road character

road goof, originally uploaded by z e n.

street schmutz

street schmutz, originally uploaded by z e n.

i like the word 'schmutz', but then again i'm a putz.

there was another tree

mountain evening, originally uploaded by z e n.

there was another tree
in the garden of eden
not the one the snake twined around
thick with apples made forbidden
but another tree
whose sap oozed love

it healed cuts
and tasted of pomegranates and kiwi fruit
and brought visions of innocence
and smelled of day-old babies
and hummed to itself
and felt like a stolen kiss
when breezes lifted its leaves
to graze our skin

young abel
built a tree-house in that tree
was his secret place
not from god who saw it all
but hidden moments from his family
and one day
in that tree
being without others
alone in his thoughts
while the tree bloomed pink
and dappled light played on his hair
and for no reason that he knew
abel cried all day

which was a thousand years

-zen

iron seat and snow

iron seat and snow, originally uploaded by z e n.

exit stencil

exit stencil, originally uploaded by z e n.

city hall flag

city hall flag, originally uploaded by z e n.

christmas lights pinch spin

christmas lights pinch spin, originally uploaded by z e n.

sweet holidays to all my friends, all my enemies and people who don't know me enough to form a synapse.

glass, ice and iron

glass, ice and iron, originally uploaded by z e n.

guadalupe of the reflected wave

waving shrine, originally uploaded by z e n.

deland lit building

deland lit building, originally uploaded by z e n.

mercedes benz sky reflection

mercedes benz sky reflection, originally uploaded by z e n.

Lately i'm not that interesting in my title choices, but that's what this is - a mercedes hood with the sky reflected. Seen on Lexington Ave of all places.

Gunter thought of himself as threatening.

Gunter thought of himself as threatening., originally uploaded by z e n.

It wasn't a setup. On College street in downtown Asheville, the sun sets low alongside the blank wall of the CVS. I just waited there for people to wander by.

sky on fire

sky on fire, originally uploaded by z e n.

from my driveway!

daydreaming of action

daydreaming of action, originally uploaded by z e n.

arp water

arp water, originally uploaded by z e n.

mindstroll

mindstroll, originally uploaded by z e n.

waving reflex

waving reflex.jpg, originally uploaded by z e n.

maple edges

maple edges, originally uploaded by z e n.

leaf in water

leaf in water, originally uploaded by z e n.

to me it looks as if the reflection is about to fly away...

hurried rose

hurried rose, originally uploaded by z e n.

night dreamer

night dreamer, originally uploaded by z e n.

more of my "Photo in matrix" series.

water dreaming

water dreaming, originally uploaded by z e n.

I take a lot of photos. I take photos of what my friends consider nothing - less than trivial - scraps of paper, overpainted staples in bulletin boards, blades of grass, places where something was rather than where it is is now. I'm pretty methodical about it, too. I see something, approach it as mindfully and mindlessly as possible (giving up thought, but keeping as much of the ethics and respect for it to be my equal). It's my process and it's just how i 'work.' Mostly.

Several days ago at the French Broad park on Amboy, i was just standing on the bank, camera in hand as usual, and not really processing anything. A moment of moving meditation that i only noticed later i was looking at these leaves, this water, this reflection. The dog yanked on the leash and i moved away. A bit refreshed.

Only at home did i notice that i had actually taken a picture where i stood. And only one. Usually, i work a subject - moving in like i'm hunting image - stalking light and darkness - taking photos all the while, composing, recomposing, cropping, adjusting the light balance, etc. But i don't even remember taking this photo. Not a bit. And it was glaringly solitary in the digital contact sheet. In fact i had to think about my trip to the dog park to try and place where this shot was - as if i stumbled and my camera went off accidently. But i took the shot alright. It was an awesome/awe-full moment when the universe for me took a breath and i noticed nothing at all was happening.

In a way it feels like for a moment, the process reversed and the image or the world or something took a picture of my thoughts thinking. Or of me being wonderfully nothing.

cupful of animal head

cupful of animal head, originally uploaded by z e n.

christopher showed me this, and i had to photograph it.

lost debt

lost debt, originally uploaded by z e n.

this new media has thrown me into a wonderful place, giving me all new fresh eyes!

divorce

divorce, originally uploaded by zen♪♫.

Lately, i've been going around taking photos of photos. I carry with me a slew of throw-away photos that Helen intended to toss when she cleaned and gleaned thru her photobooks and shoeboxes of photographs. Mostly people and places i know nothing about.

