'The Powers That Be' is the title here...

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/powers_that_be

After Romans 13:1 in the Tyndale Bible 1526: 

“Let every soul submit himself unto the authority of the higher powers. There is no power but of God. 

The powers that be, are ordained of God.” 

So what 'powers' are at work here? Is the cloud actually driving that shell over the sand? And is the sand eroding, eventually to collapse the shell's perch? Tides are getting into the act here too, rearranging the sand in whatever way it will. Let's not forget wind, either.

The only constant is... change. Always. Count on it.

'We are stardust, we are golden, and we've got to get ourselves back to the garden'

- Joni Mitchell

I am self-published now:

'California Beach Trip':

On Amazon:

www.amazon.com/dp/1364579138

'Desert Trip'

On Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1367900190

This includes an image i have recently posted, titled 'Desert Time'.

'Seeking the Vibe'

On Blurb:

http://www.blurb.com/b/6834807-seeking-the-vibe

Previews of all at:

http://www.bobbennettphoto.net/BB_Books/index.html

And if you want to see even more:

http://www.bobbennettphoto.net

That time of year again

You can see Mr. Claus' presence in the Mojave:

Have a great holiday season - i got plenty up my sleeve

for 2018.

Driftwood Skeleton

'Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, we all fall down".

Or become driftwood, & after that, wandering molecules looking for a new home.

Jim Morrison put it more bluntly: 'No one here gets out alive'.

After many years of making darkroom photomontage (since the late 80's), and not being able to get arrested for it except for a few appearances in competitive group shows, and some assignment illustrations in various magazines ....I am designing & publishing books I make at Blurb with 'Bookify' - two of them are on Amazon, one is at Blurb.

TN in: BB stuff 2/BB_Books All info

'California Beach Trip':

On Amazon:

www.amazon.com/dp/1364579138

'Desert Trip'

On Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1367900190

'Seeking the Vibe'

On Blurb:

http://www.blurb.com/b/6834807-seeking-the-vibe

Previews of all at:

http://www.bobbennettphoto.net/BB_Books/index.html

'Only an empty bucket can be refilled'

“Silence is the language of god, 

all else is poor translation.”

“What you seek is seeking you".

“Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing there is a field.

I'll meet you there".

The author of the above? 

Rumi

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/875661.Jalaluddin_Rumi

Old coast road, broken clock

A discarded clock sits between sky and a road no car has traveled on in quite a while. Did the clock break at the same time as the road? Or did the clock break the road?? Time definitely works it's slow destructive effects on one and all. As the road recedes in the distance, it is unbroken, navigable. Let's hope one can continue on after all seems broken, on foot, hopefully this is simply a temporary distraction.

Previews of all my self published books at:

http://www.bobbennettphoto.net/BB_Books/index.html

Running...

Here's that sundial again, it eminates (sic?) from the grooves carved in the sand, someone runs from the indefinite time keeping of the grooves, to the somewhat more precise display of the sundial. What does this all mean, including the soft footprint?

Sometimes i have an inkling what a montage is about, other times, nary a clue.

I'm obviously interested in things metaphysical - beyond that, it's up to the viewer to decide what's going on. If I haven't figured them out yet, (and I haven't, not really), why should I presume to explain them to anyone else? Many of the pictures just seem to 'happen', because the individual negatives are 'looking' for each other. I'm just a chaperone, and a really loose one at that...

But those were always the best kind of parties, right?

One thing I know - that guy will probably keep on running for a while. Hoping perhaps that the sundial will turn into a Rolex.

------------------------------------------------------------

A bit of shameless self promotion for my books:

'California Beach Trip':

On Amazon:

www.amazon.com/dp/1364579138

'Desert Trip'

On Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1367900190

This includes an image i have recently posted here, titled 'Desert Time'.

'Seeking the Vibe'

On Blurb:

http://www.blurb.com/b/6834807-seeking-the-vibe

Previews of all at:

http://www.bobbennettphoto.net/BB_Books/index.html

I'll be back, for sure :-)

A Surreal Hourglass

Here's a most appropriate image for the passing of one year, the beginning of the next. And a new timepiece to contemplate - an hourglass.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hourglass

I'm sure if you go shopping online, you can find endless variety,

people buy it for the design,

same as they buy watches,

it's about enjoying the design, & showing off one's taste and style.

