Daily Photos

< April 2010 >

April 1, 2010
Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated. And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. EXODUS 15:20 Fluttering by Fifth Street. I sometimes get bored sitting at a desk in an office all day . . . but only sometimes. Fly on the wall.

April 2, 2010
She brought several dresses with her, and told me the history of each one. Her mother MADE this dress. At the start of the photo session I said, `We`ll be done in an hour.` We stopped after 3 hours, and 300 pictures. She`s the only college student I`ve ever known who has THREE majors. You may see her on a local TV news station this summer. It seemed to me that all of the pictures I`ve ever taken in my life were simply a prelude to the ones I took today.

April 3, 2010
I took more than 300 photos yesterday but could barely manage to shoot five today. I shot this glowing graffiti as soon as I noticed it. I moved a few feet to get a better angle and the sunlight had gone. I took a pointless walk downtown to drop off something at the library that wasn`t due yet. It`s spring, so why not? This old diner is available to a new owner. It comes already equipped with furniture and grease on the grill. Sunset on Sixth Street.

April 4, 2010
Along this winding road is a unique house that is surrounded by an enormous garden. Inside the house, there are touches of nature all around. Some of the surrounding trees predate Christopher Columbus. Among the very old trees there are very young flowers. While photographing the very young flowers, a large shadow passed along the ground. I looked up . . .

April 5, 2010
That`s not very nice -- hiding Easter eggs in the street. This home finally has a place to call home (see July 12, 2009). `Dear folks, Things are A-OK here in Dayton, Ohio.` Half past. [Insert lonesome train song lyric here]

April 6, 2010
Was it the wind, or some self-destructive influence, that propelled this box into the intersection against the light? Raspberry and vanilla. Easter is another holiday marred by cultural confusion. No matter how bad off you are, somebody else is worse. Spiderman could climb up there using just his fingertips.

April 7, 2010
Congo is a river in central Africa, and a large geographic region that is home to hundreds of ethnic groups. In traditional African society, tribal history and community standards were passed down through music and dance. A drummer from one tribe could beat a literal message that could be understood by others in nearby villages. A lot of dance styles, and even the words to describe them, came from Congo, such as salsa and tango. Every important life event, such as birth, marriage and death, had a dance and a song to accompany it.

April 8, 2010
The highlight of my photographic year comes in April . . . The best color guard teams in the world come to town . . . I sit in the front row and take pictures for eight hours . . . Most people buy expensive tickets, but I get in for free . . . I quite eagerly take two days off work to be here.

April 9, 2010
Every color guard routine is different, and my challenge is to watch the action and anticipate what`s about to happen. Though there are dozens of performers on the floor, I tend to take photographs of a few that I find the most striking. I gave an impromptu photo workshop to a mom sitting by me who wanted to photograph her daughter without blur. During a color guard competition, each brief routine is like taking an intellectual, emotional and aesthetic journey. After graduating from high school, many people join independent color guards so they can keep performing.

April 10, 2010
On a warm spring day, the forests are full of woodland creatures. She is comfortable on either side of the camera. Not senior pictures: she has several years before she will need those. She had a good sense of humor, and very few inhibitions. If I asked nicely, she would let me see both of her eyes.

April 11, 2010
John Neely carries on the music and legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach. Studying on a beautiful Sunday night? They must be freshmen. Uncertainty. There were about as many people in the audience as there were on stage at this jazz concert. Someone in the back row also made pictures of the concert.

April 12, 2010
I didn`t plan for this to be an all-flower day. I thought I had it bad during springtime, but today someone told me that her allergies give her nosebleeds. Perfect, for now. Flowers look best when photographed at their own level. Some people prefer summer or fall. Others say that winter is their favorite season. WHAT IS THEIR PROBLEM?

April 13, 2010
Rooftop maneuvers. A talented student. Urban architecture gone horribly wrong. Dayton was named after some guy who never lived here. Meanwhile, Daniel Cooper really founded the city. Cherry and vanilla.

April 14, 2010
Part of an art installation about Dayton`s rivers. Radio drama is still on the air. Part of an art installation about . . . something. She had finished working on her pottery piece, but she kindly put it back onto the wheel for my amusement. It was a big day for the arts.

