Zombies in 2017?

Joe Edelman wrote an interesting article about the Zombies that he encountered who are photographers. Joe is an accomplished photographer. He states he has met many photographers in his travels who function like Zombies. 

Is 2017 to be the year of the Zombies?

Santa Claus ~ Commercial Icon ? ~ Teacher ?

Recently at an event,  I was asked if St. Nick (aka Santa Claus) was just a commercial icon to encourage us to buy things?
Or
Does St. Nick (Santa  Claus) have something to teach us?

My response was:

Awareness

A landscape photographer that I admire made an interesting statement in one of his recent blog posts.

"Awareness is what matters, not waiting, or expecting." Robert Rodriquez Jr.

Awareness 

Photo adventure in Germany - immersive ~ relationship

Great video on photography in Cologne ~
Fro shares the fun of photography ...
Also he shares how when he begins to photograph, he sees differently ...
His video indicates the possibilities of building, perhaps the key ingredient of great photography is relationship based whether it is with photo enthusiasts or with people on the street.

I  hope you enjoy Fro's presentation as much as I did.

FRO KNOWS PHOTO ~ PHOTOGRAPHY IN COLOGNE GERMANY

Being an Artist & a Lover

Dr. Gottman and his wife focus on helping couples improve their relationships.
This morning he featured Zach Brittle's comments on being an Artist and being in Relationship.

Being an artist and in a relationship ... Wow ... way to go!!!

"Ask any artist. 

Personal Development through Art

Do   Do you know how to connect with the Artist within
          The Secret is contained in this formula

Artists and the Square ... the story behind the image

Sunday afternoon
Washington Square

hand out flyers
Photography Workshop
Personal Development Workshop
Energy based
Relationship based

JH - Story behind the photo

Simple photo - Two smiling people ...

Perhaps not so simple ...

Patience and the Jackass

What seems a long time ago, 

at least 11 days 

Emotional Energy Workshop for Photography updated Time and Date

Emotional Energy

Workshop for Photography

Learn the basics about

Personal Development through Art Workshop updated Time and Date

Personal Development through Art

Unlocking the Secrets of the 

Trinity of Emotional Energy

Introduction to:

  the significance of Art

  The Artist within you

  The connection between Joy & Art

  The power of Art to connect

  Thinking Energy and Art

  Feeling Energy and Art

  Using Thinking Energies and Feeling energies synergistically

  Using the artistic energies within you to overcome any obstacle

This workshop is an introduction to using Art and the Trinity of Emotional Energy in ongoing workshops for personal development

Day	Saturday
Date	11/19/16
Time	1:00 > 3:00 PM
Cost	$30.00 (exact change please)
Location	Manhattan will be sent to those who RSVP
RSVP	to RmfTop@gmail.com by Friday,  11/11/16 ~ Walkins - space permitting

Workshops coming up

Hi dear readers

I am offering Two workshops:

1. A photo workshop for Toastmasters 
1. Wednesday Nov 2nd from 6PM
2. Details to follow via blog and Facebook.
2. A personal Development Workshop
1. Each of us is a creative artist
2. connecting with the artist inside
3. working with the power of emotional energy
4. Saturday, Nov 19 (update).

Email me for details

A different type of Group. All Toastmasters, the circumstances are different. Several of them just completed a speech and table topics contest. It was an evening of humorous speeches and table topics with a competitive edge. 

If you look closely, you can see 

Fun of Photographing a group

Photographing a group has it's challenges.
The usual challenges of knowing your equipment, balancing the lighting, etc.
The subtle challenges of relating to three to twenty or more people.

I have fun by:

Tips for a good portrait

Tips for a good portrait:

Photographing the SAFA event promoting China Tourism

Last Friday I was the Photographer for the "Mountain Park Colorful Guizhou" event

It was a great event showcasing Tourism & the beauty of China hosted by SAFA 

The images and stories presented reminded me of the joy of traveling, meeting new people and experiencing new cultures.

Positive Energy on the March ~ Komen Racers

On Saturday, I had the privilege of photographing the positive energy of people and families who are struggling with cancer.

Please enjoy their great spirit and positive energy by clicking the link below.

Freedom Tower

9/11 

Emotional Energy in Motion ~ Dancing

Emotional Energy in motion

Red Sentinel

Standing Tall

Glowing Red

Surrounded by beauty

Red Dancing

Photo and poem copyright Ralph M. Ferraro 2016

Red Swirls

Blue Jiggles

Dash of Green

Dancing

Who

What

Next abstract Friday

the Red Shadow

Photo and poem copyright Ralph M. Ferraro 2016
(1st of a series of abstracts)

What am I

Who am I

Simply

Breathing

Gold & Blue in Motion

Today, August 19th is World Photography Day.
Posted my photo "Gold & Blue in motion" on World Photography Day site on Facebook.

Working on a lot to great photos of Toastmasters @ their International Convention ... to be posted later in week.

Mystery "Pogi" Portrait Photog ?

Who is the mystery "Pogi"  Portrait Photographer artist?

Portrait No. 2 ~ A Leo

Portrait  of a Leo

Having a great time with her friends
Her birthday is this week.
Happy Birthday ~ May you have a wonderful and Exciting new year !!!

