also purchased more than a few Field Notes notebooks for daily journaling, note taking, scribbles, logs etc. You know, in a physical format. This is highly unusual for me but it is something I have wanted to do for awhile.
Time Travel Trip
2021-12-27 19:03:26
It was time for MissAdventure to upgrade her Apple Watch but the Apple store was out of stock in our city so of course we took a road trip to the OKC Apple store. Shenanigans, geocaching and urban exploration occurred as well of course.
New To The Library
2021-12-27 19:57:05
Date: December 27, 2021 at 7:44:51 PM CST
Weather: 53°F Overcast
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
I just purchased two books today by James Lee Burke
One is titled Neon Rain and the other is House of the Rising Sun.
Have I found a new author and series? I hope so!
Also, discovered at the bookstore is his latest book called A Private Cathedral. That, plus Ackerman’s book titled 2034 has just been borrowed from the public library.
Just received the first installment for the Field Notes notebook subscription. The “Ignition” edition, FNC-53, contains two 26-week planners a checklist journal (2), three stainless steel book darts, pen and a 2022 calendar.
I sincerely hope that this will help “ignite” a passion for documenting the important things. Eventually I’ll find a hybrid methodology of both digital and analog notes and even combine the two.
Happy documented new year.
Choose Your Own Adventure
2021-12-31 11:06:29
2020 was a dumpster fire of a year thanks to the pandemic. 2021 for me, saw great improvements all around. 2022 will capitalize on those improvements and be an even better year because I choose this. I’ll outline the goals for 2022 soon.
Spin.That.Wheel.
Micro Denbow [.info]
2021-12-31 11:45:33
I’ve been self-hosting on Wordpress for almost 15 years, then switched to WP hosted. I am now experimenting with microblogging and the new-to-me web host called Micro.blog.
The immediate goal for me is to have a repository for all short form posts (280 words or less), audio & video clips that don’t necessarily have a place here where I reserve for my long-form blog posts. Think Twitter but self-hosted and not on anyone else’s platform. Even better, they are all in one dedicated page here on my website. Neat.
So far so good, but is it good enough for me to import everything over here yet? Stay tuned.
**Update** This is shelved for now and I’ll take another look at it when it comes time to renew Wordpress subscription in September.
