Tuesdays with Muerte

Lines   are powerful photographic elements, which impact the composition of an image.  Lines add  visual and emotional interest to a photograph : Lines create  depth in a composition Add dynamism  to a photo Attract attention to areas of interest Imply motion and create a sense of  direction or orientation , which conveys a certain mood to a photo L ine s  can be :  implied,  converging,  leading , vertical,  diagonal ,  curved , and  horizontal . Each one has a different impact upon a photograph  and create a certain mood. Implied/Psychic lines  are essentially any lines that don't actually exist, but your eyes think they do.  (E.g. Eye line, movement, and creating a row of points. ) Implied lines. The eye automatically connect my elbow and the kitchen countertop. Lines that converge   convey  depth, scale and distance . (No examples yet.) ‘ Human physiology dictates that ou...

I do not breath, yet I run. I do not eat, yet I sleep. I do not drink, yet I swim. I do not think, yet I grow. I cannot see you, but you see me every day. What am I? Think you know what it is? Cryptic Hint Easy Hint This is a photo of me relaxing on the side of Cascade mountain after scrambling up a draw filled with snow and ice. All I had to support my ascent was a pair of boots, walking poles, my muscular legs, and my incredible sense of balance; I only fell twice! You can't really see them from this angle, but try to look for all the scrapes I acquired! Answer Your Leg

I had the privilege of taking my first digital photography lesson this week from Melanie Parry, a BYU/UVU Senior graduating in photography.  She lent me her backup camera and gave me an assignment to capture photographs that isolate a subject, with an emphasis on light and dark values.  Here is a selection of my photos: I took these photos on a nature walk behind my house on Friday.  I discovered that I was enamored with the Sun as a subject—hopefully that fascination will fade in time.  While I have a natural eye for a few things, I've got a TON still to learn!  I especially need practice developing my storytelling ability.  Right now, my images lack interest because they all can be understood at first glance.  I can't wait to start shooting people; that will be much more interesting!

Below, I have copied an excerpt from Elder Uchtdorf's First Presidency Message in the June 2013 Ensign , " Walking in Circles ." (Highlighting added for emphasis.) Elder Uchtdof's Ensign message speaks to my present condition to some degree.  I feel like I'm living righteously, yet I feel like I lack direction (as evidenced by use of time).  I desire goals, or landmarks, to help me guide my choices.  I have some big decisions coming up and simply don't have time to dilly-dally.  I know that by following Elder Utchdorf's counsel, I will be able to identify those markers I am seeking. The Antidote According to Elder Uchtdorf "Spiritual landmarks are indispensable for keeping us on the straight and narrow path. They give clear direction as to the way we should travel—but only if we recognize them and walk toward them. If we refuse to be guided by these landmarks, they become meaningless, decorative masses that have no purpose but to break up ...

I just bought these Easton Trail AL3 hiking poles from Out n' Back in Provo.  Jason Hills forwarded me an email advertisement he got from them.  I looked up the specs to see if they met my all criteria. (I would have liked them to be ultra light and have a compass and a screw for a monopod and some bear spray and an internal mp3 player with speakers embedded in the shaft, but I'll have to take what I can get for now.) Next, I checked around the internet to make sure it was a good deal—and it was: $42 for poles and winter baskets (incl. tax)!  My knees are pretty excited about this. I'll probably be doing about 3-5 more hikes before driving down to California to submit Mt. Whitney in June!

Software Review I just used iMacsoft's iPod to Mac Transfer to move a playlist of songs (that I originally gave to Rick) back to my iTunes library (11.0.2) from a 4th Gen iPod Shuffle—and it worked great! This FREE, 12MB application can copy music, songs, video, rating, pictures, playlist, etc files from your iPod back to your Mac (or straight into iTunes) in only two intuitive clicks. I have scanned the .dmg file with McAfee virus scanner, and it is reported safe ; without any viruses or spyware. The free version of this software lets you move 100 songs at a time, while the paid version is without limitations. iPod to Mac Transfer  is perfect and powerful  Mac iPod transfer  software which makes it much easier to manage your iPod freely. It offers the function of iPod to Mac transfer of music, photo, video, movie, podcast and TV program. Besides file transfer from iPod to Mac, iPod to iTunes and  Mac to iPod transfer  are also available. Backup mu...

Chelise has recently become a major part of my life.  My new schedule basically revolves around spending time with her.  I even considered renting a second apartment just so I could be 15 minutes closer to her.  It's high time she gets the shout out she deserves from me. Here are a few interesting facts about how Chelise and I came to be: We first met in Sacrament meeting on January 20th, 2013, held in BYU's Richards Building (BYU 186th ward). Chelise played the piano for a special musical number in Sacrament meeting, which I used as an excuse go up and talk with to her afterward. When we met, one of the first things I noticed about Chelise was her kind, sophisticated, reserved demeanor and her excellent fashion sense.   As we got to know each other better over the course of the semester, I recognized her gentleness and compassion and razor-sharp wit.  We became friends through attending alternative FHE activities , cooking together, and doing sma...