Beyond her pretty smile...
Preeti is an active leader in Toastmasters helping others develop their leadership and public speaking skills. She is very active as an Area Director within Toastmasters.

Check out her thoughts and wisdom on her blog.
http://pretea.blogspot.com


Lens at 48 mm, diffused flash 

Mystery "Pogi" Photographer revealed on Friday's post

Portrait No. 1 Lady Studying her glass

1st Portrait

Pretty Lady taking photo of her drink

Taken @ 105 mm

Hint of face with her focused eye


Intense concentration on her phone
Contemplating her drink?
Contemplating who she might want to share the drink with?

South Ferry NYC Image no, 3

South Ferry NYC Image no. 2

Different perspective on South Ferry.
South Ferry Energy in Motion.

Image no. 3 will post on Sunday, August 7th.

Next week series of portraits.

South Ferry NYC ~ image no. 1

© Ralph M. Ferraro Photography 2016 

Images may NOT be modified altered or cropped and the watermark must stay intact

t

Saturday night,

Toastmasters District 46 ~ Hail & Farewell

Hi all my blog friends,

On Wednesday, I will publish photos from Toastmasters District 46 Hale and Farewell meeting (7/30/16).


A few images will be posted here. Over 300 photos

South Ferry ~ NYC

Just a  heads up 

will be posting 3 different impressions of South Ferry NYC starting on Wednesday.

Wandering ~ Storm Chasing

 I came across an interesting video of a photographer who chases storm clouds .. .

Shortly after, I came across a storm cloud 

on the Hudson River, in NY. 
Photo © Ralph M. Ferraro, 2016

The photographer at the beginning of the video mentioned a quote by his wife
“Not all who wander are lost … some are just storm chasing."

On a simple level, the “storm chasing” referred to her husband chasing and photographing storm clouds.

On a deeper level, it seemed to focus me on wandering without being lost ... Just chasing the adventure of life.

Seeing the unseen Part 2

While I was photographing the fireworks on July 4th, I couldn't tell how the photos were coming out. 

I even had some concerns that like the above photo, they would be out of focus or the image would be inappropriately placed.

I was set for taking some fabulous fireworks photos with my new Pentax … or so I thought.

My perspective was different this year. I was going to take the photos from a boat that I thought would be in the east river … or so I thought. 

RAW + Adobe RGB ~ the way to go in Fireworks or any photography

When photographing - it is important to use the RAW format to save your images to the memory card, and use Adobe RGB for color space ... 

The inner voice the antidote to disconnection ( & violence)

Reading the non-stop violence and killing in the headlines of the news makes me wonder 

why many people feel so disconnected 

that the only way they can feel power is 

by killing someone.  

The next step in the disconnect is 

either to kill themself or 

to provoke others to kill them. 

This disconnect is not only in the mid-east, 

is not only with isis. 

It happens here in the United States. 

It happens in the dance between 

the Israelis and the Palestinians

The major religions have justified disconnection and murder in various periods over 4,000 years of history (Armstrong, K. (1993). A history of God over 4,000 years: the 4,000 year quest of Judiasm, Christianity & Islam. New York, Ballentine Books.). 

How does the noise get so loud, that we cannot hear, that we cannot see? 

Fireworks ~ Photography

Some tips for getting interesting photographs of the holiday firework displays

Preparation  ~ Photographing ~ Light Painting

the info below is geared to the Macy's fireworks display but should be applicable to local fireworks displays as well.  

Please be aware of safety - especially if the fireworks are on land.

To See or Not to See ~ Essence or Shell?

If you  are not willing to see 

more than is visible,

you  won’t see anything."

Ruth Bernhard quoted by 

Vincent Versace, a photographer, during his talk “Somewhere over the chromatic rainbow"

for Vincent's complete talk see   Somewhere over the chromatic rainbow

A long time ago, in school, I remember being taught about "faith." I didn't fully understand what "faith" was.

As I have grown, experienced my detours, my mistakes, my joy and my happiness, I now know what faith is ...

Photographing ~ Engagement & Enjoyment

 As a photographer I enjoy taking photographs. As a Clinical Social Worker   I help people find a way to become more deeply engaged in their life and mission. As both a social  worker and a photographer, I seek to focus people on beauty and joy. I help people see and experienced what is in front of them yet they don't see or are not experiencing.

Even in graduate school, I was not fond of clinical research or their methodologies.

I was very surprised to discover on both of my favorite photography websites, dpreview and imaging-resource, provided a link to a research article on photography, engagement and enjoyment.

I was even more surprised to discover that I enjoyed the article.

Joy ~ The Key ~

"You cannot judge the value of a life by its quantity. It is by the joy that you are feeling. ...

Moment with the Sun and Water

 I didn't have my camera with me, 
yet the colors caught my eye. 
I pulled into a parking lot. 
I walked over to get as close to the water as possible, 
pulled out my phone and click. 
Then I just stood and 
enjoyed the beauty of the sun and the water.

Flow of well-being and resistance

Flow of money and resistance

Last week, I was talking with Araceli, about the flow of money. I pointed out to her that not having sufficient money, according to Abraham, is because of our own resistance.

Resistance is talking about money, in a negative way, that is, in a way that reflects an absence of money.