Divine Aesthetics: The Blog

With Sheep, Er, DnD

There's the old joke of adding "...with sheep" to the end of any fortune cookie in order to make it sick and wrong, but what if we combined games instead?

Commissioned has a neat idea bout combining board games with RPGs.

Chocolate and peanut butter, indeed. :)

Vash Hans

"Staff must vash Hans"

... ven Hans starts to smell vunny, vun has to make sure he's been vashed thoroughly. Don't vorget to vash behind the ears.

What I Did Today

>My wife got me a "backstage pass" to tour the projection booth of a movie theater. Pictures! Woohoo!

What I did this weekend...

Want to see more?

New Avatars

I was bored (Ok, so I was procrastinating...), so I made a few new icons for your (and by "your," I mean "my") blogging pleasure. Enjoy.

Fruit Slayer Movie

While tearing down a storage shed for our father's birthday, my sister Gretchen decided to do something a little more ... recreational. Click the pic to get the quicktime movie in a new window.

Ad Perpetuam Memoriam

A.O.T.M. 27 - The Fountain (.mov)

Name: The Fountain
Length: 1:19
Size: 3.1 MB
When: 2004
CD Available?: No

I made this under the same circumstances as the Stairs animation, but now that I knew that I could do it I added a little image editing into the mix. I have to say that when I show portions of my animations to my students they enjoy the ending to this one the most.

A.O.T.M. 26 - Stairs.mov

Name: stairs.mov
Length: 0:32
Size: 1.9 MB
When: 2004
CD Available?: No

Over a year ago I was alone late at night in a hospital (my wife was sick and visiting hours were over), unable to sleep but having access to a digital camera and a laptop, I created this short little movie.

I started off simply taking a picture then moving too steps forward, and the whole thing progressed from there. It gets a little choppy near the top of the stairs (that's 8 flights, by the way ...) but I still like how everything turned out.

A.O.T.M. 25 - Lullaby

Name: Lullaby.mp3
Length: 3:04
Size: 3.5 MB
When: 2004
CD Available?: No

This is my second A.O.T.M. offering created with Apple's GarageBand software. The first one (Ominous) I posted because my sister Gretchen liked it. This one is here because my wife said she likes it.

And that's only fitting, since I made it for her.

As some of you reading this may know, Kelli was very sick for most of last year. Among other things, her blood pressure would go through the roof and she would have massive anxiety attacks. To help her relax I brought in a CD player and a bunch of CDs with calm, relaxing music on them.

At the same time I was just starting to mess around with GarageBand. I made some garbage, but I also made several songs (including this one) that I didn't think were too shabby. This one's primary influence was my overwhelming desire for Kelli to just stay calm and have a normal blood pressure.

Now Kelli's home safe and sound, and we both enjoy listening to this and several other songs when we're about to fall asleep. I hope you enjoy it as well.

A.O.T.M. 24 - Not So Bleak

Name: Not So Bleak
Where: Seabrook, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes


They say the camera never lies, but "they" are wrong. With a camera I can tell any number of stories, each of them seeming entirely plausible and each of them being misleading in some way.

This picture, for example, was taken on a dreary, rainy December day. The leaves had long ago fallen off those branches, turned brown, and begun to decompose. When I took this picture I thought I would keep it just as I saw it, but later when I was looking at it on my laptop I decided to play with the colors and saturation to make two extremes.

This photo had it's saturation increased and shifted a bit into orange while it's sister image, "Bleak," had the saturation reduced as much as I dared without making it a grayscale image. The result was an almost cheerful soggy fall photo (even though it was really winter) and a depressing,rainy winter photo (which was more true to life, but over-exaggerated nonetheless.

I don't always play around with them like this, but I thought it was nice to see how a single image could be pushed in two different directions.

A.O.T.M. 23 - Winter Sky

Name: Winter Sky
Where: Greenbelt, Maryland
When: 2005
Print Available?: Yes

After waiting so long for a decent snow storm in which I can take pictures, what do I do? Take pictures of the trees instead of the ground, of course!

Well, I guess you can sort of see the snow - that's why the trees are so hazy in the background.

It's been a long time since I took a photograph that I felt would look better off in black & white. I remember when I took photography in college, B&W was the only type of film the intro students were allowed to use, since it was easier to process. This limitation actually helped us become better photographers, as we had to work hard to keep from being distracted by color. Color had nothing to do with our assignments, they were all about light, shadow, and how the two interacted. (Of course B&W photography by default looks more "artsy," so photos that would look like crap in color sometimes looked much nicer without it.) I enjoyed the class so much that I continued to use B&W film for some time after I lost darkroom privileges. (As an Art Ed. major, I rarely had the time to take an upper level course outside of my main curriculum. Jack of all trades, master of none.)

