Woodstock wrap-up OR The grass from the other side (is greener)

Speedway meadow: we didn’t know exactly where it was, but the early morning haze of of backlit smoke that floated its way through the trees and across the street gave us a pretty good clue of our intended destination.  As it turned out, the aforementioned smoke had a delightful barbeque aroma to it. What kind of smoke did you think I was talking about?

…a short while later…

As I muddled about, still processing the fact that I was backstage with all the performers, Hendrix licks reached my ready ears. This was an organized mini-event coinciding with the 40^th anniversary Woodstock West Fest in which 3000 guitarists were attempting a world record Hendrix event. Leading up to the event, I had developed worries that everyone would be plugged in and out of both tune and rhythm; however, those who knew what they were doing (including Leon Hendrix, Riki Hendrix, and Vernon Ice Black) led the performance. At this point, I came to the realization that I was allowed in the photo pit! And thus, photo-taking ensued.

I don't think the patient readers need a play by play, so let me allow you in on some of the more entertaining stories from the day:

1) A woman got excited when she saw that I had a camera and a VIP pass and asked if I was a young rock photographer. In a crowd of musicians from Woodstock, I figured the term "young" was relative, so I agreed. My buddy, 3 years my senior, walked up and she asked if he was my dad and thought it was so cool that we could share this experience. He's still hearing about that comment.... She was supposed to introduce me to a Rolling Stone photographer, but we could never find her again.

2) Another woman was discussing the lack of paranoia she feels when on marijuana and pointed out the pinhole effects of her eyes thanks to a little acid. Mid-sentence in a statement about not being paranoid, she points at the sky and starts cursing about how they're doing it again. She goes off about the government spraying us with chemicals, how they would, of course, do it on the day that all the hippies were outside, that her friend had put a tarp out overnight only to find metallic dust on it in the morning, etc.  ---------- We looked, she was pointing at contrails. Sometimes, it's hard to keep a straight face when talking to people.

3) Midway through the morning, I noticed that my friend, Oona, was playing on the Rock the Bike stage. Determined to find said stage, we asked security, musicians, other VIPs, and assorted hippies. No one knew and her set time was getting closer. We ended up finding it just in time, where I made a new fan out of Scott and we both took way too many pictures. Why is it called the Rock the Bike stage? This particular stage was powered by five or six bicycles, so audience members had to take turns exercising if we wanted the band to be amplified. I took a brief turn on a bike while shooting photos, but an injured knee, unsteady camera, and an awkward situation involving a tripod strapped to my back and the book rack on the back of the bicycle cut my exercise short. For those checking out Oona, my favorite song is "Next Queen of Belgium"

No question about it, West Fest made for a memorable day. If only it were two days...or three....or monthly. The day wrapped up with a brief handing down of photography knowledge. You know me: I'm all about sharing what I have or know. A photographer friend that's new to the game was picking my brain and I did a quick demonstration of the "Rule of Thirds". I didn't even pay attention to what I was shooting, but the result was one of my favorites of the day. It nicely sums everything up: Music is timeless,  the festival brought contentment, and sometimes one needs to improvise to find a way to relax.

LOTS more pics here

Lives in parallel: Asynergic irises

Just in from the cornea, you’ll find the iris: the splash of color on a sea of white that gives each person an optical fingerprint. Having already declared that the lens is the gateway to the mind, I’ll counter myself with the oft-stated “the eyes are the window to the soul”. The iris is what people notice, what draws romantic gazes...and controls the level of light entering your eye. That’s right, photographers; the iris is your aperture setting! It’s really too bad that the apertures of our cameras aren’t more attractive, with custom paint jobs and speckled patterns, but then we would probably spend more time looking in our equipment instead of through it.

About now, assuming you read the first paragraph and didn’t just skip the intro, you’re wondering why I’m still talking about this and what it has to do with “lives in parallel” and asyner-something or other parts. An aperture that is too open blinds the viewer: You may be able to see outlines, but the details are awash in light. On the other extreme, too small an aperture results in a dark image: you thought you knew what you were taking a photo of, but now you’re just left guessing what should’ve been there.

Multiple times in the recent past, I’ve been told that my eyes were not equally dilated. I was not under any sort of chemical influence and I’ve now worried any family members that are reading this. Are my eyes following my divergent lives? My right, secure in an 8-5 day job, with pleasant coworkers, and not too much to complain about. My left, letting in a little bit of extra light, clarifying the future for me with just a touch of detail added to the picture. Recent events are quickly pulling me into my left-eye world: less secure, but with passion.

My vision is just fine.

Where to begin: The Cornea

In thinking of a name for this chalkboard of thoughts, I found the metaphor of an eye irresistibly appropriate. The term "transocular" stems from the Latin trans oculo, meaning "across the eye".  Some may think of this phrase referring to a path similar to that of a flat stone skipping its way across a placid body of water, creating radiating, yet ephemeral, circles across the surface. I, however, think of the term "transocular" in somewhat of a perpendicular manner to the pond example.

The eye is a gate, or threshold, allowing the stimuli of the outside world to access our minds. What passes through this threshold is literally going "across the eye". This applies to every being that sees with its eyes. In addition to those beings that are homeostatic, respond to stimuli, have the capacity to reproduce, grow and develop, there are inanimate objects that have the same ocular threshold to cross.

Which brings us to today's topic: The cornea
At a thickness of five layers in half a millimeter total, the cornea is the outermost part of the eye and is responsible for 2/3 of the eye's focusing power. It is just the beginning of the structure, yet without it, vision would not be functional. A camera's lens would likewise be significantly less effective with any damage to the outer glass. Unfortunately, many a photographer has experienced such hard times.

A smudge on a lens....a bad day at the office: These things leave a mark on the moments for the present and near future, but can be handled. They can be cleaned. My hope for each of the readers and photographers out there is that this is the only damage that may befall you.

Safe travels to each of you.
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Writer's Note: This was supposed to be an introduction to a photography blog. My hope is that you made it through the above one-sided discussion. Obviously, this is but a start. What was intended as a photo blog may very well become just as philosophical as photographic. I encourage public response. In an attempt to at least bring some actual photograph to the table, I give you this: light passing through a gate.

Click for the larger pic