Black and White in Bloomington i.

It had been weeks since my desk had been clear, let alone my mind.

Order, finally, at the end of April.

I spent too much time in March and April hunting for new ways to look at the world, literally. Looking back, I was unfocused as I sought clarity no lens could provide.

By the time I left town, four Nikon One Touch/L35AFs of varying vintages hung on my wall.

(They can be had cheap, though often untested, online. I averaged $7 a camera, which, considering the well-performing 35mm f/2.8 lens, is well worth it. One for my car. One for my bag. One to break. One that probably doesn't work.)

Between finals, I needed something to relax my eyes and my mind. One can forget the importance of getting out when it seems that one should stay in. 

A beautiful day beckoned the aforementioned visit to the Other Quarry with AF. Stopping at CVS on the way there, I picked up two rolls of Kodak Tri-X 400 on discount. AF sat in the car with the air conditioning running; the long overdue playlist for Endres turned down. I never shoot black and white, but it seemed fitting; "shades of grey" is more a more accurate name, however. 

Over the edge.

AF lent a hand for a few frames.

After my last test, a classmate approached me saying, "I'm packin' today." He pulled an M6 out of his bag. I responded in kind, or in difference, showing him my One Touch. There's a virtue to both, though I look forward to running a few rolls through his M6 when I return to Bloomington in August.

Slides in April ii. "Professor."

Back when there was snow still out...

I paused on my way toward the door.

The prof.

A burst of color.

A quick introduction.

A simple question.

Two frames preserving 1/250th of a second.

I promised the prof. I'd send him copies once the slides were developed and scanned. "It should only take two weeks or so."

It only took a few months to finish shooting the roll, something I wish I'd taken care of sooner.

I gave the prof. an awkward nod as I passed him in the coffee shop before class every morning, acknowledging my own inaction and avoidance of recent obligations in more ways than one.

Simple promises or not, I could work on keeping those I've made.

Scanning this roll was just one way to start.

Slides (in) April i.

6/11/11

Three shades of grey in Marseille.

I don't remember every picture I've taken, word I've read, or note I've written.

Lately I've been stuck looking for things forgotten or skipped over... and remembering them for finals.

4/26/12

(picture removed)

In what has been a  maelstrom of turmoil, more personal than academic, I was asked if I was going on an outdoor adventure. With neither context nor reason to believe that such activities lay ahead, I thought quickly as I finished my business at Salvation Army- a new pair of L.L. Bean Bean Boots tagged $8.99 in hand. With intrigue established and restlessness unending, I thought of one place we could visit within the one hour time constraint.

In the car, songs from a playlist weeks late and still unsent to a dear friend dulled the silence.

Familiar businesses gave way to the gently rolling hills of southern Indiana.

"Where are we going?"

I responded only that providing a proper name compromised the integrity of the location, instead mitigating the mystery and AF's doubt by letting her know that this destination was somewhere very special to me.


It's a place I've kept secret for far too long, even from myself.


Stopping in front of the familiar yellow gate, I felt as if I was visiting a stranger. The circumstances, my circumstances are different every time I've returned. To date, I've only taken one other person, AF aside, to The Other Quarry, but in time, I'm sure I'll bring more.

My trio of cameras watched from the top of a monolith that would dwarf JAH's Mini. With our backs to the teal and cerulean waters, glistening unusually bright under the clear sky, I found a shard of catharsis as we whipped a stack of forgotten clays at a jagged wall of stone.

Sometimes you just need to break something.

9/17/11

4/19/12