Before we moved we went to the Gloucester Cyclocross Grand Prix. We had gone a few years ago and had a good time so we figured we go back again. Last time we went it was muddy, rainy, and cold. This time it was sunny, hot, and dusty. Ahh the extremes. Well the action never disappoints. Here are some photos that I captured through the day.
Of course the day started with food. She was making a middle-eastern pita of sorts with chicken, cheese, and sauces. Very good.
Some pre-race discussion.
The race action was pretty intense. We got to see the men’s and women’s finals. The sun and dust made for a very high-contrast day.
This photo was taken with a Vivitar Ultra-Wide and Slim plastic camera. It is a 35mm toy camera that has a 21mm lens. It has one shutter speed and on f-stop. Not much ability compensate in tricky lighting situations. Choose your film speed wisely.
This was a short sequence that I witnessed on my walk to work one morning. The seagull seemed so happy to find this treasure trove of newly discarded trash. Once it bit in, I think it realized that it was all marketing and it wasn’t as good as it thought.
To paraphrase Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, that which does not kill us will only make us stronger. Now in this instance my life was never actually in danger, but I think you’ll understand the analogy. In the interest of full disclosure, I have decided that not only will I cheer for myself when I succeed, but I will self-deprecate when I don’t. I submitted photos to the juried exhibition: Windows, Mirrors, and Doors at The Photo Place Gallery, in Middlebury, VT. If you haven’t guessed by now, I didn’t get any accepted. To make matters worse I found out about ten minutes after finding out that a scientific paper that I submitted for publication was also rejected. It was a double whammy Sunday Morning.
[Window Framed by Tree; Boston, MA]
In any event, the photos in this post are the ones I submitted. I know that the “collection” was not that cohesive, but I assume they are judged as individual units and not in the context of one another, so that didn’t worry me too much. Also I tried to steer away from actual photos of windows, mirrors, and doors and toward a more figurative interpretation of the theme. I guess I was wrong. Lots of photos of... well... Windows, Mirrors, and Doors. Artists confuse me. Aren’t you supposed to be more figurative? I am kidding of course. There are a lot of really good photos that got selected for the show. And there are a bunch that I don’t like. I guess that is what opinions are all about, right?
[Ten-Hut; Chicago, IL]
The funny thing is that after I submitted the photos - like right after - I thought of about a dozen other photos with windows, mirrors, or doors that I would have rather submitted. My catalog of work is getting big and I cannot keep track or remember it all. Next time I need to start considering my submissions more that 12 hrs prior to the deadline.
[From the #1 Bus; Boston, MA]
Anyway, congratulations to all of the accepted photographers - even the ones with the photos I don’t like - and especially to my two friends Bill Franson and Michael Joseph, both of whom did get work accepted. Maybe I’ll have better luck next time.
So we set the record this year in Boston for the most snow since some time in the late 1800′s. Sometimes if felt like it was never going to end, and I thought it would never melt. Alas, it seems that Spring may be on its way and the snow piles are melting away. Time to get back to life-as-usual.
