Fences

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

This is not a reference to August Wilson’s play by the same name…although that work would certainly be another example of the theme of this post.

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

While fences come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials, they all serve a singular purpose-to provide a barrier of some sort, a means of demarcating a territory or position.

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

It is also important to recognize that fences need not have a physical presence.  Sociology makes a distinction between material and non-material culture.  Material culture consists of physical objects-that which can be seen, touched, held.  The fences/walls depicted here would be representations of that concept.

Non-material culture has no physical presence.  We know it exists, though, as it provides a strong influence on behaviour.  Non-material culture generally consists of our beliefs, values, norms, and language, depending on which Sociology 101 textbook you read.  Beliefs are that which we hold to be true-if we believe in something, it is real to us, no matter if there is no credible evidence to support it:  conspiracy theories are a useful example here, as is QAnon.  Values are how we decide right/wrong, good/bad, acceptable/unacceptable-we make value judgments.  These are usually an extension of our belief system.  Ethnocentrism is a good example of this interaction.  When one is practicing ethnocentrism, one views the world through the lived culture-that is what is “right”.  If another culture differs in any way, that culture is then judged to be less than, inferior, and “wrong”.  Norms, short for “normal”, are the expected behaviours a society has for its members-norms are how we know how to behave in a given situation.  These are also shaped by our beliefs and values-if one goes to a political rally and does not wear a mask because members of that party do not believe it to be necessary and so do not wear them either, it becomes a norm for that group.  Finally, language is the manner by which we convey all of this.  David Livingstone-Smith argues that without language, there could be no culture-we have to have some means by which to transmit our ideas and expectations to the next generation.  If that does not happen, then the culture will cease to exist.  That is one reason for the boarding schools to which indigenous peoples’ children were sent in the U.S.  The children were not able to practice their traditions, wear their customary clothing, or speak their language.  This is often referred to as “cultural genocide”

Barriers, indeed.

This political season brings much to this discussion…the manner by which voting is being suppressed, for example.  That we have this issue is chilling for our fundamental democracy.  Unchecked power and the willingness to trample political norms is at the root of such erosion in our system.  The first is what makes the second possible.

Be safe and well.

 

RIP RGB

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

These photographs are from Devil’s Den in Gettysburg, PA.  This was the site of some of the most ferocious fighting during one the most pivotal battles of the Civil War.

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Those who have followed the news would recognize that Justice Ginsburg’s death has set the stage for one of the more critical, and most likely politically ferocious, battles over the future of the Supreme Court.  When Justice Antonin Scalia died, Senator Mitch McConnell made it clear that the Senate would not entertain his replacement-President Obama had recommended Judge Merrick Garland.  Senator McConnell did not even grant Judge Garland an interview.  This was eight months before the 2016 presidential election.

Now, with less than two months until the 2020 presidential election, Senator McConnell has vowed to hold a vote on President Trump’s nomination, which is a clear reversal of his previous position.

This is precisely what Justice Ginsburg did not want.  It appears that she fought mightily to prevent just this scenario.

In the novel True Grit (there are two movie versions), Maddie Ross goes in search of Rooster Cogburn because he was a man with “true grit”, and she was determined to make right from wrong.  As the story unfolds, Ms. Ross demonstrates her own grit.

RGB had true grit, which she quite ably demonstrated until her death.  RIP-you will be missed.

Be safe and well.

Catastrophes

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Hurricane Sally made landfall as a Cat 2 hurricane…winds of that magnitude are bad enough, but the storm surge and copious amount of rain, combined with her slow speed, means that the affected areas are being inundated and flooded.  In addition, several more storms are forming in the Atlantic…

This is one of the paradoxes of climate change:  the West would welcome some of that rain…not all, as the fires have burned out so much vegetation that mudslides would be a concern.  Enough, though, to stifle the flames.  That would also help to wash the particulate matter from the sky as air quality issues extend well beyond the specific locations of the fires.  NPR reported that the Washington D.C. area would have a high-altitude haze a result of the burning on the other side of the country:  the jet stream is moving the smoke eastward.

With a pivot to the West, when discussing the wildfires with California officials, who made the connection between climate-change driven temperatures and drought, the president offered “It’ll start getting colder. You just-you just watch.” Please read this report from 2019 regarding the California “fire season”.  We also now have an answer to the question as what will be the next Paradise…

Interestingly, the president had said that warmer temperatures would make COVID-19 go away.  It did get warmer…and the pandemic continued, exploded really, as gatherers ignored control measures and flocked to what Maryland Governor Larry Hogan called “spring break behaviour”.  As has been the case in the past, the president continues to “contradict” the CDC.  This plays well with some; however, it puts everyone at increased risk.

