From Amsterdam, July 22, 2006
This marks our last full day in Amsterdam. I think I will miss this place. Today, we did three things. We went to Vondel Park, one of the major parks in Amsterdam. We went to the Van Gogh Museum. And finally, we went to the Rijks Museum, which is the home for many of the paintings from the old Dutch masters.
Kent wanted to go to the Van Gogh museum more than I did. I really wanted to see the Rembrandts at the Rijks Museum. But I have to say, the Van Gogh museum was quite an emotional experience for me. It was superbly done, showing earlier works, sketches, and his struggle to become an artist - something that he never felt he achieved. Along the way, there were sections written from letters that he sent to various people. Towards the end, he wrote, “I feel worthless and my art or what I had of it, has left me.” A short time after he wrote that, he shot himself in the chest, and died two days later with his brother Theo at his side. Theo died six months later. He was never able to really make a good living with his art. No one would buy them.
We were then presented with his last works, which were large, and overwhelming in power and intensity. I found myself wiping away tears as I looked at them. I went too sat down on a bench to think. I told Kent, “It wasn’t him. The world wasn’t ready for what he had to say. I wish, that two years before he took his life, I could go back in time, and just talk to him for ten minutes. I could tell him his worth and the noise he would make in the world.” It was unsettling.
We rested a bit, had a small bite to eat, and proceeded to the Rijks Museum, a very different experience. Much of the museum was close for construction, but the Dutch old master’s wing was open. I took only one photo inside, without flash. I also took photos of many of the paintings, again without flash. I deleted them because you really can’t transfer what they did to this medium. It’s too much information and the details are too intricate. And you really can’t do it justice without using flash, which was prohibited in the museum. In the Van Gogh museum, photos were prohibited, so I was a bit surprised that the Rijks Museum would allow them at all.
During our visit at the museum, there was an anti-war rally with probably a thousand people joining in. It was a protest against the war between Israel and Lebanon, with such colorful slogans as, “One, two, three, four, we don’t want your f****** war!” There were people caring flags from both sides, coming together in unity against the war. If we could only live in peace.
From there, we came back to our hotel, rested, and went out for a quick bit to eat.
Tomorrow, (or is it today now?), we leave for Aarhus, Denmark. There, Kent will attend meetings and I will be on my own, just as I was in Paris. I’ll be fine, but it is nice to have someone with you to share the experience with. Here are some photos of our happens today.
A visit to Vondel Park
A shoe store
A tin man blowing bubbles outside the Rijks Museum
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Jeff,
As unbelievable as it seems, I'm quite shy myself around people. We should get along just fine. If nothing else, we could just sit and meditate. :-)
Bill,
Thank you for the photography tips. I think I may have mentioned before that my father is a semi-professional photographer. He was the guy who took all the pictures at such family get-togethers as weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. I remember him taking all the pictures at two of my cousins weddings. Recently I was lucky enough to see one of my cousin's wedding album. I had never seen the pictures before, and I was impressed with my father's work. The pictures were every bit as good as those taken by a professional.
In the late sixties and early seventies I would go with my father to an orchid nursery in nearby Carpenteria. We would leave early Saturday morning, and arrive at the nursery just after dawn. The owner of the nursery had all the specimens lined up that he selected the night before, and for the rest of the morning my job was to hold up a black piece of velvet behind the subject of each photograph. My dad used a 35mm Nikon or Cannon in those days, and his payment was his choice of plants from the nursery. It was like the best of both worlds for my father because his two favorite hobbies still are photography, and raising orchids.
I suppose it is by his standard that I either consciously, or unconsciously judge all photography. I also suppose being around photography as much as I was as a kid is a part of what fuel my interest. Still, I enjoy ALL photography, and though I have not until recently taken it very seriously, I appreciate talking with people, such as your self, who not only know something about it, but have a passion for it as an art form as well. You comparison of photography to music reveals that you share the same point of view as my father inasmuch that it is an art form on par with music, painting, sculpting etcetera.
