Aerial Photography and Psychology

Vincent LaForet is a very talented videographer and Photographer. He shot aerial photographs of different cities around the world - some day - some night - some sunset.

Enthusiasm v. Procrastination and Entry to 2016

Sunday, 12/27/15, five days before the start of a New Year, Abraham-Hicks has an interesting and powerful quote to start off our new Year. 

HAPPY JESUS' BIRTHDAY

Today we celebrate the birth of a man, who was intimately connected with God. 

His name is Jesus. 

He was not interested in statistics. He didn’t deify timing, status, ego, wealth, territory. He didn’t try to motivate (1) people by dangling a carrot in front of them … if they do this … then they will achieve this physical object or reward.

He was a man who spoke in parables, stories that open windows on a deeper reality.

Being Myself

“To be yourself in a world

that is constantly trying 

to make you something else

is the greatest accomplishment..”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (1)

How do I be myself?

Seeing v. Looking

Robert Rodriquez Jr in his photography blog (1) 

states "seeing is a process that starts with looking and observing.” I found it interesting that he did not include judging, justifying, or comparing. He is intrigued by simply looking, observing, experiencing that which unfolds or is created in front of us.

Theory and Practice ~ Form v. Experience

In his blog, Robert Rodriquez Jr  Robert Rodriquez Jr Website quoted Albert Einstein  who said– 

“In theory, theory and practice are the same. 

In practice, they are not.”  

Christmas ... a few thoughts

What is Christmas? Is it for Christians? 

We are two weeks from Christmas day ... what is the real story behind this God-man who we celebrate on the 25th?

DNG Format - Pros and Cons

I have been using Adobe Lightroom for the last few years to catalog, edit and process all my digital files. I think it is a great program. I have also relied on Martin Evening's books on Lightroom to help me learn all the features of Lightroom.

I came across an interesting article by Tom Hogarty who had Martin explain the benefits and cons of the Adobe DNG format.

Tom Hogarty on his Photoshop Blog has an interesting perspective on the Pros and Cons of converting your photos to Adobe’s DNG format (both Raw & JPEGS). He has Martin Evening who is an Adobe Lightroom Guru explain the benefits of DNG.

Check out the article at Pros and Cons of DNG format

An African Photographer's Journey ~ Mario Macilau

Mario Macilau, an African Photographer's journey, was recently highlighted in the BBC Magazine. 

The article traces his journey of falling in love with photography and becoming successful as a photographer.  He started as a street child, the beginning would not seem to point him in the direction of becoming successful in any way, much less as a photographer. 

LIFE is like a CAMERA IN MANY WAYS

LIFE is like a CAMERA 
IN MANY WAYS

1. It is definitely necessary to focus on the image ...  on what you want to create. 
2. Use the histogram (meditation and your emotions) to feel whether your image is what you want to express or experience

Masks Beauty or Defense

Masks - the Paradox
Are Masks to hide?
Are Masks a thing of beauty?

Cells and Creative Life Force

"Every cell in your body has a direct relationship 

with Creative Life Force, and 

each cell is independently responding.

When you feel joy, all the circuits are open and

the Life Force or God Force can be fully received ..."

Check out www.Abraham-Hicks.com for the complete quote.

Interesting how the body responds to emotional feelings !!!

Meditation, Appreciation and Intent ~ Three of six elements to start your day

One of my favorite sources of guidance is Abraham-Hicks and their books and their daily quote.
they emphasize the importance of meditation and appreciation.
I can across a photographer that includes Meditation and appreciation in his daily morning rituals. 
Check out his short video clip.
6 Things I Do for a Happy + Productive Day | ChaseJarvis RAW Episode 07 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuYdlHsWm-c

 

Does training, education work against us?

        An interesting  article on the BBC, “Can training kill off genius?”[i] has some serious provocative questions for education and training. It has serious even more provocative questions for personal development.  The author focuses on an artwork  “The Hungry Lion” by Henri Rousseau. Rousseau had a routine job and was not trained in the contemporary system of art during his life. He painted according to his imagination. When his works were viewed by the establishment, especially by the art critics, he was mocked and ridiculed.

     Fellow artists, Gauguin, Picasso, and Van Gogh recognized Rousseau’s genius. Interestingly Rousseau was self-taught. He used his vision, his imagination and his creativity to create and please himself.

