Business as usual

Writing this on Monday, the first one in awhile when I have time to myself to sit down and have free time. The past several months, I’ve been gainfully employed and blogging had to the first to go since I was preoccupied in ranting. Now coming back from being busy, I feel kind of odd to do this amidst a viral scare.

Back in February, people were on edge about a virus breakout from China, now halfway through the month, it has touched across the world. Watching media outlets putting the fear back into the world. The last time I’ve witnessed this much fear was after September 11, almost 20 years ago. Present day, people are closing businesses and people are staying home. As much as you should be worried, there isn’t much you can do. I’ve seen people hoarding cleaning products and toilet paper as well as every kind of mask available at the hardware store. The oddity of feeling the “end of the world” is absurd considering what it is, it could be me since I approach it with a bit of logic. Am I a bit too calm in this situation?

This past couple weeks been brutally difficulty, never a fan of managing my own time down to the minute. But I did manage to get a lot done before both my workplaces shut down for the next couple weeks. It might be a bit more which is why I’m looking at job boards at the moment to see if I can find another job while I wait. The worry is people might overreact and extend these austere measures. I don’t think a lot of people notice how restrictive and overbearing things can be until it’s over their heads. Today it’s called “self -quarantine”, but the way I see it is forced unemployment and destitution since not many can live without paying for rent and utilities. I don’t think the economy would be able to compensate for it which worries me socially. I watched all arts and culture closed down. Restaurants are about to be reduced to delivery and take-out places. I went out for a walk and definitely a lot less people out than normal. Could be the Sunday and Monday, but walking into a high end mall and not seeing a lot of shoppers worry me. With all this technology, are we really turning into a self-isolating civilization where all interactions will be reduced to a face or a username on a computer? After this virus, what would change? I know when the world comes to term with a problem, something inherently changes.

Above it all, I let logic help me face reality and not let myself become to hyperactive about the situation. This is the small reminder I have that this is taken too seriously:

• About 8 billion people live here.
• About 180, 000 cases world wide, each being a person. That’s about 0.00225% of the population.
• About 7 000 of those result in death. Which is 3.8% of the 180, 000 or which is 0.00008% worldwide.
• 80, 000 total recovered, which is about 44%.

Here in Canada, where I live:

• We have about 450 cases in a country of 37.6 million.
• 4 cases were deaths, about 1%.
• About 10% of cases have recovered.

Those numbers are extremely low. It doesn’t mean this thing is done. This could mark the beginning. However looking at fatalities is a nihilist approach to this. I don’t see this as “how long will I survive?” But more as “how much more can I live?” Sure 10% doesn’t sound assuring and the number of cases are growing by the day. However being isolated and blocked off to the world was never my solution. I’ve been there and those who haven’t suffered through a depressive episode will soon learn how terrible things can be without interacting with people. The number are still going up whether you stay at home or not, once it goes through everyone, it will eventually go through you as well. Perhaps I should save a bit on cleanliness for another post, suffice to say I’m not letting people scare me.

I’m done with that part of my life. I’ve fought too hard to start living and I’m not letting a small bit of genetic code stop me from enjoying what I have left. If I do expire, I choose to do it on my own terms.

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“Loneliness Kills”

Before I begin, happy belated new years. It’s been a month but I’ve been in a terrible mood. A few things happened after new years that really got me down for a couple weeks in January. The latter weeks have been trying to push myself away from those thoughts. Nothing more than work and video games trying to keep those thoughts away. At the same time, I’ve neglected on taking photos but I’ve managed to get myself outside. I managed to shoot a hockey game, which makes it the first sports event I’ve capture. Besides that, I haven’t been must productive.

Which is kind of why I haven’t been writing regularly. I have been lonely, sometimes feeling seperate from myself. As much as routine keeps my mind off things, I come home and left to my own devices. The worst has past but being isolated for so long has put me back into hold habits. I have been eating irregularly, sleep schedule is off, more time to fade into the fantasy of video games.

As a guy, it’s a bit tough to really talk about this stuff. When I mentioned it to my manager by accident, I spent an hour discussing it at work. I opened up with my entire life story, to a stranger no less. Honestly feel very uncomfortable talking this to anyone let alone strangers. There was nothing new to really relay and it just reinforcing where I am right now.

“Loneliness kills.”

“That’s sad.”

“I am fortunate.”

“Why not act?” Prefixing, succinctly “I’ve done everything I can to preserve my emotional and mental well being.”

