I’m probably wrong

Posted on November 28, 2006

I’m not young enough to know everything.

- Oscar Wilde

It occurred to me the other day that I am a very opinionated person, and I can’t always be right, so logically at some point I must be wrong. Now I question myself every time I write a new blog, post a message on a discussion board, and argue with my friends– what if this time I’m wrong? I’ve looked back into some of the things I’ve written in the past and have found some instances where I definitely was wrong, and others where I was just a little off. I eventually came to the conclusion that it is okay to be wrong, as long as I am moving closer the truth. Every day I learn something. Every year I grow wiser. And with every opinion I form I like to think that my overall world view is becoming more accurate. My beliefs are being honed and refined, my mind being sharpened, always moving towards the truth– towards a greater understanding of the way things really are. Will I arrive? No. None of us ever will. That’s the second part of the revelation. The first is realizing it’s okay to be wrong, the second that you’ll never be freed from your wrongness. I can only hope that as time progresses I’ll become less wrong, and always moving towards to the truth.

A living Constitution… or not

Posted on November 26, 2006

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on the concept of a “Living Constitution”:

“If you believe, however, that the Constitution is not a legal text, like the texts involved when judges reconcile or decide which of two statutes prevail; if you think the Constitution is some exhortation to give effect to the most fundamental values of the society as those values change from year to year;… if you think it is simply meant to reflect the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society — if that is what you think it is, then why in the world would you have it interpreted by nine lawyers? What do I know about the evolving standards of decency of American society? I’m afraid to ask.”

We’ve all heard the term “living constitution” and thought, “yeah, sounds like a good idea”. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve excitedly boasted of our Constitution’s living, breathing nature without really understanding what a “living constitution” implies.

On March 14, 2005 Justice Scalia gave a speech at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in which he addressed the notion of a “Living Constitution”. He makes a compelling argument for the need to “reasonably interpret” the constitution in the context of the Framers’ original intent.

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE

Tree on Fire

Posted on November 20, 2006

My wife says the Texas hill country is an aquired taste– and she’s right. Several times I’ve driven through those hills surrounded by dry, semi-barren land riddeld with cacti and low-growing brush. Occasionaly a single, large tree will stand above the normally constant horizon. I love the look of these trees, and have been waiting for an opportunity to photograph one in a way that is interesting. Not just a picture of a tree.

Well, I was driving back from a winery in Tow, Texas (yes, you heard right), and I came upon one of these trees with a gorgeous sunset on the western horizon. I stopped the car, jumped out, opened the gate to get to the other side of the barb-wired fence, and captured this image. Its amazing what a little trespassing can do for your portfolio.

Denomination Nation

Posted on November 14, 2006

Time Magazine published an interactive map that shows the breakdown of America by county into its three major religious denominations. 77% of Americans fall into one of three religious groups: Mainline Protestants, Evangelical Protestants, and Catholics.

Click Here

On Faith

Posted on November 10, 2006

One final quote to leave you with this Friday (unless I think of something interesting tonight…):

“Faith in antagonism to common sense is fanaticism, and common sense in antagonism to faith is rationalism. The life of faith brings the two into a right relation. Common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense.”

- Oswald Chambers

As always, discuss below if so inclined.

A Jerusalem Gay-Pride Clash Is Averted

Posted on November 10, 2006

Now this is interesting…. We’ll leave it at that.
TIME.com Article

Feel free to comment below.

Best invention of 2006: You Tube

Posted on November 9, 2006

I know it’s old news that three 20-something silicon valley geeks are now billionaires after the sale of YouTube to Google, but there are still a lot of people out there who just can’t get why. TIME Magazine honored YouTube with their Best Invention of 2006 title, and wrote an excellent little piece that helps explain the phenomenon that is YouTube.

“YouTube had tapped into something that appears on no business plan: the lonely, pressurized, pent-up video subconscious of America”

Read the article here.

Donald Rumsfeld gets the boot… err… resigns

Posted on November 8, 2006

It seems the message was clear that the war in Iraq needs some new leadership, and President Bush appointed Bob Gates (ex CIA Director and current Texas A&M president) as the new SecDef.

New York Times commentary here

Let People Happen

Posted on November 8, 2006

I’ve grown jaded with the traditional method of creating portraits.

Hold you hands here
Tilt your head that way
Smile
Not that much
Fix your hair
Now relax
Lean forward a little
Ok, Smile!

I’m tired of boring, traditionally posed portraits that look just like everyone else’s boring, traditionally posed portraits. Therefore, I’ve adopted a new style of shooting I call, “Let people happen”. The idea is that I try to create an environment where people forget about the camera and the lights and just “happen”. Whatever they would normally do is what they do in my studio. However they would normally stand, whatever faces they would normally make, and whichever way they would normally goof around– this is what I capture in my camera. To some it may make me seem horribly unprofessional. They don’t know what to do if the photographer is not micro-managing their facial expressions. Telling them how to adjust each muscle for the most “relaxed” pose. So I just let them be uncomfortable for a few minutes while I snap away, offering very little direction. I talk to them, ask them questions, joke around a little, and before you know it they are being truly natural. Their personality just kind of “happens” the way it would in any other situation. And when it does, I’m there to capture it.

I shot BJ and Anette’s engagement portraits last week (see them here). They have incredible personalities, and I know I did my job right when their family members look at the photographs and instantly say, “Wow, that’s THEM!”.

Keep it real. And remember kids, just say NO to phony photographers!

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