Look No Farther

The wording on the door sign at “Images by Fisher” in Holly Hill promises that one need “look no farther” for a unique gift. As I studied and framed this scene, it was the unique grammar that caught my attention. I have often looked no further, though I don’t recall a time when I have looked no farther. So, what’s the difference and is one of these words incorrect for use in this phrase?

In my mind, I think of “farther” as implying a distance not yet traversed, while “further” seems to most often have a place already reached attached to it, as in, “I shall travel no further than this today” vs. “I plan to go farther.”

What are your thoughts, dear reader? In any case, you need “look no further” than the bottom of this post to leave your opinion and comments about this matter or today’s photo.

I greatly appreciate any and all shares of my posts, as they let others know about and find this virtually unknown blog. Thanks for stopping by!

 

“Look No Farther” [Click the image to enlarge/reduce its size.] Nikon D800, ISO 100, f/3.5 at 1/400 sec., 85 mm

=^,,^=

Thanks for visiting, “I Shutter at the Thought!”. Please share this blog and stop by again.

I’ve gotten socially engaged!

Find me on Instagram at @EarlHarrisPhoto, where I am posting photos captured and edited solely on my iPhone. Lots of kitties, too! #herekittykitty #instagramcats

I also Twitter and Tweet at @EarlHarrisPhoto

Street Portraiture: Faces of Kissimmee, #8

On Tuesday evenings from 4:00 to 7:00 PM, the Kissimmee Valley Farmers Market takes place downtown in front of the Civic Center. In addition to fresh grown and handmade goods, one can also get fresh information on other happenings in the area.

Kayla is a purveyor of local information. She is just the kind of person you want to encounter if you’re an out-of-towner looking for things to do that are more real and less derived than the area theme parks. She listened with interest as I explained my “Faces of Kissimmee” project. To my excitement, she said she’d seen some of the photos from the series I’ve already posted. And she liked them, too! I knew then she couldn’t say “no”, so I popped the question and clicked the shutter.

“Kayla” [Click image to enlarge/shrink size] Nikon D300, ISO 320, f.1.8 at 1/1500 sec., 85 mm

=^..^=

Save on Genuine Epson Photo Paper at Amazon.com

Street Portraiture: Faces of Kissimmee, #7 (Squeek! Squeek!)

As I sat at Mrs. Mac’s restaurant on Wednesday, enjoying a magnificent piece of lemon meringue pie (seriously delicious!), I suddenly became aware of a squeeking sound. So absorbed had I been in overexciting my taste buds, I hadn’t noticed someone had come in and started cleaning the windows. As my back was to one of these, it wasn’t long before we courteously greeted each other; he with a “hello”, and me with a “[unintelligible sound] this pie!”. He smiled and nodded in agreement and left me to my preoccupation.

I left the restaurant a short time later, lamenting that I hadn’t indulged in a second piece of pie but intent on capturing a few photographs for this series. It wasn’t long before I noticed the window washer doing his thing at another downtown storefront. I had still found no victims, save a parking enforcement officer writing a ticket. Though I had asked, he didn’t think it a good idea to be photographed while performing the task he had at hand. (Huh. Imagine that.)

Thinking of so many other things I needed to be doing at home as I took in the view of the empty 3 PM sidewalks ahead, I decided to pack it in. I would turn east and then turn again, heading back toward my car a block off Broadway. It was when I turned east that things changed, for there he was again: the window washer. I realized it was just meant to be.

I introduced myself and as Lee introduced himself in return, he jokingly asked if I was following him. I replied that it was unintentional, but yeah, I was. He told me how he had made his living washing windows in downtown Kissimmee for over 40 years. We spoke of the changes that had transformed the area in the passing of those years. He said I wasn’t the first over those years that wanted to take his photograph, either. I thanked him for letting me be the next one.

“Lee” [Click to enlarge or shrink image.] Nikon D300, ISO 320, f/6.7 at 1/125 sec., 85mm

=^..^=

Save on Genuine Epson Photo Paper at Amazon.com

Street Portraiture: Faces of Kissimmee, #5

“A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.”
– William Arthur Ward

Had the above quote been mine, it would read, “A warm smile and/or a great cup of coffee is the universal language of kindness.” Shaina (pron. “shy-ana”) delivered both of these. Her smile seemed to light up the darkened room, and I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to capture it through the lens. When I asked to take her photo, she was a little hesitant at first – as though a perfect stranger asking to take her photo isn’t something that happens to her every day. I find that hard to believe.