Phrases that no longer pains me as much. I really can’t convey how numbing it is when nothing can’t be done and everything goes in circle. I don’t know how the conversation lead to my personal situation. In any case, I felt too vulnerable and knowing I said it makes me feel even more vulnerable.

Which makes me want to withdraw even more, like I have done many times including recently.

Outdated Tech Laws

I’ve definitely mentioned it in a blog before but it has been really in my mind consider that technology has outpaced us. Civilly, we were never prepared here in the Great White North. Airsoft has been around since the 50’s and 60’s but no laws have been properly applied until of late. Crowd-source industries have surged through without much regulation and has tested classifications and definitions in law. Photography and drone flight have particular pricked the public interest of where it’s considering right and wrong.

I haven’t played airsoft in awhile but it doesn’t mean from time to time I receive news about the goings-on in the community at large. When the government decided to apply laws that are equal to paintball, it was slowly declining in interest. Due to the draconian enforcement on importation and carry laws. It doesn’t mean people still don’t care, in fact have these items classified as equipment of a sport but further to label them as replicas applies implicit ways to handle them in use and storage. Which I think is great since it would encourage not only honourable sporting practice but a good introduction to proper firearm handling for anyone who was interested to own their own gun.

Most recently crowd-sourcing has been a big issue in my city. The fact the roads and homes are being fully maximized to profit pulls away from the human component. My city has a big issue with homelessness, cost of living and a heavy reliance on external investment to build more housing. More I think about it, we put ourselves into a cyclic system that has destroyed the downtown core. Up to the end of the 20th century, the “downtown” was always the economic and financial hub of the city. People go in there to make money or spend it. Though recently with more people wanting to live and work close, condos have been rising all over the place. Not only that they want to travel conveniently and live cheaply. On top of that, the city does enjoy money that they want it from anywhere. Foreign investment into building these units to fill that demand without little or no feedback from the companies involved and responsible for these buildings. In the last 15 years, there have been sporadic reports that even these aging condo units are falling apart. Not only that but it raises taxes of the local area which forces business out and for them to stay in business, they have to increase prices to cover costs. Who buys these stuff? Off course the people who live close. Luckily the bubble is slowly bursting here because condos are about expensive as owning a house in certain places. However this doesn’t stop subleasing to others not named in their lease contracts. When you rent, you agree that you are the sole occupant of that space and if there isn’t a clause or proper enforcement, people are going to sublet their units for temporary renters which borrow the space for a few days. As a result sometimes, these people might not follow the rules and cause trouble. In the city this can invite some bad people to influence the neighbourhood. In my city, shootings, homicides and noise complaints have been the prime push for controlling these sub-leases. But it doesn’t change much because people want to make money to cover costs and if they have the money to buy property, then nothing will stop them to buy it. This goes specially towards foreign investors and non-residents.

Besides not letting strangers into your house, a lot of people never learned the lesson of entering a stranger’s car. Most apps now define their drivers as “private contractors” or “private operators” which can be a slippery slope since it offers the driver a lot of freedom of how they operate. Since they’re private means they’re not necessarily employed by the company so it absolves them from responsibilities of their drivers. So if a customer complains about a certain driver, the company can quite literally don’t have to do anything. As much as they will remove drivers off the app, it could be just as easy to do very little if the government doesn’t personally responsible. It’s kind of embarrassing too when I see taxi drivers operate their vehicles more responsibly than some of these drivers that are so heavily dependent on GPS to get them from point-to-point. This is why I refuse to get those apps, I know my cabbie can get there for cheap as well. Cabs don’t surge price so when you get in, you already agreed to a fixed fee. Meanwhile 5 kilomentres and 5 kilometres with the surge price can be a big difference. So keep your bottle water and candy, I rather hop into a cab with someone who knows the city on the back of his hand. Perhaps the only time a private car may be worth it is going intercity since anecdotal accounts from people close to me say it’s cheaper. Go figure.