     Years ago, 

Money ... a reflection

“Money is nothing more than a reflection of your creativity, your capacity to focus and your ability to add value

and receive back.”  Tony Robbins

 

Robbins, T. (2014). Money Master the Game: 7 simple steps to Financial Freedom. New York, Simon & Schuster.
    

A thought about money to meditate on this weekend.

Tony, presents a whole new way of seeing money as a tool to grow, share and enable a person to live a more fulfilled life. Money is a tool for our own growth and enables us to help others as well.

Birthday Reflections

Reflections on a Birthday

& the gifts of celebration

Two weeks

After the day

Official Photographer Komen Race for the Cure

Last Sunday, September 13th, 2015 I was honored to be one of the official Photographers for the Komen Race for the Cure Event  in Central Park.


I was very impressed by the spirit and emotional energy of all the people who attended and supported the healing of cancer.

The photos of these great people are on my facebook photography page ... check it out

Virgo Rising

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Pun intended

Birthday Celebration

Today is the celebration of my birth

Aeons ago.

Greeted in AM by

Patterns of wispy clouds

How beautiful

Perspective: + / - a Lunch Conversation

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     The other day, I had lunch with a friend and colleague. Both of us where in the same age bracket; both professionally accomplished with graduate degrees and history of professional accomplishments.

 

     Both of us were not in a great place, not where we were envisioning for ourselves. We talked about professional direction, financial flow and relationship issues.

     My friend said “We are in the same age bracket, and in a similar situation … we are not where we need to be.”

She then added “How can you be optimistic about professional direction and improved financial flow?” How can you speak positively of being in love? … How can you be happy?”

     What makes the perspective of happy or unhappy.

     Is being happy dependent on data that presents itself?

Humor ~ Elements of the Healing Vibration ~ Elements of the Beast

Reflections on Humor, Pt III

I would like to share my reflections on both the Healing Vibrations of Humor and the strange beast that masks itself behind humor.

I am going to break my thoughts into sections. I would like to invite you to ask questions or comment on my thoughts.

Prerequisites for Humor

Humor is a whole body experience

Strange Beast ~ Humor pt 2

     Our second story on the journey of exploring humor, deals with the strange beast.

     Come back with me in time to a period when I was ten years old. It was early on a Saturday morning. The weather was beautiful. My Dad decided that it was a good time to clean the basement.

Strange Beast or Healing Vibration: Some dynamics of Humor

Strange Beast or Healing Vibration: Some dynamics of Humor

     I was invited to give a speech on humor by the Toastmaster group 1095. 

     On Wednesday, Aug 12^th, I presented my speech. It was well received.

     I will be presenting the material of the speech in my blog over a series of entries.

     I invite you my blog readers to come with me on a journey into two stories that are real. I lived them. Imagine yourself with me as I share my stories.

The 7 Meter Conundrum

7 Meters

Physical Distance

Vibrational Distance

Emotional Distance

Bearing ... 7 meters

lens to eye

Engagement

Fireworks and Light Painting - 97 images

Just posted 97 images from Fireworks and Light Painting on my Facebook Photography Page ...

Check it out.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1115791331769920.1073741831.147419191940477&type=3&uploaded=66

JULY 4TH FIREWORKS IMAGES

ON  JULY 4TH, I headed out to capture some firework images.
I will share some of these images here on my blog.


Hope you enjoy the images.
Later in the week, I will post some additional images on Facebook.
Stay tuned for announcement. 

Photography and Fireworks

Some photo tips to capture fireworks

July 4th in the United States is a day of celebration of the birth of our nation.

Many place have fireworks displays.

If you have a chance to see the fireworks live, it is a fantastic experience.

I would like to give some suggestions if you would like to capture the fireworks display that you are enjoying.

Depth of Feeling

An author once said:

‘Great _____________ is about depth of feeling …’

Emotional impact …

You feel like this is where you want to be –

You’re inspired

And in the flow,

Distracting thoughts all but non-existent.[i], [ii]

Is the author talking about Intimacy? Being in love?

The Gift of the Dancing Butterfly

My friends Dr Magdy, and Dr Nora  invited me

to the concert by their son Amir

at bandshell on LI.

 Dr. Miriam, Dr. Nora's sister joined us.

'bout 10 musicians and lead singer

Felt so good

“What makes love last?” Do numbers have the answer?