Shiana [Click image to toggle size.] Nikon D300, ISO 1600, f/1.8 at 1/125 sec., 85 mm

=^..^=

Click here to shop Amazon’s Best Sellers in Camera & Photo

Save on Genuine Epson Photo Paper at Amazon.com

Street Portraiture: Faces of Kissimmee, #3

The Kissimmee train station is a fairly active place. The trains come and go with scheduled regularity. I like that I can clearly hear the whistles and rumbles that announce them from our home a few miles from downtown. Norris was waiting on a bench near the station. Her small suitcase told me she was a traveler; I wondered if she was coming or going. With Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and so many other tourist destinations nearby, one can look at anyone in Kissimmee and wonder pretty much the same thing.

Good journey, Norris. Or perhaps it should be, “Welcome home”.

 “Norris” [Click image to expand or shrink its size.] Nikon D300, ISO 320, f/4.0 at 1/2500 sec, 85 mm

=^..^=

Save on memory cards at Adorama

Street Portraiture: Faces of Kissimmee, #1

I am taking on a new personal street portraiture project, which I am calling “Faces of Kissimmee.” A once-small town in Central Florida, Kissimmee has tons of historic charm and character. In 1950, the population of Kissimmee was a mere 4,310 people. These residents primarily made their living either cattle ranching or growing citrus. When Walt Disney World opened its gates in 1971, Kissimmee was thrust into an unprecedented age of growth and forever changed. Its primary industries are now travel and tourism. In the wake of that change, the population has grown to more than 60,000 people.

Mark [Click image to view larger size.] Nikon D300, ISO 320, f/2.4 at 1/750 sec., 85 mm

I am going to be concentrating on random, unstaged street portraits for this series, and posting the photos here on “I Shutter at the Thought!”. It is my hope you will enjoy viewing some of the faces I encounter on the streets of Kissimmee, Florida.

Want to be featured in this project? If you’re in Kissimmee, send me an email and let’s set something up! There is no cost or obligation other than consent for me to use your photo.

=^..^=

Cycle of Tides (Free Wallpaper!)

“To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of years, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be.”
– Rachel Carson

[Click image to view larger size] Nikon D300, ISO 320, f/9.5 at 1/60 sec., 200mm
You can purchase a print here.

=^..^=

If you’d like a FREE Hi-Res Desktop Wallpaper copy of this image, please click here to request one.

Genuine Epson Photo Paper now on sale at Amazon.com

People Watching

Some people make things happen,
some watch things happen,
while others wonder what has happened.
        – Gaelic Proverb

[Click on the image to view larger size] Nikon D300, ISO 200, f/13 at 1/125 sec., 48 mm

Vacationing students look down on an event taking place in the bandshell on the Daytona Beach boardwalk.

=^..^=

Likes and comments are virtual hugs. How about a hug? 🙂

No Justice for Boston

As I watch and read the continuing coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings, my thoughts turn to our condition. People keep talking about “bringing the perpetrators to justice” and I don’t believe we can.

My word processor has a “justify” option. Using justification enables me to impose margins, adjust, and balance my text. Can any justice we enact similarly adjust and balance the lives of the victims and their families? It seems the only justice the victims would recognize is giving them back what they have lost, be it their legs or their lives. We are not able to bring the dead back to life and we can’t regenerate or fully restore blown off limbs. How is it we can so readily promise justice? The murderous and diabolic acts of 9/11 happened almost 12 years ago. Despite on-going war and the death of Osama bin Laden, no one I have spoken to in conversation seems to feel justified or restored.

All we can do as a society is enact discipline. Our laws provide the means for trying and imposing punishment for those who threaten our safety. In some cases, the punishment we bestow can be as grievous as the crime committed. Punishment is a deterrent, a tool for discipline. It’s the same thing we do when a child misbehaves – it is not justice. After those responsible for the bombs are caught and punished, will the families of those who lost loved ones be restored? Will lost limbs be regenerated? Will true healing and restoration have occurred? Sadly, no.

What we call “justice” is the equivalent of a life preserver: it helps keep society and its members afloat. Without punishment and discipline, we would drift and drown in a quagmire of uncontrolled chaos and selfishness. But admit that the punishment we enact isn’t going to restore or heal. It isn’t ever going to bring justice.

Nikon D300, ISO 320, f/9.5 at 1/60 sec., 18 mm

=^..^=

Cleo the Cat

“The cat is above all things a dramatist.”
– Margaret Benson

Tortie’s seem to have very distinct and vocal personalities. Cleo is no different. At 11 years old, she is very affectionate and very curious, but very specific about wanting things on her terms. It took a while to gain her confidence and peak her interest in what was going on, but eventually the moment came. Here’s the photo; I hope she likes it.

Nikon D300, ISO 200, f/2.0 at 1/250 sec, 50 mm

=^..^=

If you missed my earlier post with tips for improving your cat photos, you can read it here.

Shop Amazon’s Best Sellers in Camera & Photo