And it's use continues even in digital land.

Various computer graphical interfaces may change the cursor to an hourglass during a period when the program is in the middle of a task, and may not accept user input.

Another example of how digital borrows from the past - the ca-chink sound a camera makes when you take a picture, and the shutter opens and closes. My Canon sure shot does this, and so does the 'Capture' program on my Mac when it captures a window or screen.

In conclusion, a bit of shameless self promotion.

After many years of making darkroom photomontage (since the late 80's), and not being able to get arrested for it except for a few appearances in competitive group shows, and some assignment illustrations in various magazines ....I am designing & publishing books I make at Blurb with 'Bookify' - two of them are on Amazon, one is at Blurb.

'California Beach Trip':

On Amazon:

www.amazon.com/dp/1364579138

'Desert Trip'

On Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1367900190

This includes an image i have recently posted, titled 'Desert Time'.

'Seeking the Vibe'

On Blurb:

http://www.blurb.com/b/6834807-seeking-the-vibe

Previews of all at:

http://www.bobbennettphoto.net/BB_Books/index.html

An oldy but a goodie, from my east coast days

The titles of this and the previous image could easily be reversed - 'measure of time' or 'matter of time'. I did this one when i was first starting out doing darkroom photomontage.

The clock is what's called a travel clock, it can be folded up flat or opened to sit wherever. 

It's frame was wrapped in leatherlike the one above, but it was very worn in a nice warm way, made you wonder where it had traveled to. I found it in a desk drawer, my parents had two old windsor desks with lots of memorabilia, including an old Kodak autographic camera, and an Argus 35mm camera.

The Kodak image comes from a page on eBay - it's in mint condition, can be yours for $97.

This is what the Argus looked like, a little bit 'art deco', except it was an aqua color, with metal casing. Image found on etsy, many similar for sale, there are 'collectors' of just about anything.

I went thru 39 pages of google images of windsor desks, a very interesting search. There is definitely a dizzying array of choices, none of them look like what my parents had, but the way the desk works is much the same, w/ many variations. The most interesting feature is: Many small drawers and various filing/hiding/storage places/spaces. 'cubbyholes' is the term for them. 

All these items remind one how much times have changed. Your desktop? ..is now a computer monitor screen, your watch can be a multitasking health monitor, your phone is also your camera.

To return to the image, of course there's a bird in it - time flies!

Carpe diem, dear reader. 2016 will soon be history, the big ball will drop in Times Square, you celebrate in whatever way you wish. To quote a great songwriter, Warren Zevon:

"Time marches on, time stands still, time on my hands, time to kill. We contemplate eternity under the vast indifference of heaven'.

Don't let 'the vast indifference of heaven' slow you down much. Warren sure didn't.

Desert time

The last post was long, the next few will be short, hopefully sweet.

Mottos for this one might be:

"Self-dependent power can time defy, as rocks resist the billows and the sky."

or Latin "Pulvis et umbra sumus. (We are [dust and] shadow."

The Golden Gate Park sundial now sits not on a stand, but on the broad leaf of a prickly pear cactus. What does this say about time? Perhaps that just like the cactus we have no choice but to keep hands off, unless of course we like pain. 'Leave time alone, don't mess with it. You think you won't get old? " 'Fuhgeddaboutit', as they say in New York City - it can't be changed anyway".

The gnomon (which casts the shadow) is instead a tree which will grow, casting a slightly different shadow as the years go by, slightly longer every year. But the hour, the time told, will remain the same, only the shadow gets longer, as yours will too.

(The gnomon casts a shadow; the shadow shows the time.)