A bit of a hobby and interest is drones and photography. Not going to lie, I have one sitting on my shelf in case I want to fly it and I might want to trade it for one with a camera on a gimbal. Also I own a couple cameras, because a good hobby is one that interests you and for it going 3 years strong; I think it’s officially love. Recently though, mirrorless systems are about to close the gap with cellphones since MILC’s (Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras) are just as powerful in resolution and the ability to capture light. Despite the price, in 5 years these camera bodies would be equally priced to a new phone. I’ve seen what a lot of full-frame MILC’s can do and it’s absolutely beautiful. I’m still holding out for DSLR but the advantage of an electronic shutter is immense especially capturing things faster than 1/10000 of a second. However back when laws were placed on cameras in regards to a person’s privacy, they were meant for bulky cameras like SLR which applies to most cameras. With smartphones and everyone owning a device with a camera, it’s quite impossible to stop someone from taking a photo. I’ve been caught more times than probably someone in the same space for taking a photo on their phone. It’s quite obvious what I’m done with a camera but I’m the one called out for it. This is not much for governments to enforce these laws but to the security firms that maintain buildings. Definitely property owners can consent to photographs but for the most time a lot of people take a quick photo of a building and move on. Why can’t I do the same, guys? Honestly if you place art installations or decorate to appeal to the eye, no doubt you will have looks and a couple photos. Drones are in their own ballpark but photography does get involved however. I love these things, it’s always nice to see things from a different perspective however as much as privacy is concerned, these lens are pretty garbage. Now only if I can mount my DSLR on a drone, that would be the dream. The big issue here is safety. I haven’t seen it myself since I know there is a FPV drone community that sometimes loves to race. But if it’s anything like airsoft, most of them are responsible folks – which I guess why I don’t see them a lot. Though some people love to push the limit, either by ignorance or sheer daring. Ignorance is forgivable though if someone is in danger, it can’t be overlooked. As a human being, you have the ability to have empathy (unless you’re psychopathic, that’s another discussion). If you can’t think about what you’re doing and what it results for others, then you’re not a human being. What goes up, must come down. It annoys me when the government has to dumb down to get people to live sensibly with others. Next thing you know, bike licenses are re-instituted (it happened in my city a long time ago), you have to carry registration for pets and then how much father until we have to have a certificate that allows us to leave our houses.

The biggest takeaway from this is just consider about others and the whole.

Many Little Rants

I’ve been busy and I’ve kind of been a bit burnt out from work and life. But it doesn’t mean I haven’t been letting the world drift by me. The world is a weird place, here’s my thoughts on that.

Bags vs Women

If you live in a big city, especially in North America, you probably have a subway system of some sort. If they’re run by human beings, there might be some etiquette when using public transit. Examples from my local transit; don’t put your feet on the seat, no baby carriages and dogs on the trains during rush hour (with exceptions), and don’t play music loudly. A lot of people surprising are polite enough to understand and follow some of these. However there is one rule not a lot do follow. Since the inception of the subway system here, baggage has been a bit of an issue. Common solution is to remove your backpack or bag and place it on your lap when sitting, have it on your side or between your legs while standing. Some people are pretty hopeless when it comes to this. As a cis male, I will probably never understand fully why but I notice that during rush hour there are a lot of women with handbag slung over their shoulders. If it was a small bag, it’s understandable since it’s a small thing you can rest under your arm. However I’ve seen handbag as large as school bag and it’s quite annoying trying to wade into a crowded subway car just to be bashed around by a bag that someone isn’t willing to securely hold.

Honestly ladies, either lighten the load or at least have a separate bag for accessories. If you don’t like me strapped in with my camera bag, then I’m not definitely okay with your bag kidney punching me every time the train stops.

Automated Cashiers

A few years ago, you wouldn’t have really seen an automated cashier. There would be a human scanning your items and asking if you want to rewards card. Now it seems every large store has an automated cashier or 6 of them to cut down the waiting time. It’s great that there are machines that can do what a minimum wage worker can do but there is just something cold about using a machine like that.

Surely if the line is long for the one human cashier, I’ll definitely pick a machine in waiting. Though it’s very odd to really see a place once full of cashiers to now just one or two with a small crew of machines laying around at the checkout. When empty, it’s weird to feel nice talking to a human being about my order. Yet after all this time, these machines make any interaction with a human being be slower.

Perhaps in the end, customer service may have to come down with being able to hold onto a conversation if you don’t want want to be replaced by a machine. Considering most machines are replacing the customer service end where you just close the sale. With my time in retail, it’s kind of dull to scan and ring up the customer. However if you are sociable you can actually make this more comforting and interactive.

So if you are a cashier out there, time is limited but you can make someone’s day by talking to them. Perhaps that one chat can stop you from losing your job.

Public Areas

From time to time, I like to try attend public events to take some natural street photos of people. I’m usually shy when it comes to approaching people. Something I’m still working on it.

