new images for photo gallery

I have added two new images to the photo gallery, category: scenic.

1. the kayaks I shot from the Burrard Bridge, looking straight down
2. skytrain bridge with the purple/mauve sunset
   

Both these images are currently being framed.

new photo gallery

Okay, at last it is finished! My new photo gallery is up and running. This is after many, many hours of blood, sweat, tears, and a few choice words at my computer!

Everything appears to look good and work fine. However, if you find anything which doesn't seem to work, or appear, right, please feel free to email me from the contact page in my photo gallery, or from my main page.

photo gallery redesign

Just for reference [to entice you to come back :] I am in the process of redesigning my photo gallery. The current design works and does the job. However, it is done in frames and there are some bugs in the code that I am not happy with. And besides, I find it just a little plain and, well, lacking something.

So rather than pull my hair out trying to debug things, I decided it was time to overhaul the design and start from scratch.

I'm kicking around a few ideas, so it is just a matter of settling on something specific. I go through a lot of trial and error when it comes to designing and layout, because I fuss over the smallest of details. But I can say that the new look will function differently, and have more pizzazz.

So check back and see how I have progressed [or not]. Considering I am a one man crew (chief webmaster, chief designer, chief bottle washer...), it could take a while. At the very least I will post updates as to how the changes are coming along.

[update 5/14/07: ok folks, am still working on my new gallery. Is taking me a little longer than I anticipated. However, the new layout is now confirmed, now it is just a simple matter (ahem... yeah, right :) of doing the images and the text.]

new look for blog

Well, as you may, or may not, have noticed, my blog has a new look! It all has to do with keeping the pages of my website the same, or at least as close as possible, in look and appearance. There was a lot of little alterations to do. It took a couple of days, and, oh, what a headache (sigh... but is it over? never! :)

I also redid the mobile version of my website, the other one was kind of buggy. I am still working on some minor things though.
Still no images in there; I haven't figured out how to pull that off yet. Give it time, I know I'll find something. I may end up restyling it again... (ahhh, the life of a webmaster...)

I am working on installing an auto-detect feature on the mobile page link. This will detect the difference between a PC or wireless (mobile) browser, and redirect to the appropriate page. I haven't fully tested the code, but it appears to work...

My photo gallery, btw, is coming along fine. There is yet more content to add, some things to shuffle around, and I may delete some stuff. My gallery will always be a work in progress, as I am always finding ways to improve it.

gallery update

Well... it is taking a wee bit longer to complete updating my photo gallery. Nonetheless, I have added some new content, and I still have some more. So, with that may mean another photo category; not sure about that though, I am still working on it.

However, before I complete that I have doing a major overhaul on the colour scheme. Which means my blog has to match as well (oh, boy....) I am very particular about the colour scheme; everything should match, or at least be similar to, the main website. But there seems to be a bit of a bug in the frames of the photo gallery - I'm working on it... it's really p!ssing me off.

I am also redesigning the mobile version of my site. I'm trying to settle on how I want it to look. But I'm having a helluva time getting my phone to read it whenever I make changes to the xml code.

So stay with me folks! "The times, they are a'changing..."

more material for photo gallery

After going through some more photo cd's, I pulled out a bunch more images. I redid some current ones, because the old copies did not look so good.
So right now I'm in the process of sorting through them into categories. I may have to add another category, or two.
You can find my gallery here. So stay tuned folks. Should take me about a week, well, maybe two.

What Makes a Photographic Image Controversial?

There are many issues around that topic. Actually, the question should be: "why does the photographer choose to make a photo which he/she knows will be controversial?" Why do they choose to make an image which will "push buttons"; an image which will evoke a reaction (whether "good" or "bad"); an image which pushes the envelope. Was the photo deliberate? Did the photographer want a reaction? Well, of course. Isn't that what photographs are for?

However, the photo is just an image. The image is just a moment. How the photo, the moment, is interpreted is the real issue.

Photographs are art, and all art is subjective to the filters each of us have. Filters can be based on: environmental, social, religious, moral and personal beliefs or values.

A photo may be controversial in one culture; while on the other hand, the same image will have no effect whatsoever in another culture. (As we know from the daily news.)

This applies on a personal, individual level as well. Two people can look at the same photo and you will get two different reactions. (The reactions may be similar on some points, but not 100% the same.)

I can look at a photo and choose to think, "hey, it's just a photo". Someone else will look at the same photo and be outraged by what they see.

So why is that? Am I missing something? Or is the other person putting more into the image than it represents. Why do we get all up in arms over just a photo?

We all like photographs of beautiful flowers. They evoke pleasant images, right? Well, what if I was to photograph dead, decaying flowers. Then what, or how, would you feel?

Remember: the image is just an image. It doesn't know what to be. The image doesn't know to be "good" or "bad".

It is us who reacts to the image.
It is us who makes the image controversial.
And it is controversy which sells.