There's a hand-colored version of this one:

If you like my images, check out any of my three self-published books:

'California Beach Trip':

On Amazon:

www.amazon.com/dp/1364579138

'Desert Trip'

On Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1367900190

'Seeking the Vibe'

On Blurb:

http://www.blurb.com/b/6834807-seeking-the-vibe

Previews of all at:

http://www.bobbennettphoto.net/BB_Books/index.html

Please do stop by again - every 2 weeks, somethin' new :-)

Secrets

What is this blog about? In a nutshell, it's about black and white darkroom photomontage. Every few weeks or so, a new image with a few words about it, kinda poetic, philosophical. 

For more details - check out the archive, the first post, April 26, 2015.

If you like what you see here, go to: www.bobbennettphoto.net

Also check out my self-published books:

Desert Trip: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1367900190

California Beach Trip: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1364579138

Seeking The Vibe: http://www.blurb.com/b/6834807-seeking-the-vibe

Previews of all at:

http://www.bobbennettphoto.net/BB_Books/index.html

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This one's about a secret, hidden in the sky, the clouds, the ether. You can just barely make it out, the door is locked... or is it? And if you turn the handle and open it, what lies beyond? Are you ready for that? It might be nice.... or maybe not exactly nice, but mysterious and perhaps inscrutable. Here's what it might look like:

Ready or not, here you go.

Take a seat...

Take a seat on an abandoned decrepit chair on the beach. 

In a surreally oversized driftwood shelter. Let your thoughts wander. 

Watch the fading sunset light. Did i mention your cell phone should be turned off? 

Well, now i have.

Stop. Sit. Think. Pay attention to the real world. 

The chair, the driftwood, the sunset.

After many years of making darkroom photomontage ( since the late 80's), 

and not being able to get arrested for it 

except for a few appearances in competitive group shows, 

and some assignment illustrations in various magazines 

....I am designing & publishing books I make at Blurb with 'Bookify' 

- two of them are on Amazon, one is at Blurb.

'California Beach Trip':

On Amazon:

www.amazon.com/dp/1364579138

'Desert Trip'

On Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1367900190

'Seeking the Vibe'

On Blurb:

http://www.blurb.com/b/6834807-seeking-the-vibe

Previews of all at:

http://www.bobbennettphoto.net/BB_Books/index.html

Ascension

Climb the steps in a forbidding desert landscape ...your final destination - unknown.

As you climb, an apparition appears in the sky - 

'there are many answers to all questions'.

Is this advice of some sort?

A riddle?

A paradox?? - stair-steps against a vast nothingness?

Here's what my Mac's thesaurus has to say about that:

I used this in another montage, equally mysterious:

Yes, 'many answers to all questions'.

Also?...'ask me no questions, i'll tell you no lies'.

Put both in yer pipe and smoke 'em up, real good.

Come back again in a few weeks for more of whatever it is i have been delivering up...

Visual riddles?

Paradoxes?

:-)

Dunes Music

What is this blog about? In a nutshell, it's about black and white darkroom photomontage. Every few weeks, a new image with a few words about it, kinda poetic, philosophical. 

For more details - check out the archive, the first post, April 26, 2015.

If you like what you see here, go to: www.bobbennettphoto.net

Also check out my self-published books:

Desert Trip: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1367900190

California Beach Trip: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1364579138

Do you think perhaps artists might be able to make images that say something about the world that they are not even aware of? Do we somehow manage to channel a deeper source?

Far be it for me to claim such, but...I printed this over 20 years ago, for 2 reasons:

1 - A walk on the beach is full of all kinds of music, the surf, the waves, the wind, the sand - they all sing a song, carry a tune of sorts.

2 - The organ pipes blended nicely into the columns of eroded sand.

I printed this image long before i heard about 'singing sands'.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_sand

"Singing sand dunes, an example of the phenomenon of singing sand, produce a sound described as roaring, booming, squeaking, or the "Song of Dunes". This is a natural sound phenomenon of up to 105 decibels, lasting as long as several minutes, that occurs in about 35 desert locations around the world. The sound is similar to a loud low-pitch rumble. It emanates from crescent-shaped dunes, or barchans. The sound emission accompanies a slumping or avalanching movement of sand, usually triggered by wind passing over the dune or by someone walking near the crest."