The last couple events going on in the city have been pretty exciting but at the same time were really packed. Being squeezed in with a camera half the size of my head isn’t how I like to try to take photos. Especially when people are holding their cellphones up in the air. Also having sunset be earlier in the day doesn’t help but does provide a challenge to take photos at night.

It just seems weird that there are so many events out there that haven’t really adapted well to the modern tech. More people are just wanting to show off but no one has the courtesy to allow others to experience it. Which also gets me to my next problem, people who keep standing in the same place and pose for minutes on end.

You already took your ugly selfie that you are already posting. Why are you there on your phone for 10 straight minutes trying to get the same photo when already have a photo. The worst is people who take a photo and stand in the same spot. You think this is innocuous but time is everything. While you stand there, other people may want to take in the view from that vantage point.

Luckily for some of us, we don’t have time for that so in the end some of the best photos are the ones you point the time in to find the place.

In Defence of Drone Operators

This is for the drone operators and future operators in Canada.

Couple weeks ago, I came across an article about the drone operator who flew over the Toronto Raptors championship parade.

In short the facts: Drone operator fined just under $3000 CAD for flying a drone in a crowded public space. Transport Canada, the authority in charge of airspace for planes, helicopters and now RC quadcopters, is enforcing new laws in place as of July 1, 2019.

I personally own a drone, flew it a few times in my room and in an empty parking lot and limited to 10 metres. I have handled it dangerously physically and legally. With these new laws, it’s understandable for the concern especially with larger drones which have more mass which can hurt someone if it was in free fall. At the same time the laws can be a bit unreasonable in terms of bookkeeping for hobbyists as well as having certain conditions met before flight. Going through a small course is a good idea to understand what it takes to keep Canadian airspace safe, but making it mandatory as a hobby is a bit too much. Though the law is a bit flexible in terms which certification who need to fly. You can do almost anything for a basic certificate. Advanced seems ideal since you can do a lot more but geared for professionals. And of course anyone can apply for special permission.

The drone community has grown a lot since these flying machines are getting cheaper. Mine was about $129 while the most average around $500. The surge of people taking these things to weird places have yielded some spectacular aerial photos you can and cannot get in a plane. Though breathtaking, it has caused some grief and worry from interest groups. They’ve been shamed as voyeurs since drones can be used to spy on people. Though most place now have some drone laws this hobby stood up when traditional laws didn’t foresee technology to advance beyond what is governed. Almost like they operated in a grey zone, which is why I can relate to another community of enthusiasts.

Remember awhile back I was a bit gaga over airsoft. In Canada, airsoft has received less notoriety but still show up on the rare occasion. To fill you in airsoft is a sport where people shoot small plastic BB’s at low velocity at each other (Think paintball but less mess and smaller projectiles). Because the guns look real, they have been used for nefarious purposes and end up on the news. For a time people were angry that kids can acquire these things for cheap and even the government stepped in to amend the gun laws to include paintball and airsoft. Seeing the parallels? Not only the law is involved but I’ve seen the community grow a bit to where it was a self-policing body. For a sport about honour and integrity, it was noble of them to take care of each other in terms of campaigning their own on safety. Of course there are the outliers who don’t conform and stay on the fringe to enjoy airsoft in their own way but very rare.

Perhaps that’s the next step for the drone community. As much you want drones to be popular, having passionate folks spearhead the hobby in a safe and legal direction. I don’t think it has to go as far as carding member or restricting to an 18+ affair. But having people who put the best foot forward to teach newcomers about proper etiquette and safety. As laws are being made the grey zones where new technology and fringe hobbies, there will be a proper line of where everything should be. As much as politicians establish that line, it’s really up the people to figure out where they want that line.

Drone can be fun if everyone have a basic understanding of what is expected as an owner and operator. So my contribution for anyone who is starting out in Canada, here’s the link to the new laws and how it affects you.

The best I can say is what I know as an amateur photographer:

• Be considerate of others.
• Respect people’s wishes, regardless how they convey it.
• Have empathy. If a stranger did that to you, how would you feel?
• Be aware around you and take no unnecessary risks.

That’s one more summer…

I feel this year’s summer I’ve been pretty successful despite setbacks.

June was particularly sloppy considering not much was done and had some problems along the way. July was a bit fun but I had to buckle down a bit and keep my head down. With the Canadian National Exhibition, August wasn’t so bad though I missed most of it because I’ve taken a second job. Now it’s Labour Day in September and I have about a few weeks of summer.