And i'm glad i don't know them. It gives me a freedom to place them in ways that hints at revealing new things to me. It makes for surprising results and i keep my mindlessness while doing it.

I also need to get better at titles. Lately, i've been lazy.

ceilingstract

ceilingstract, originally uploaded by zen♪♫.

mug shots

mug shots, originally uploaded by zen♪♫.

i'm not so serious as this photo would suggest.

tree blur

tree blur 3, originally uploaded by zen♪♫.

after taking shots from the passenger seat moving thru the mountains, i finally nailed down a technique where i liked the outcome - because it's a combination of blur and sharp.

geneaology

geneaology, originally uploaded by zen♪♫.

I want to try rephotographing photos or placing snapshots and photographs in places they wouldn't normally be to try and shake out a new meaning. Just a bit of playing to see what i come up with.

These photographs (original and rephotograph) are not intrinsically modified.

tree thru broken windows

tree thru broken window, originally uploaded by zen♪♫.

screen bokeh

screen bokeh, originally uploaded by zen♪♫.

hand reflection

hand reflection, originally uploaded by zen♪♫.

abandoned building on Patton Avenue

imbedded acorn

imbedded acorn, originally uploaded by zen♪♫.

sometimes i look so hard i'm not sure what it is i'm seeing.

abstract red, black and silver

abstract red, black and silver, originally uploaded by zen♪♫.

chasing siskind

punks gentrify

punks gentrify, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

warning, observation or command?

heartfelt kiss

heartfelt kiss, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

this weekend was Helen's and my first year anniversary of being married. We went to the spot where we said our vows and repeated them softly and with cold autumn tears on warm smiling faces. Love this powerful and this sweet one never expects, but savors during life. And i know i will be with my sweet potato pie until i no longer exist in this world.

A world made sweeter by my best friend.

if walls were dresses

if walls were dresses, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

leaves on a misty day

leaves on a misty day, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

downtown window reflection

let's play reflection, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

asheville silhouette

asheville silhouette, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

Wheel pants and wing struts over Interstate-40

Wheel pants and wing struts over Interstate-40, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

Tim took Catherine and i out in his wonderful Cessna 172 to try and find fall color. While we were hindered from flying over Asheville and Pisgah mountains because of weather, we still had an absolutely wonderful time.

Tim was very tolerant of me opening the window and taking shots out in the wind.

To see more of the flight, go to my Flickr site tagged with cessna172.

asphalt and leaves.

asphalt and leaves., originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

inside green

inside green, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

people believing they're unobserved

people believing they're unobserved, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

Concerning people in their 'secret' state, i passed a cubicle at work at the exact moment that the woman who worked in it happen to lift up her purse and smell of it.

She saw me go by and i slowly backed up and asked, "Did you just smell your purse?"

"You know," she laughed, "I did. You caught me sniffing my purse."

"Do you mind if i ask why?"

"It's kinda funny. My mother-in-law smelled my purse yesterday and i just remembered that and so wanted to see what she was smelling."

We both laughed and though i was tempted to bring out my wallet and sniff it, i did not. I walked off. When i told a friend about the encounter she asked bluntly, "What did it smell like?"

That, for some reason, i felt was none of my business. I wonder why?

yellow wall windows

yellow wall windows, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

leaves in puddle blue

leaves in puddle blue, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

overcast, rain, leaves and puddles make for wonderful fall feelings

shadow self

shadow self, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

the littlest zombie

the littlest zombie, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

from the 2nd annual Zombie Walk in Asheville.

For a video of the zombies coming down the hill, click the link.

indirect object

indirect object, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

i love the objects created that were used in creating something else and how THEY were transformed.

double rainbow morning

rainbow morning, originally uploaded by zen♫♪.

I almost didn't ride my motorcycle in today because of the threat of rain. I would've missed this little beauty forming, a double-rainbow on Howard Street. Thanks to Chris too for standing in the middle of the road, mouth agape, and pointing it out!

It reminds me of one of the very few things i do miss about living in Florida. The skies. I've seen several layers of clouds swarming around a double rainbow with the inner rainbow forming a complete circle. All while people huddle together going 75 miles per hour down I-95 in lockstep. Afraid to look away lest they run into others who are reading their papers or putting on makeup during the race-to-work.

Ok, it was the skies i miss, not my waxing poetic about how dull people are.