Au Cochonnet Marin

“Once photography enters your bloodstream, it is like a disease.”
– Anonymous

I agree with that. There is practically not a single day when I don’t photograph something. It can be a tree, a flower, a bird, or a person. For wherever I go, I always carry my iPhone or a small camera to be ready for any opportunity. And because of this uncontrollable addiction of mine, I have collected thousands of snapshots.

The last time I checked, I found 25 627 pictures on my hard drive. That’s significant, especially when you want to retrieve a particular shot. The key to this problem is to carefully identify each picture after each photo session… but sometimes, due to fatigue or any other distraction, I neglect to do this… and I later pay a price for it.

I recently started to gather some shots for a new photobook, and I became painfully aware of this problem. Finding a particular shot in my stash is almost like looking for a needle in a haystack. Apple does a fairly good job with its photo application, but it is not perfect.
Among other constraints, the program is supposed to recognize and identify any familiar face, but it doesn’t, or seldom does. It seems to be partial to just a few people and if I don’t do it myself, a particular shot will be buried forever within a multitude of anonymous people.

My latest (almost completed) project deals with “visages” (faces)… relatively recent and preferably interesting faces. The difficulty is finding such shots. Not everybody photographs well, and I am not inclined to include a bland face in this book just for the sake of political correctness.

Since I usually operate from a distance, I infrequently manage to catch well-defined faces, especially in poorly lit areas. So instead, I search for a well-focused picture and carefully crop the face I am interested in.

Putting a book together is relatively complicated and time-consuming. But I don’t really mind since I have plenty of time on my hands, and since it is something that I enjoy doing.

Now, who gets to be in my book? Most of our club members (if I have good pictures of them) or familiar faces from other clubs. The number of pictures is also a factor, because the more pages in a book, the higher the cost of it. And cost unfortunately is always a consideration…

The chosen title of this book is “Here’s looking at you kid” (wink) and if you are interested in acquiring one, please let me know.

Go forth and photograph!

Alain

Word-of-mouth rules… I absolutely believe that, but I don’t care much for this awkward Anglo-Saxon expression. It is difficult (especially for a non-native speaker) to quickly comprehend what it means. I far prefer its French equivalent “de bouche à oreille» (from mouth to ear).

Originally, “bouche à oreille” meant something shared “in confidence”. It was a tidbit that you would whisper in somebody’s ear under a condition of trust. Today it is almost like a seal of approval for a product or a person.

Lately, we have seen a lot of new faces on our pétanque court, and it is mainly due to the word-of-mouth activity. Women have been the main proponents of this undertaking and they ought to be praised for it.
I am particularly thinking of Abby Danielson who brought her two brothers to the court and Ann Krilanovich who introduced a multitude of people to our game, including her daughter Andorra.
Kudos to these great pétanque ambassadors.

“Word-of-mouth is powerful, trusted, and cheap.” ~ Martin Lindstrom

 Today, advertising is the primary medium of promoting a product, but since the airwaves are saturated with it, it has lost a lot of its convincing powers. Enters word-of-mouth. Somebody tells you about a restaurant and praises it. It will definitely make a bigger impression on you than the tedious messages heard daily on TV. Who would you rather believe, a friend or McDonald’s?

It seems to me that women are better at exchanging confidences than men. They are chattier and manage to include more details in their conversations. In retrospect women (including our long-time president Christine Cragg) have done a lot for our club and ought to be recognized for their contributions. One more time, thank you, ladies.

Everybody knows that women and men are different. For instance, women always worry about the things that men forget; men always worry about the things women remember.
Don’t hate me for saying that; I am just repeating word-of-mouth what I heard.

To conclude on a cheerful note… and to praise women’s creativity, did you know that “High heels were invented by a woman who was tired of always been kissed on the forehead.” Marcel Achard

 Ta ta for now… and keep up the good work.

Alain

Yesterday was a dark day for women… especially for women in Afghanistan.

 Kabul has fallen and the Taliban predators are swarming in. The Sharia is going to be re-established, and women will be required again to cover all their bodies except hands and face. They are already hiding and burning or concealing any document validating their education.

This turn of events is eerily reminiscent of the Nazi treatment of conquered European nations during WWII. The Nazi first move was to seek and exterminate the elites. Educated people were especially targeted and swiftly murdered by specialized execution squads. Ignorant people they thought, would be easier to control and manipulate.

Under the pretense of “religion,” the Taliban is seeking new enslavement of their women. And it is relatively easy in a country steeped in misogynistic beliefs.

Since an early age, I have distrusted theocracies. Religion was created by zealots, and God has absolutely nothing to do with it. Religion is just a devious way to control minds and bodies. Why would a priest or a mullah have better judgment or wisdom than a common mortal? Do they have a direct line of communication with the Almighty? It is up to every individual to decide for himself what is right and what is wrong and act accordingly.

Women are not second or third-class citizens. They are as able and as smart as any man, and they ought to be treated as fairly as men. They can, and they have proved it, achieve anything that a man can do.  They are teachers, nurses, doctors, engineers, lawyers, astronauts…  Only ignorant louts will argue with this.

Women are not saints to be worshipped or adored. They are as fallible as men, but they always must be given a chance to prove themselves. We have had very capable world female leaders, and they often performed as well if not better than men.

If the Taliban return to its old nasty habits, it is my hope that civilized nations all over the world are going to unite and apply intense pressure on them to force them to treat their women fairly and humanely.

I deeply empathize with the panicked people trying to flee Afghanistan. At one time or the other, we all have been persecuted, and grateful to have found a haven somewhere.

All civilized nations must do their share and help as many people as possible. Keep in mind that what is happening in Afghanistan can happen anywhere in the world, including America.

Alain