----------------------------

"At roughly 30 locations around the world, sand dunes seem to sing, producing haunting and baffling sounds. Marco Polo noticed the phenomenon in the Gobi Desert. Ancient travelers have heard it in the Sahara. Even Charles Darwin puzzled over it in the Chilean desert. For centuries, no one was able to explain why it happens. Now, engineers Melany Hunt and Christopher Brennen of the California Institute of Technology are on the case. Their theory is that the booming sand dunes act like enormous musical instruments."

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/booming-sands.html

http://www.livescience.com/24268-singing-sands.html

Hhmmmm... the world is a pretty interesting place, ain't it?

let's hope we don't destroy it all too soon.

Window to soul

What is this blog about? In a nutshell, it's about black and white darkroom photomontage. Every few weeks, a new image with a few words about it, kinda poetic, philosophical. 

For more details - check out the archive, the first post, April 26, 2015.

If you like what you see here, go to: www.bobbennettphoto.net

The title is actually multiple choice:

• Window to soul

• Window to your soul

• Window to a soul

These might seem to be similar but if you think about it, they are not.

Read closely, and think.

This one blew in on the west wind, dropped into my head one night in a dream.

The window, shot somewhere in the Mojave, an old abandoned building. 

The cloud, shot from my 12th Ave SF rooftop/5th floor deck, many years ago.

The synchronicity, how & why these two came together? i don't know where it comes from, it just arrives, i am happy for that. Perhaps the window is letting this strange cloud into your vision for a reason? Does the window have some strange mystical properties? Your guess is as good as mine, it can mean whatever you think it may mean, photos are like that, any art is like that, it's all in the eye of the beholder.

I did two versions, one in the darkroom (above), another as a photoshop sketch (below), low res, but a rather interesting version, colored w/ pencils.

Check out my self-published books:

Desert Trip: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1367900190

California Beach Trip: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1364579138

'Seeking the vibe' is still working it's way thru Amazon's system - it'll be there soon... i hope.

Dreamer

What is this blog about? In a nutshell, it's about black and white darkroom photomontage. Every few weeks, a new image with a few words about it, kinda poetic, philosophical. 

For more details - check out the archive, the first post, April 26, 2015.

If you like what you see here, go to: www.bobbennettphoto.net

I found this face carved in soft sandstone on Ocean Beach, San Francisco, some years ago. I will hope he is sleeping, dreaming, and not dead. 

Which ended up in this montage image:

V1

which then got amped up a bit:

V2

V3 - Hand-colored

The landscape - the horizon, the two trees - is at Sunset Crater in Arizona. The ragged rocks above it - tufa at Mono Lake in Ca. The lighthouse superimposed at the top is at Pt. Bonita in the Marin headlands, just north of SF.

What does it all mean?

Perhaps dreams foster thoughts ( = the trees, which grow) ...which then beget difficulties of whatever kind (the ragged tufa rocks)... but there is light at the end of this tunnel, the lighthouse shines on.

Perhaps this is about the power of thought, mind over matter?

I don't 'think' much about the meaning of the image as i am making the print.

I wrote a statement many years ago, that stands the test of time:

"I work in a very simple, traditional darkroom - One enlarger, four trays, and a collection of hand tools made from things you can buy at any art supply, or hardware store. I think it was Robert Rauschenberg (correct me, someone/anyone, if my attribution is wrong) who said it best - "It starts by YOU telling the picture what it will be -- in the end, THE PICTURE tells you what IT will be...".

I feel like I take that approach, not through any 'great design', or dogmatic adherence, it's just the way that 'comes naturally' and that is all I am interested in.

I collect negatives by taking myself, and simple camera, to places I love - the California coast, and desert - and start walking. 

I spend a lot of time with my proof sheets, and in a small room, under a dim red bulb. I'm obviously interested in things metaphysical - beyond that 

......it's up to the viewer to decide what's going on. If I haven't figured them out yet, (and I haven't, not really), why should I presume to explain them to anyone else? Many of the pictures just seem to 'happen', because the individual negatives are 'looking for each other'. I'm just a chaperone, and a really loose one at that...... But those were always the best kind of parties, right?

Can't think of any better way to end this post than quote the title to a great Aerosmith song:

"Dream On!"