Ray Bradbury, One Picture and the Golden Gate Bridge

Ray Bradbury, the very name conjures up memories from my youth.

It was Bradbury that first introduced me to the concept of Science Fiction.  I must have been 10 or 11 years old.  It was Fahrenheit 451 that first caught my young attention (I was an avid reader even at that age).  The idea of a political state that would try to control ideas fascinated me.  From there on, I read all the Bradbury I could get my hands on.  The memories are with me still, to say he influenced my thinking is an understatement.

So imagine how excited I was to find a huge DVD set called the Ray Bradbury Theater at my local library.  Produced in Canada, it ran from 1985 to 1992.  I had never heard of it, but what a treasure it is.

if you've read much Bradbury, you know what you're in for, and that in itself is a treat.  But what got me was the production values of this series. Fine actors including Peter O'Toole, Richard Benjamin, Eugene Levy, William Shatner, Elliott Gould, Shelley Duvall, Donald Pleasance, Patrick Macnee, Harold Gould, Drew Barrymore and a list that could go on for much longer.

But what really struck me was the time they took to tell their stories.  In many of the episodes fully half of the time is taken to set up the story.  You get a feeling for the characters, the mood is set and with this, your involvement is complete. 

Of course some are better than others, but this was such a treat I just had to write about it.  If you're a Sci Fi fan, loved the old Twilight Zone or just enjoy good old fashioned storytelling, I can recommend this series. 

And the picture I mentioned in the blog title?

I continue to play with my iPhone.  I recently downloaded a small ebook dealing with photography on the iPhone.  I try to forgo flash in all of my photography and never use it with the iphone as the light is so harsh and bright.  But the idea of using the flash/light of Terrys phone for some indirect lighting had never occurred to me, so that tip alone made the book worth the price (only $4.00).  It got me to thinking and I decided to try a bit of still life and see what I could come up with.

Now, this isn't great photography, 

but something about this photo 

really speaks to me.

It may be all the items in the picture.  The bobblehead pencil has been mine since I was a kid.  It sits in an old 1960s lipstick holder which I just adore (does anyone remember these?).  The little girl in the picture is my Mother and the photo is in a very old Native American frame I picked up years ago.  These things sit on my nightstand so I see them almost every day, but they're all dear to me.

Then there's the light.  Photography is all about light, but I'm just beginning to play with the concept of selective light.  It's a whole new concept for me, exciting stuff.   And then there's the Bokeh.  I've written about Bokeh numerous times, but I've yet to master the technique and I continue to be intrigued,

So with all that said, I decided to include it here in the blog, don't ask me why.

And finally, I want to tell you about an outstanding ebook I found today. 

As you are probably aware, yesterday was the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge.  The California Historical Society has released an outstanding ebook titled "A Wild Flight of the Imagination: the Story of the Golden Gate Bridge", and boy howdy, is it a wonder.  The best part of the whole deal?  It's free! 

You can read more about it here or go to iTunes and do a search for GG Bridge. 

And that's it for tonight.