Now the easiest film to process is digital, and that's color by default. Usually, that's not a hassle. Most people WANT color - Color photos, color printers, color TV's, color LCD panels on their MP3 players, and so on. Other times, it's nicer to get back to your roots (no pun intended - the it's a picture of trees, after all...) and leave the color out of the equation.

A.T.O.M. 22 - Ominous.mp3

Name: Ominous.mp3
Length: 2:28
Size: 2.8 MB
When: 2004
CD Available?: No

The nice thing about Apple's GarageBand program is than now anyone with a Mac can now arrange their own music, with or without an instrument. Of course, this can also be a bad thing. Heaven only knows how many times I fiddled with this program and came up with absolute rubbish.

Every now and then I make a mix that I actually feel is worth saving, and this is one of them. I handed it over to my oldest sister, and she fired back an e-mail that not only did SHE like it, but several people at work also enjoyed it. This might sound like nothing to you, but she plays at least 4 different instruments so I value her opinion.

That's why today's Artwork of the Moment is "Ominous." If I recieve any positive criticism I may upload more of my songs, but for now I think I'll still focus on photographs.

A.O.T.M. 21 - Lost

Name: Lost
Where: Seabrook, Maryland
When: 2005
Print Available?: Yes

This is another shot I took at my school - one of the first shots of 2005, actually.

I have a thing for fog and mist. Idunno, maybe I like the forced atmospheric perspective it creates, or maybe it just forces everyone to see the world like I do without my glasses. (My vision's 20/400 without them, that would make me legally blind.)

In any case, the haziness of this picture really caught my attention. I've received some criticism about just how hazy it is, but you know, when I was editing it I just couldn't find a variation that I thought looked better.

Changes

Due to deviantART no longer allowing images to be viewed on other servers (I'm surprised it lasted this long, actually...), I've had to make some minor changes to the "Artwork of the Moment" section. All images have now been replaced with links to the appropriate deviantART pages.

Sorry about that.

---

UPDATE: I'm slowly moving thumbnail pics over to my own server so that you can at least see a small version of the picture without having to click a link. I'm starting from the most recent entries and working my way back.

A.O.T.M. 20 - Droplets 4

Name: Droplets 4
Where: Seabrook, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes

Most people feel naked without clothes (I would hope so!) Some people feel naked without their weding ring, lucky hat, watch, or some other small trinket. I feel naked without my camera - I litterally carry it everywhere I go.

As a result, I have it on hand when I go to my various schools and see shots that are worth taking. Of course it doesn't hurt that I take a walk around each building on a regular basis.

A.O.T.M. 19 - Harbor Night 4

Name: Harbor Night 4
Where: Baltimore, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes

Kelli's home now, but when she was in the hospital I took many a walk around the harbor after dark.

When I saw this scene I just had to take a picture. The combination of contrast and one point perspective really called out to me, like one of those night time street scenes usually reserved for film noir detective stories.

I can almost picture some guy in a brown overcoat hanging out on a nearby bench, waiting for his snitch to slink over and give him the dirt on the local mob boss.

Of course, sometimes I have an overactive imagination.

A.T.O.M. 18 - Looking Up 1

Name: Looking Up 1
Where: Glen Burnie, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes

I wanted my 4th grade classes to do a lesson on perspective with an unusual point of view, so I decided straight up would be good for that. I had them drawing trees instead of buildings (the traditional subject mater for a beginner's perspective lesson) because they were also studying national parks and natural resources.

Of course I needed an example of trees from that point of view, so one day after school I walked out into my front yard, looked up, and took a couple of snapshots. This is the best of those, and in fact the only one I kept.

A.O.T.M. 17 - Lights 1

Name: Lights 1
Where: Glen Burnie, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes

I set up the Christmas lights last Friday, and this is what they look like through our curtains. I was so taken by the translucent shapes that I immediately set up the tripod and snapped the center pic. In a moment of inspiration I rotated the camera to the left and right on the tripod and took the left and right pics.

A quick photoshopping later, and ta da!

At the time I'm writing this I think this image has gotten more comments on DeviantART than any of my other submissions. That's not saying much, but it's still saying something.

A.O.T.M. 16 - Rain Falls Down 3

Name: Rain Falls Down 3
Where: Baltimore, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes

I don't intend to always post multiple images from the same series, but I think this and Rain Falls Down 2 were different enough to each merit unique viewing.

The main difference, of course, is the fact that there are people in this shot. I don't usually like to include people in my photographs. Sometimes it takes me a while to pick just the right composition (so I don't have to crop later), and unless they're posing for the shot (ack, stiff & everyone's smiling!) people aren't always willing to stay still for very long.