As has been said before, these are man-made catastrophes.  Climate change has been a known issue for nearly half a century, and yet here we are.  There will always be the risk of the next global pandemic…and here we are.  Unfortunately, this is a pattern well-established in human behaviour-especially when the implementation of meaningful interventions runs contrary to perceived political and/or socioeconomic gain.  As long as there is an anti-science coalition among the most powerful, it will be difficult to make the necessary changes in both the short- and long-term.  For those who have already lost loved ones and/or property, that time has run out.

Condolences to all who are suffering in these catastrophes-wildfires, hurricanes, the pandemic.

Be safe and well.

 

Escalation

Copyright 2018 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Portions of the West Coast continue to burn in some of the largest wildfires in history, which seems to be a yearly descriptor now as the fires become larger and larger.

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Meanwhile, the Gulf Coast is bracing for the next round of storms.

Despite ample evidence of the escalation of such climate-related mayhem, the current administration continues down the path of climate change denial.  Please read through that report as it describes the efforts made to deceive the public and some of the organizations supporting such deception.

This hire is consistent with the current administration’s position on climate change…which is the problem.

Be safe and well.

 

Parking

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

It is quite useful to carry a camera when out and about as one cannot be sure what will be found.  Even if a “real” camera (yes, I am showing my bias) is not used, the built-in camera of any phone is often readily available.  It also happens to be smaller and lighter than almost any other camera rig, which makes it very convenient.

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

When in parking lots, I often look to see what photographs can be made from where I am sitting-this is a way to hone one’s compositional eye.  Using a zoom lens makes this a bit easier as the field-of-view and subsequent composition can be expanded or contracted depending on the focal length used.

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

This exercise also applies when using a fixed focal length (a lens with a single focal length-often referred to as a “prime” lens).  If I am using only one prime, it is usually a 35mm focal length as it is very versatile-as such, it is one of the (historically) standard focal lengths used by photojournalists.

Be safe and well.

Labour Day 2020

Copyright 2020 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

Today is Labour Day, a holiday in the U.S.  It is not known if the above store had not as yet opened for the day, was closed for the day, or was closed period.  Coronavirus has certainly taken its toll on many small businesses, although that linked report does document cautious optimism.  Overall, COVID-19 has had a variety of effects on employment and unemployment.

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

This store has a different history.  I photographed it twice, once in January 2008 and again in December 2008.  The only real difference was that the owner’s name had been removed from the roof.  In an unbelievable example of serendipity, an individual walked up while I was making the above photograph and asked what I was doing.  I told him the reason-that I was documenting conditions in the Lower 9th Ward three years after Katrina and had been there the previous January.  The man was the owner of the store.  He took the time to tell me that the flooding caused by the Industrial Canal breech during Katrina had destroyed the store.  Prior to the storm, he said, residents would gather on the bench and have talks into the night-that it was the center of the community.  He went on to say that he did not re-open because there were not enough residents returning to make this a viable business-that he had sold the property.

I passed one of my favourite stores today, and it was closed-the space was empty and available to rent.  It was a pleasant place in which to shop-the employees were quite friendly and the products sold quite good.  Truthfully, I do not know the reason for this particular store’s closing, just that it is now gone and will be missed.

Like COVID-19, the enhanced storms, wildfires, and sea level rise secondary to climate change have also created obstacles for small businesses to overcome.

Seeing as how this is Labour Day,  it is useful to think on the role mismanagement of both the acute pandemic and the chronic issues presented by climate change have had on small businesses and employment.

Given that, it is also especially helpful to support the small businesses in your community.

Be safe and well.

Broken Plate

Copyright 2008 Kevin P. Mick Photography. All rights reserved.

This photograph was initially included in the previous post-I removed it, though, as I wanted to give it a bit more attention as I consider this to be one of the more meaningful photographs I have made.

From a photographic standpoint, it was a relatively simple image to make.  As I was walking around looking at the ground, a habit I have cultivated since being a child, I came upon the plate.  This was clearly photographed from above.  The camera was on a tripod pointed straight down, and oriented to maximize the flatness of field (the back of the camera was parallel to the ground).  I do not remember the exposure, but it would have been based on the lighter tones of the plate, shells, and stones so that they did not burn out.  Pretty straightforward.

It is the context of the photograph that contains the meaning.  This was made in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, three years after Hurricane Katrina.  While I cannot definitively say when this plate arrived at this resting place or this state of being, it was there long enough to have the grasses grow around and over it and for other debris to be deposited upon it.  While somewhat dulled, the colours (the original file was in colour) and design remained-they were clearly legible.  The plate was broken, for sure, but still there.

I often speak of photographs as being metaphors…this is another case.

The plate speaks of a time forgotten and perhaps lost.  Who would have eaten off of it?  What kind of food would it have held?  For how long was it in service?  What exactly happened?

It was still there…that speaks to resilience.

Be safe and well.