April 15, 2010
Percussion is a cousin of color guard, so I shoot it too. The nice thing about percussion is that the performers play live music, unlike color guard which uses recordings. A lot of talented young people come to Dayton every spring to compete for the title of world champion. Many creative costumes and hairstyles are on display. I`m not always sure what the shows are about, but they`re usually very interesting.

April 16, 2010
Hanging on tight as the tree was being blown by the wind. Almost time to go the opera. It was a tempestuous day. How many times have YOU been walking alone, unaware that you were being observed? When one kid bullies another at school it is condemned, but when our country bullies another it`s called patriotic.

April 17, 2010
Rugby is one of those sports that I don`t quite understand, but it makes for great photos. Remember that scene in `West Side Story` when Riff gets stabbed but he`s able to hand off his knife to Tony? Everybody calm down, it`s JUST A BALL! `Here, let me help you with that.` I don`t know the rules, but I THINK we won.

April 18, 2010
I have some photos on display, so today I volunteered a couple of hours in this gallery. During that time, I heard `Simple Gifts` played 4,392 times over the sound system. Besides my photos, there are other nice pieces hanging in the gallery, like `From the Ashes II` by Vickie Fisher. The first Eastern Black Swallowtail I`ve seen this year. Thirty Seconds over Beavercreek. I`d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.

April 19, 2010
The owner of my building does a good job keeping it in bloom, but she does even better at her own house. False alarm. Much larger than the swallowtail I photographed yesterday. Photographing other people`s artwork occupies a significant - if not criminal - portion of my own work. Out for an evening walk through the neighborhood.

April 20, 2010
When the daffodils perish in the snow, they are replaced by tulips. As the tulips wilt and crumble, the irises arise. Is this a joke? Volcanic ash continues to disrupt flights across Europe. Almost dinnertime. I just bought this for myself. I hope I still know how to use it.

April 21, 2010
When Vincent van Gogh saw this, his life was changed forever (see August 11, 2007). I felt a car wash was a good idea after someone splashed my car with Mountain Dew. Try some of the almonds dusted with Saigon cinnamon. Papagano finds his Papagana. He is the very model of a modern Major General.

April 22, 2010
If only it were that simple. I was looking for a pianist, but he was Haydn. The eternal debate rages: art or vandalism? I can`t explain it. Graduating visual design students demonstrate their extraordinary work.

April 23, 2010
By the time I got my car started, it had moved. The terror of Jackson Street. The beauty of Jackson Street. This face recently appeared next to my front porch. It could be some sort of talisman to protect the house. I had to buy my first pair of Nikes, since Converse seems to have given up making serious basketball shoes.

April 24, 2010
Oh say can you see? Americans citizens are at liberty to criticize government and abuse grammar. Jazz musicians are among the rare few who still wear suits and ties to work. At the start of the concert, there were five people on stage and five people in the audience. The man with the silver horn.

April 25, 2010
I noticed this color combination yesterday driving by in my car. I walked to it today. It flew, I followed. It moved, I moved. It sat, I waited. It appeared, I shot. Taken during a lull in the rain storms. Do my neighbors look out their windows and wonder what I`m doing? Backyard blooms.

April 26, 2010
Every spring, thousands of swallows return to San Juan Capistano, and thousands of books return to the library. Tricked you -- I was indoors. Nearsighted chapel glass. Jane Austen seems sad. Don`t worry, Jane. Everything will turn out happily in the last chapter. I`m so artistic.

April 27, 2010
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. The frangrance hung thick and powerful in the air. He sat cooly as several females competed for his attention. Some say that the entire movement of abstract painting was a direct response to the clarity of photography. My candidate has a bigger sign than yours.

April 28, 2010
Beak and clouds, part 1. Beak and clouds, part 2. Cause . . . . . . and effect. I`m certain there`s someone fishing on this river right now, and they`re going to take their catch home and eat it.

April 29, 2010
Some students found serenity during finals week. School`s out -- time to go home. Sunset beautifies. Sunset beautifies. Sunset beautifies.

April 30, 2010
Art for sale. Let the bidding begin! Somewhere out there, a photo of mine is for sale. It`s the picture with the big crowd of people standing around it. Michael Bashaw with Puzzle of Light provided music. When the bidding was over, one lucky person took home an Adam Alonzo photo. Well, at least it had a nice frame.

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