As for meeting one day; I would enjoy that very much. If you were to meet me, however, unless you had prior knowledge of my problems with pain you really wouldn't notice any real physical symptoms. I tend to move slow sometimes, and sometimes I have enough pain I just want to stay in bed and rest, but other than that I am pretty normal.
I am shy by nature, though, so if we do ever meet and I act a tad stand-offish I hope you will understand that is just part of my personality. Once I get comfortable around you, then I am sure we would become even better friends. So, if you and Kent ever find your way out to California again, maybe we can get together.
Thank you Jeff. Your comments are most kind. It takes awhile to really get the hang of it. It's like music. I just didn't pick up the violin and start playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto (thought to be one of the most difficult of all violin concertos by many) overnight. It took me 15 years of hard work to get there. And granted, that concerto was not even my aim. I was just trying to perfect my art - and that meant practicing 12 hours a day! When the Beethoven finally did come, I was to a point that I didn't have to worry about IF I could play it technically (had the technical skill needed to just play the thing). I worried about much more subtle things, like phrasing and execution of the piece - what did Beethoven mean when he phrased it that way, etc.
I've found photography to be very much the same. I'm still learning a lot. This week, I've learned a lot more about what they mean when they talk about "white space adjustments". I had heard about it, but I had no idea how very powerful (and important) white space is. Once you get beyond the termination of what they are talking about, it gets easier. Then, it is a matter of learning your camera and how to make it do what you want it to do. Every camera is different. Some can do highly technical things, while others just don't have the capabilities. I am blessed that I am able to have the camera I have. It is a Nikon D200. I'm lucky to be able to have it because it is a professional grade camera and can technically do just about anything you throw at it - IF you know how to tell it to do what you want it to do.
One thing to realize in taking photos that I've learned... you always, ALWAYS, have to give up something to gain something. If you want something to be exposed just the way you want it to be (bring out coloring or contrast), you will usually lose detail in some other object in the photo. The trick is to know what you are willing to compromise on. Look at the second photo of the park, for example - the one with the pond. I wanted to capture the pond and the reflections in the pond. The sky was lightly overcast with some blue. To get the colors in the leaves, grass, and pond, I had to sacrafice the definition in the sky. The sky in completely washed out with a complete absence of detail. I gave that up to bring out other things. In other words, it truly is an art form. I look at it that way - I am not just taking a photo - I am creating my art. And that can be anything that I happen to be looking at, whether it be a beautiful panaramic view of a city, or graffiti that I find interesting. There are no bad subjects.
Be patient with yourself. Don't grade your photos by mine or anyone elses. Instead, concentrate on YOUR progress. That is all that matters. Are you taking better photos now than you were six months ago? There are also some excellent photo books out there for all levels of expertise.
It's good to hear from you Jeff. I really would love to meet you sometime. And I want you to know something about me. I never assume that people are anything other than what they are. I can and do look beyond all barriers of physical disability. To me, that is of little importance. I want to know the person and who you are. I've been friends with so many people at different levels of physical disability. They would tell you that there is very little that makes me uncomfortable. Of course, YOU have to be comfortable as well. I don't know if we will ever meet or not and if we don't, that is ok. But, I've been wanting to tell you for awhile now what I just said. I hope you will find my sincerity in it.
There are so many fantastic photos you have taken, Bill, that I cannot possibly comment on all the ones I admire. Suffice it to say that I think you are a great photographer, even if you consider yourself an amateur.
I have just started trying to take better pictures with my little Olympus Camedia 3.0 megapixel, and I find it most difficult to coax the kind of vibrant colors out of a shot that you seemingly do so easily. It's as if you know what the shot will look like before you take it in terms of color, shading, composition, and all the other aspects that make a great photograph.
I remember you have said before you would like to take up photography professionally. I for one think you could.