on the corner of Red Vulcan and Stubb where the grass has been allowed to go to seed. No, this is not a famous corner that you should know about, it’s just an, as yet, undeveloped street near my neighborhood. Formally, it had no name. It was simply a place deep in the woods on some farmer’s land.
It’s a place of wonder and magic where each day the sun comes up to start the day alerting all of its inhabitants that it’s time to get started for the day; However, it is a sad place, too, as I know that by the end of summer, perhaps sooner, it will be nothing but a memory aided by the few pictures that I can take between now and then. Soon it will be replaced by a manicured lawn and a $400,000, 3,500 square foot house in which two people will probably live.
Since the 1970s, the average square footage of a house has increased by 50% to its current level of about 2,650 SF. No longer is the house a place to live, it’s a lifestyle. Also, the average size of a family is shrinking. The funny thing is that even though we are buying these larger homes, were spending less time in them because we are working to pay for them! That does not sound sane at all!
I thought these thoughts as I was taking pictures in the cool morning air wondering why it is so hard for us, as humans, to share the land with the other inhabitants of this big blue marble. It’s probably and unanswerable question, but maybe it’s a simple answer, hubris, or perhaps we still believe that the planet is ours to conquer! Either way, I enjoyed the outing, but sometimes I get disturbed by the rampant building that is going on all over the place.
We have to have a place to live, but do they have to be so large and do we need to consume so many resources? I wonder.
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14 Responses to “There is a place …”
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That grass shot is really cool, great focus. 3,500 sq ft for $400,000? Man, you’re making me drool. We are currently looking in the bay area of California. I expect to be renting for a little bit.
Love the spider shot Paul. What lens did you use for that? I have a problem spooking my spiders.
Or they spook me.
I think these huge houses are a direct result of people’s tendency to need something big to prove a point. Cars have become the same way. In my neck of the woods, a lot of those houses are sitting empty after the owner realizes they can’t afford the taxes on them.
Personally, I’d prefer an old farmhouse with a lot of land to separate myself from the hustle and bustle. Besides, old houses have more character.
Greg: For the spider shot, I used my Tamron 90mm macro lens. It was early in the morning, just as the sun was coming up. So, the weather was cool and the insects tend to move very slowly, if at all. I did spook him a bit, but he wasn’t interested in moving around all that much!
As far as housing, I love older homes, but I do have to have my amenities, like and internet connection and central air conditioning!
Ah. The trusty 90mm macro. I love that lense, and my Tamron 17-50mm.
I never thought about early morning for insects. That makes perfect sense and will have to try it. Thanks!
Old houses are great for wireless networks. Air conditioning is a different story. Right now, we’re in a townhouse with AC until I can find the perfect house to buy.
We have similar neighborhoods here – huge mini-castles built inches apart. Only it seems in those cases many people are confined in their house because they cannot afford anything else except the mortgage. I question whenever anyone says humans are part of nature, because clearly nothing in nature behaves like this.
I’ve wondered the same thing a lot lately. (There we are on the identical page again.) I think the more we get away from nature and the peace and quiet and “real life” meaning that comes with it, the more we strive to have “stuff.” That “stuff” is a never-ending quest to fill the void that we are missing spiritually when we’re not connected the way we should be. I’ve purposefully kept our home without cable, magazines, all the latest gadgets, etc. so that the kids will hopefully grow up knowing that it’s not the “stuff” that makes you happy. (Please don’t look in my closet full of equipment.) Then when they are grown, maybe just maybe, the foundation they were raised with will stand against societies “gotta-have-its.” So far it’s worked for me, I hope it does for them.
Oh Paul, shoot all you can of what’s left of this land. Your photos may be the only record of the place when it is no more. Oh, and be sure to do some of it with film.
)
BTW, been shooting the x-700 a lot lately.
Oh, and to save me some time (dial up woes): I spent all weekend and today tweeking and trimming and uploading and proof-reading and I’ve officially launched!! Thanks for the shortened text suggestion. I think you’ll like how it looks now.
) I can’t do anything about the gigantic spaces in between the text on the captions for the individual images, though. That’s bummin’ me out. But other than that, I think I’m pleased with how Out of the Darkroom – Film Photography turned out.
More later, now I have chores to do…lots of chores.
Tena koe ehoa
A thought provoking and questionable topic Paul.
For my opinion I think it’s an evolution of man dictated generally by financial implications. The world is in a state of flux and is being subliminally brainwashed by the constant bombardment to the sense of the necessity to maintain ones self financially. When all I can see is the world slowly evolving backwards.
Our natural resources and the dependency of them is paramount now because of the population explosion and the relative acquisition of space to house that population increase has caused and imbalance of life. Other synthetic and manmade resources have been found to have a detrimental effect on the environment and now the world is at a point of reckoning.
Do we need to lavish ourselves, No, not at all but man’s nature is a hedonistic one essentially, so lavish himself is what man will do.
Your images are absolutely stunning BTW Paul!
The top one with it’s wonderful silhouette reminds me of days as a young boy playing in hay paddocks in the summer and falling asleep in the warmth of an sunny afternoon.
As more people become aware through television, radio, newspapers, and photographs, it is my sincerest hope that things will change. However, I would agree that we are essential hedonistic and will do whatever it takes to satisfy ourselves going far and beyond what is needed/necessary, regardless of the consequences. It’s sad, really.
On the other side, as a budding environmentalist, I still hold out hope and will continue to do my part.
HOLY CRAP! LOOK AT THOSE SHOTS! If I had half the skill at finding such beauty in a place in an “empty” lot.
GOod stuff my friend.
Paul, my thoughts exactly. There seems to be a need for bigger and better, only the “better” is just a mirage. Kids are practically raising themselves because parents are working so hard to appear successful. I’m not sure where that came from, but it’s a tragedy.
As for your spider photo…WOW. I can see you’ve been putting that new lens to work! I have to say, I’m impressed with the Tamron 90mm. I wonder, do you need to haul a tripod around for these macros, or can you just grab the camera and go? I have a love-hate relationship with tripods.
I love the spider on the grass seed-head.
Your thoughts on housing and development mirror many of my own thoughts. I just don’t get the bigger/more is better philosophy. I stopped watching t.v. two years ago and I find that has helped me slow down and better appreciate the little things in life. We have a ton of small commercial (infill) development around where I live. I sometimes take photos of areas just to document them before they are gone. Maybe someone will appreciate looking at them later on when all traces of the present are gone. All of this over-consumption does not make us happier, now does it?
That spider shot is so cool…
Two wonderful images!
However we might feel the “need” to consume this enormous amounts of resources or not – we simply cannot afford it. We are simply using up more resources than this kind blue planet can provide. Just take a look a the World Overshoot Day . In 1987 we used up all resources provided for a year on the 19th of December – we were living on savings from previous millenia for two weeks. Last year we started to live on savings already from the 9th of Oktober – nearly a full 2 months of a year.
So, it’s not a question if we reduce our consumption of resources. It’s only a question of when – and how: In a controlled, thoughtful way – or as a panick-striken reaction to climate change and wars fought over scarce resources. And the longer we wait, the more likely the latter option becomes…
Hence I think, our role as photographers (besides our role as humans in general) should be to document. So, why not following the change of this obviously beautiful place? Take a couple of pictures every week or so…
Thomas