True, there are some times I "shoot from the hip," so to speak, but most times I'd rather not.

In this case I was neither spontaneous or avoiding people. I actually think that if I had waited a little bit longer I could have gotten a better shot with more umbrellas.

What I like about this picture the most is how I managed to keep the water drops in sharp focus while everything beyond them is blurry enough to give it anonymity.

A.O.T.M. 15 - Night Leaves 1

Name: Night Leaves 1
Where: Lexington Park, Maryland
When: 2002
Print Available?: No

There seems to be a universal appeal for the high contrast that's created using a flash at night. I've even seen one book discuss how night photography gives everything a "theatrical" appearance.

I don't know about all of that, but I did like the idea of getting a picture of JUST green leaves. I later used this pic as fodder to make a t-shirt design where every letter was composed of leaves. I'll post that picture soon enough.

A.O.T.M. 14 - Car Rain 3

Name: Car Rain 3
Where: St. Mary's County, Maryland
When: 2002
Print Available?: Yes

I seem to have an unusual fascinaton with rain.

I took this picture shortly after I started carying my digital camera with me everywere I went, and I'm so glad I did. Kelli and I were caught in a cloudburst that was so powerful we pulled over to wait it out while the rain came down violently.

The water cascading off of the car created an interesting look to the world around us - it's like God's impressionist filter, and that's why I like this picture.

A.O.T.M. 13 - Rain Falls Down 2

Name: Rain Falls Down 2
Where: Baltimore, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes

I took this while looking through the window of Baltimore's Barnes & Noble. While it WAS raining, the drops were just stuck to the glass.

This picture was taken around the same time as Rain Falls Down 3 (I was standing in the same spot, to tell the truth), and yet the composition in the background is much different. This shot is more like what I normally go for - interaction of nature with "X" (where "X" can be anything, including nature again) with no humans to be seen.

It's odd, then, that I still think a Rain Falls Down 3 is a better picture. I guess it only goes to show that in aesthetics, few laws are absolute.

Posted by Blake Emrys at 10:40 PM
Edited on: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 5:33 PM
Categories: Artwork of the Moment
|

A.O.T.M. 12 - Harbor Night 2

Name: Harbor Night 2
Where: Baltimore, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes

I love shots like this where the lights reflect imperfectly on the water. This scene looks entirely different during the day.

I suppose I like this shot more because of it's strong contrast - you know, the whole "a light shines brightest in the dark" bit. That, and the fact that I'm a fan of Impressionism.

True, this is a photograph rather than an impressionist painting, but the focus here is on the placement of value and color - something that impressionist artists are well known for. (I dare you to find a high school Art textbook that DOESN'T mention van Gogh or Cezanne in it's chapter on color.)

A.O.T.M. 11 - Misty Morn 2

Name: Misty Morn 2
Where: Glen Burnie, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes

Every now and then I see a scene that is so nice that if I don't take a picture I regret it for some time to come. Sometimes I can take these shots from the car, like yesterday's Overpass 2. Today's image made me take a trip down a side road and get out so I could take the best compositions.

You wouldn't know it from the image itself, but I was literally standing in the middle of the street for this picture. Of course, I kept an eye out for traffic while I was snapping photos. I took several photos like this, although I'm only posting this one for now.

I love foggy shots. I think it's because the increased atmospheric perspective helps emphasise the foreground so well, and at the same time adds a sense of ambiguity to the middle ground and background.

A.O.T.M. 10 - Overpass 2

Name: Overpass 2
Where: Baltimore Beltway, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: No

I saw this shot on a day trip to Pennsylvania to celebrate Easter with my family. Alas, my camera was tucked away in my pocket and I wasn't fool enough to dig it out with that many lanes of traffic.

The way home was a different story - I knew I would drive under it again, so I got my camera out when it was safe to do so and just kept it by my side for the whole drive.

What I like about this shot is the linear aspect of ... well ... just about everything in the shot. The columns, the road I was on, and the three bridges going overhead all combine to form a giant criss-cross resembling something from when I did graphing in Math class.

A.O.T.M. 9 - Stump 2

Name: Stump 2
Where: Camp Minsi, Pennsylvania
When: 2000
Print Available?: No

OK, I promise to avoid stumps for a while after this. ;)

The emphasis on this "Stump" differs from the first one in that here it's on the rocks under the water rather on the wood jutting out. I like how it turned out, but to tell the truth, that wasn't my intent.

If you look closely on the left hand side there's a small spider web that can just barely be made out. It was my original goal to capture that on film, but fortunately for me there were other things which stood out more.

