It’s November… the cold days have begun. After a very adventurous start to autumn in Utah and Colorado, I have put my camera aside to focus back on music for the time being. Hard drives are filled with Christmas goodies although I really haven’t had any time to sort through the presents. The leaves may be blowing away although, So Cal actually is just about peeking along the dry riverbeds of the Malibu canyons. Perhaps I’ll take a local riverbed walk one day soon. Malibu Canyon Rd is particularly looking quite nice as of this weekend. I’ve been away from words as well… back in the studio singing and finishing up a record which has become very large part of my life the last 3 years. On the topic of photography… seems While I was traveling this year trying to plan around weather with scouting and such, I guess PS released a new “sky replace” feature… I won’t lie, I’m a little disheartened over such a tool.. but... So is life. Us humans are resilient… always looking for an quicker and easier way to doing things faster and with better results. As an artist who actually loves the thrill of the hunt, the tool doesn’t really serve me, but I can see it being a very popular tool with many users.. just another steppingstone into virtual reality and the illusion of what is real and what is not. Not much different than color curves and the dodge and burn techniques of the past really… or the putting gum on a 4 by 5 slide as not to expose an area for a moon from another snap… photography is a super creative form and the line between photography and drawing or painting is becoming quite blurred. Anyway, the sky tool certainly gives options to people who wish to create stunning photographs without having to spend the years and money involved in actually scouting and planning for such things. Reminds me of what it took to build a website 15 years ago… and what it takes today. Just evolution folks. A farmer makes a plan… a farmer designs a sky replace tool… cuz it makes a lot of sense. We’re all but crows in the fields. Ha, finally I’ll share a small message I received today…
“(your name here), just as you are today, challenges and all, you're still the envy of the Universe.” Happy Holidays.
-a replaced me