Looking back metrically, I’ve taken a bunch of photos and was commission to do a short portrait session. For a friend, I got paid in pretty much in a meal at Five Guys. I should’ve asked for at least some monetary compensation. Oh well, it’s slightly better than photo credit. I’m hoping to get more freelance gigs like that consider I liked doing portraits. Now that I have a second job, I should really buckle down and earn some money to move out of this place. It’s pretty pricey living in the city but I’m thinking if I can hold a few good jobs, I can carve out a living. Doing stuff I like for money and doing stuff stuff I like for pleasure. Also this would give me the opportunity to try get into investing on selling prints online. I’ve tried licensing with 500px but since they changed their model, I’m kind of stuck using it as more of a portfolio on there. So plan B: start an online store and just sell limited runs of framed and unframed photos. Either on ebay or Amazon unless I can find a platform which is more suited to creative pursuits. I’ll say this is a maybe for fall and winter.

At the same time, my workplace has been pressuring me to pursue some sort of post secondary. Which doesn’t make sense because the only recommendation is this one program I can get recognition for experience and the certificate is so specific that there is nothing like it beyond this one employer. However it’s got me thinking, I should try and see if I can get university or college credit for my photography. I might ask some local colleges about their photography programs and just commit to an online or distance learning program. At least I can tell my workplace to lay off me on this thing. I’ve been a bit disillusioned by them recently after being mistreated a few times. Everyone thinks I’ll make it a career, but I don’t think I can be professionally held down.

That’s about it for this post. I’ve been kind of undulating between euphoria and depression for the entire summer. It comes and goes but on the latter half, I’ve been strict on my medication intake. No skipping on meds. I probably jinxed myself.

A Year of Instagram

One of the biggest social media platforms in the first quarter of the century, Instagram is focused on photos and hashtags. To post something, you need a picture. It’s great in a way to visual show your interests and offers a bit of a creative outlet. Though a year on, I’m kind of done with it. What got me down is my feed which is smartly curated in the wrong way.

In a community of millions in every continent, you do see a lot of interesting things and the aggregation of unsaturated keywords brings you in to a personal space. Anything can be a hashtag, even a sentence can be a tag. In this part, there are a lot to discover even though 10 tags convey the same meaning. With thousands of of pictures uploaded even something artistic as photography, stuff gets buried deep into the service.

As much as social media brings the world together with facts and opinions of others, the democratization makes the creative aspect of photography gears more to pressure for content of the similar. I see it often and it’s painful to look at after awhile and it gets boring. To sum it up to help you avoid the photography community on Instagram – oversaturated, heavily photoshopped and lacks any character. I’ve seen many reflections of puddles with a subject but Instagram has really push for the highly saturated colour and the lacking of contrast. Then those that are heavy into the contrast in an idea (Example: love/hate) or a creative element (Example: positive/negative space) seem to be relatively similar regardless of subject. It’s numbing and the bot and aggregate accounts really make this problem well known.

Probably most of the time they’re not all automated accounts, but aggregate accounts really are pretty annoying since they share other accounts. As I stated before, most of these photos are all the same. Then at the same time some of these aggregates to post, have to reupload that photo and then tag anew. So in a way, it’s a new post to attract the followers of that account and doesn’t really showcase the photographer. A flaw!

That is why I only post things I don’t potentially can profit from. Instagram when I first started and now, is the last part of my publishing workflow. Facebook is where I keep my digital JPEG archive, 500px is where I can license and keep a better curated portfolio, Instagram is the trash heap where the best didn’t make it to the best 7 for 500px. It’s a system that works so far. I haven’t made money but I have licensed by work. As much as I want to get my name out there for potential clients and employers, I rather keep my work in my control in some way.

Like my Twitter now, Instagram might fade away from me if there is nothing for me. Though both have a large community, I feel the community is less engaged and only want to consume the content than to appreciate it. And that’s where I will continue from in year 2.

Hey There, Sobriety

So about a month and a bit ago, I decided to stop drinking alcohol. Straight cutting it out of my life indefinitely.

It has been a rough spring and I have made and haven’t made the right choices while I have heavily drinking. And yes, I was getting to the point where I would be drinking quite heavily every week.

It’s been god knows how long now with out a beverage and I’m definitely feeling and seeing some changes. I’ve been brooding a lot lately, I think it’s part jealousy and surprise. A lot of dating drama around the people close to me. As much as I want to escape from it, I can’t and it’s just hurting me a little bit at a time. In lieu of spirits for my spirit, I’ve grown a bit fond of soda. To be honest, been drinking mostly ginger ale to aid digestion. However I’m fortunate to know a soda cafe so I can drop in for some really great drinks made in-house.