A.O.T.M. 8 - Stump 1

Name: Stump 1
Where: Camp Minsi, Pennsylvania
When: 2000
Print Available?: No

My week at Camp Minsi in 2000 was a great time for me. I was no longer a Boy Scout as I was over 18, and as a leader in the troop I ironically had fewer responsibilities. I went to camp planning (and succeeding) to spend more time working on my art - drawing, photography, and even writing.

This pic here is one of several I took on a nice calm morning. The lake was like a sheet of glass, giving a very nice effect all over.

A.O.T.M. 7 - Angel

Name: Angel
Where: Kutztown, Pennsylvania
When: 1998
Print Available?: Yes

This statue was a grave marker for an 11 year old girl who died just before 1900. For the longest time after I took this picture I believed this to be the best photo I had ever taken
Now, I'm not so sure it's the overall best ... but it's still one of my favorites. I think it's because of how the sky and a good portion of the statue are so bright, thus really defining the shadows that exist.

A.O.T.M. 6 - Road 4

Name: Road 4
Where: Maryland(?)
When: 2001
Print Available?: No

Every now and then I like to take pictures at night without a flash. When I do this, especially when I'm in a car, the lights form some really nice patterns.

I find it interesting when I can take a media known for it's realism and use it to create art that borders on the abstract. This was not the first time I took a shot like this, and it will be far from the last.

One of these days I'm going to rig up a camera mount to the windshield (or better yet, the hood) and see just how many pictures I can take.

Today is not that day, but it will happen.

A.O.T.M. 5 - Slum 2

Name: Slum 2
Where: Baltimore, Maryland
When: 2004
Print Available?: Yes

In spite of the name, this is not in fact a slum. The back of the building looks like this because the businesses in the front see no reason to keep the rest of the place looking nice when nobody sees it.

This shot, along with many others that I feel no need to place online, was taken from a parking garage owned by the University of Maryland Medical Center - one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever had the pleasure of walking through. It is unfortunate that my wife had to be a patient there in order for me to see the place.

Yes, I used the "cutout" filter found in Photoshop for this one. At the time I was using a very poor resolution digital camera and I thought this would be an easy way to increase the quality and edit out some of the clutter at the same time. Now that I have a better camera I still like it this way I don't mind adding quick filters like this so long as I avoid becoming a one-trick pony.

A.O.T.M. 4 - After the Muck Hike

Name: After the Muck Hike
Where: Camp Minsi, Pennsylvania
When: 2000
Print Available?: No

Some of my fondest childhood memories come from when I was a Boy Scout. I enjoyed it so much in fact that when I turned 18 and could no longer be a scout I decided to become a leader.

I was in fact a leader when this picture was taken, following the Camp Minsi tradition of going on a long hike through the local swamp. The Minsi Swamp, appropriately placed alongside Lake Minsi, is over five feet deep in some places. Some of these boys were not quite four feet tall, as shown by how much mud is covering their bodies.

I think I displayed fine decision making processes throughout this event. In other words, I took "before" and "after" pictures while never actually going on the hike myself.

This was summer camp, after all. The showers weren't that accommodating.

A.O.T.M. 3 - Sky

Name: Sky
Where: Point Lookout, Maryland
When: 2002
Print Available?: No

Yesterday's picture may have been an example of me keeping my camera with me at all times, but this pic is from a time when Kelli and I deliberately went out to sight-see.

At the time we were living in St. Mary's County, so Point Lookout was a mere 30 minute drive from our apartment. We took many a sojurn to those not-so-fabled shores, and my photographs from there even predate my use of digital photography.

One thing I've noticed about southern Maryland is how much the weather changes. When you're almost completely surrounded by water, you get a lot of percipitation - and I mean a LOT!

It can roll in pretty fast from the ocean as well, as those clouds in the photo actually did. Soon after I captured this image, we were headed for the car to aviod the impending cloudburst.

A.T.O.M. 2 - Fog

Name: Fog
Where: Behind my school
When: 2002
Print Available?: Yes

I know, I know, this pic is really old - but I still like it.

Pictures like this are the reason I take my camera everywhere with me. The only reason I was there was to go to work, not to look for pretty pictures. If I hadn't had my camera with me this scene of aesthetic beauty would have been lost in time forever.

Now, I can use it to suck away at your precious bandwidth! Heh. :)

A.O.T.M. 1 - Candle

Name: Candle
Where: My in-laws' kitchen table
When: 2003
Print Available?: Yes

This is the first pic I ever posted to DeviantART and I still like to stare at it from time to time.

You can't see it in the photo, but my Mother-in-law always had a pile of stuff on the kitchen table. Papers, coupons, notes, whatever, it was always cluttered.

In spite of that, the lit candle in the center of the table looked wonderful in the dark like that. It's almost like her life, actually. They always had one problem or another, but I never thought of Kelli's Mom with anything but respect and admiration. She was a great woman, and a light in the darkness.