Sunday, November 8, 2015

365 True Things: 224/Chalk

I have 10,581 photos on Flickr. I joined in 2006, and I quickly began using the site as a storage space for my "best" photos: the ones I deemed good enough to share with others. I acquired various "friends," most of whom I've never met. I've enjoyed looking at their photos, and I've enjoyed the little conversations that we'd have.

For four years during the last nine, I posted a photo a day (called "Project 365"). Kind of like this blogpost a day, only photography is a very different activity.  Both have their challenges, as well as their pleasures. I probably will never do another photo-a-day project. But then again, never say never.

Oh: except I will NEVER do another blogpost a day. You can bet on that.

This year, I've barely posted any photos on Flickr. One hundred and one, to be precise. Instead, if I have a photo to share, I post it on Facebook. It's easier. Or something. I'm not entirely sure why I've left Flickr behind. It is a very good archiving site. I can store images at full resolution; it's got great tagging options. Sure, sure, the photos get processed and end up as JPGs, so Flickr is more or less a reference site, which I can skim to find specific images—and after that, the challenge is to find the originals, since I'm a very, very, very bad archivist. The dates on the Flickr files certainly help. And some photos do end up in rationally named folders. Like "New Zealand 2014." "Norway 2015." But I'm sure that lots of original shots (the digital negatives) are pretty much out of my grasp for good.

In any case, the reason I titled this post "Chalk" is that when I was trying to think of something to write about just now, one idea was "being kind." Because I do try to be. With mixed success, but the intention is there. And I googled images using those keywords, and found this one:

Which reminded me of a photo I took a couple of years ago, of a chalk message on the sidewalk. Which prompted me to go to Flickr and search, hoping the word "chalk" showed up in my caption or tags. I ended up with seven shots, which I will share with you now. In a rather random blogpost for the day. But yes: one more down, only 141 to go. But really, who's counting?

Me at Red Rocks, Nevada
When I chalk up, it means it's a hard climb
. . . well, hard for me

The white marks on the wall are chalk: for traction
The guy on the rock is Mike, my former climbing partner

For a while there, my Episcopalian priest friend Wendy and I
haunted the local pool hall

String for snapping chalk, as the great 830 Altura Place Remodel
got under way (though really, it's probably just green string)

"Chalk line dispenser," so my caption tells me

Apparently someone (in Baltimore) liked the movie?

The shot that prompted this meandering maze of a post




2 comments:

Daniel said...

Good post. What you said about Flickr echoes what Vicki and I see, too. We had built up a certain sense of what needs to be done with a picture worthy of Flickr: tag it, submit it to groups, etc. With Facebook we may or may not spend the time to develop a given shot before posting, and there seems like A) less ceremony and B) more of our friends who will see it there.

SMACK said...

i still post to flickr, not really sure why as we know its nothing like it was - but I do enjoy posting my images if for nothing else - a reference...
but - you are not going to do a blog a day again?? :(