     “What makes love last?” Do numbers have the answer? A review of Dr. Gottman's book, 

“What makes Love last? How to build trust and avoid betrayal: Secrets from the Love Lab” 

     Life is a paradox. When you think of love, do you think of numbers?  When I think of love, I think of warm ~  caring feelings, an embrace, a kiss. I think about the positive personal vibrational interaction between two people.

     Dr. John Gottman looks at love through a “trust metric,”

Eyes and vulnerability of Soul ~ a Question of Focus

 Continuing my thoughts on Mr. Costandi's article.

     According to Mr. Costandi “… eye movements can both reflect and influence higher mental functions such as memory and decision-making, and betray our thoughts, beliefs, and desires. … – but it also leaves us vulnerable to subtle manipulation ….”

     Perhaps the level of revelation of our eyes depends on two factors: first focused awareness and the feeling of connection or disconnection, and second the need for defense. If we are conscious of our feeling and thinking, we can chose to share with our eyes or to don our mask and withhold.

    If we are unfocused and allow things to just unfold, the eyes will be reactive, i.e. reflective of our emotions and thinking. To a trained observer, the eyes will reveal much of our intentions and emotional feelings. This revelation, for the person being observed, will most likely be on a subconscious level. On this level, the unfocused reactive person could be subject to manipulation or be used by the observer on a conscious and intentional manner. If on the other hand we are focused on our awareness of our thinking and feeling, it is less likely that our eyes will mirror or reveal our thoughts or feelings unless we chose to do so on a conscious level. By consciously being focused on our experience, we can visualize a contrast in what is unfolding before us and make a choice whether we want to continue the interaction or change our focus to find something more interesting or less likely to manipulate us into behavior that is not liked by us.

     The other important element in considering whether the eyes reveal our inner thoughts is the issue of defense. If we evaluate the stimulus as being unpleasant or threatening, we can shift into defensive mode. At a certain level of defense, the eyes become glossed over (not from use of drugs or alcohol) or masked, most likely by a subconscious shifting. In essence the eyes become closed or begin to insulate us from the stimulus that is before us. This all happens on a vibrational level.

     A skilled listener, salesperson, official, a criminal or a person with psychopathic tendencies, can pick up the intention, thoughts or feelings of an individual who is not aware of their own thoughts or feelings and use the thoughts or feelings that have not been consciously offered to them as a tool to manipulate or control the individual.

     It seems to me that the manipulation is not due to what the eye reveals but rather with the intention of the person reading the eyes to bypass the person’s conscious evaluation and push or manipulate the person to the choice that they want the person to make.

     The emotional energies of the soul or the inner being (thinking and feeling) of a person are great tools that we sometimes neglect. In order to tap into them, I recommend that my clients use a breathing meditation at least twice a day. The breathing meditation helps a person go inside and validate themselves; it helps the person clarify their path.  Once the person centers themselves from the core of their inner being, they are less vulnerable to manipulation. They are more focused and able to choose to share or to withhold their thoughts and feelings.

Eyes and our Emotional Energy

     Are our eyes connected to emotional energy?

    Are our eyes connected to our soul?

     Mo Costandi wrote an interesting article, “How eyes betray our thoughts,”[i] on the BBC online.[ii]

     Mo Costandi, starts with the often repeated “… the eyes are the window into the soul.”

     He then looks at science from a machine perspective

APRIL CHILL, SNOW, LOVE

APRIL CHILL, SNOW, LOVE

Early morning

End of April

Wintery Cold, Windy

Couple with young child ahead

All out to get breakfast [1]

I held the door

Allowed couple with child

To go ahead

Canopy on 34th Street

Photo & Text © Ralph M. Ferraro,  2015

34^th Street Canopy

Taking a break from teaching

I wandered thru the streets of midtown

Many thoughts crowding my mind

Spotted a Visual Contrast

Focused on a square on 34^th Street

Approached and Glanced up

Wow

The contrast the dark tree branches

The beautiful fruit from the tree – the flowers

Reflections of the city beyond the Canopy.

A young lady came about 1 meter in front to my right

She had the same idea

Raised her phone and sought to capture the beauty of the canopy.

The joy of open minds to see the beauty that is before us

Details of photo

• Manual Focus  & Exposure

• ISO 200, f 9, S 1/125, FL 4/3rds 35mm (35mm equivalent  of 70mm)
• RAW ~  Uncropped ~ Adobe RGB