At the moment, I’m really unsure if I want to do this considering I feel a bit alienated from my peers when we go to a bar. Yet I feel a bit content with myself with what I’m doing. I’m not doing anything that might make me feel unsafe and I think I don’t necessarily have people I feel comfortable drinking around now with so much going on.

I’ll just see how it goes.

T6i & Canon Things

Awhile ago, I went to a local auction and purchased myself a used T6. For the longest time, I’ve been sitting on it in my drawer with a universal charger. The past couple months I’ve changed up and started using it. More for out of familiarity than for the photos, however this is growing on me.

There isn’t must difference between the the T5 and the T6i. But the convenience of some of the settings are a bit more obvious which helps with setting up the shot. After using the flip-tilt screen, I feel I can get better shots than I could with the viewfinder. But I still feel so comfy with the optical viewfinder. Since the first time I tried using the camera, I turned off the wi-fi feature where I have access to some of the camera functions on the phone. The turn off is I have to save things into JPEG to view on the phone. I’m a RAW format kind of guy, I like to have the flexibility to edit in post. As much as I aim for in-camera, nothing beats really tweaking the photo to match what I really see.

I think the T5 might have gotten me into photography but the T6i is definitely turning me into a gearhead. I’m starting to really dial in what I like; the articulated screen, ergonomics and the compatibility for a wireless shutter release. The hard thing to buy into is it burns through the battery a bit quick compared to my T5. I may never own a T7 which could be the last DSLR I could possibly own, but I’m pretty happy with the T6i.

Because I bought it a bit used and abused, I just have a few things that make me twitch. Through the viewfinder I can see a tiny crack or something and it makes me obsessed about it. Probably because of the lens changes, I feel it gets dirt in itself a bit easily. But it is inherent in any interchangeable lens system. Mitigation and not elimination to dirt and dust.

Some cool news though is Canon might be announcing the 90D, which is a bit of an enthusiast’s camera. From all the articles bouncing around, it sounds like something up my alley besides being a mirrorless body. I like looking through the viewfinder but I find it annoying to turn on the camera just to use the viewfinder. However they’re still offering newer and better cameras with the EF and EF-S lens mount. At first I liked the look of the EOS R and I might at some point look into getting one. Just to claim I have a full frame. I hate the idea of buying a camera to have to purchase an adapter to all my lenses from the same manufacturer. Like if I came across a Nikon body, then maybe an adapter for the my Canon lens. Though I might just sell my system which I won’t really do. I’m pretty happy with the Canon product line besides feeling I possess an obsolete lens mount. RF or EF? I still feel there is much life in the EF mount.

Pornography/Nude Photography?

I admit, I do look at nude photography on occasion. At the same time, I do look at porn like most of everyone else. As a person who appreciate great photography, I recently came across a photo on 500px with comments condoning the image as pornographic.

How can one image be lewd to another? In short, context (Blog post done, see ya next time!)

So what is this offending image? In words: a vagina. Too broad?

Okay in layman’s term, it’s a close up picture of a vagina with fingers which look like someone is masturbating.

As a bit of a shutterbug, I see it quite deeper. On the surface, it’s a woman masturbating and a close up of her vagina. But I also see the composition, the colours, the other elements which make the photo. At the same time, I see the same elements in other photos of men and women nude in other photos. I’ve seen photos of men posed with their penis and women with breasts out. And yes in these photos have subtle or exaggerated creative elements. The contrast of lighting, the use of space, the colour to attract the eye, leading lines and use natural and artificial shapes. Am I looking way too deep into the photo? Probably. Am I a pervert? Probably.

Yet in this lone photo that has triggered me to write this post, 3 people commented on this photo are crying out and I paraphrase.

“Very lewd, highly pornographic. Unsuitable for this site.”

“This isn’t what this website is about. No substance or meaning.”

“Disgusting.”

To me, these are also the thoughts in my mind when I see nudes. At the same time, I do see the value in the photo. Perhaps I have an open and expansive mind. I guess it’s why I hold my tongue to comment publicly on nude photography. Some see it as perversion while others see the artist capturing beauty in their own way.

Though I wouldn’t say all porn is artistic, I wouldn’t say all art is pornographic. It’s how you see it in your own mindset and in that sense, it’s not the artist that’s perverted.

It’s you.