Written in Stone

I love the expression rock solid because it implies permanence. Few natural materials are as durable as stone -- if it's built from that, you can trust it's here to last. And in an erratic world, stability is crucial unless of course there's been a mistake . . . and it's Written in Stone. 

Inside the Westside Light Rail Tunnel at the Washington Park Station etched in granite on a 260-foot core sample of Portland, Oregon's West Hills, you will discover a 16-million year recitation of history which includes the first 107 digits of the transcendental constant pi. We (should) all remember pi as the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, and its digits never repeat or follow any pattern. Other than its role in geometry, pi seems to have no special significance (as far as I know!) still it has held the human imagination hostage for almost 4000 years starting with the Babylonians and Egyptians. Unlike all the other versions of pi publicly displayed on the planet, the engraving in Portland is unique for one special reason: it's incorrect after the 11th digit.

According to my research, the error was spotted first by a MAX light rail engineer who had memorized pi to 12 digits as a child. Portland's Tri-Met insists the artist Bill Will got his information from a reference book, The History of Pi, and the numbers that appear on the wall are the same as those in the book. Well, kind of. So why the error? Was it art, dyslexia, intentional? Surprisingly artist Bill Will wasn't taking liberties with this universal constant but rather he was just unfamiliar with the format of mathematical tables and how they are read, he followed the columns of digits up and down instead of across.

Of course, most people won't even notice the discrepancy or probably even care, but this erroneous engraving provides at least one valuable lesson: double check your facts before they're Written in Stone!

Arc of a Driver

 

Effortless. That's the way musician Steve Winwood describes the Arc of a Diver in his popular song. After a recent photo assignment, I've discovered an effortless way to save energy, money, and our planet . . . let's call it the Arc of a Driver.

Since October of 2007, Eugene, Oregon-based Arcimoto has been developing and refining all-electric vehicles that support sustainable transportation. Their tandem two-seat cars are designed for the everyday driver with the capacity to carry two people and lots of groceries, the ability to maneuver and park easily, and an estimated range of 40 miles (which varies depending on the battery pack purchased). All of their cars feature an all-electric ultra-efficient drive system, race caliber suspension, sturdy space frame, and a lightweight body shell.

Arcimoto's third and fifth product prototypes, the Pulse and the SRK, employ the "reverse trike" (two wheels in front) formation which means less drag on the road while providing a more stable platform for improved handling at higher speeds. Moreover, their tandem seating arrangement makes for a slimmer footprint enhancing stability and offering a unique driving experience by placing the operator in the center of the vehicle. It's like combining the best features of a car and a motorcycle! 

Arcimoto's base model vehicles are equipped with a 40-mile range battery but extended (80-mile) and premium (160-mile) battery packs are available. The cars are freeway capable with a maximum speed of 65 to 70 miles per hour, but the optimal operating speed is between 25 to 40 mph. The SRK plugs into any standard 110-volt household outlet or the 220-volt outlets found at public charging stations around the country. If the batteries are completely depleted, the SRK will take about 6 hours to charge from a 110-volt outlet and about 2 hours on a 220-volt source.

For a complete charge of the standard 40-mile battery pack, it will cost about $0.85 in Oregon or Washington and about $1.50 in California. What's more, that battery pack will deliver a theoretical fuel economy of 190 MPGe at neighborhood driving speeds! With numbers like that, it won't be long before Arcimoto is the Arc of a Driver.

For more information about Arcimoto and their vehicles, please visit:  http://www.arcimoto.com/

#27 - Mad Marchness

They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds. - Wilt Chamberlain

First it rains, then it snows, then it's foggy, then it's sunny . . . and warm, all in the same week. The rivers are raging, the fields are flooding, and we even lose an hour on one special day to boot! Welcome to March and spring -- a time I'm really beginning to despise. Think about it: what other season requires a "break" and what other month is defined by madness? It's a period of constant change and uncertainty, it's Mad Marchness for sure! So what's there to like about it? It must be the basketball . . . and I'm not talking about the NCAA Tournament.

It's been nearly 30 years but I still can recall covering (singlehandedly) my first Iowa Boy's and Girl's State High School Basketball Tournament as a staffer for United Press International in Des Moines. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was about to witness the purest roundball I would ever see. In terms of effort, emotion, energy, and excitement, a state tournament tilt just can't be beat. Here are some of my fondest memories (in no particular order) from photographing the 1983 edition:

• Experiencing a basketball game at Veteran's Memorial Auditorium.
• Shooting 6 basketball games a day, for days on end, at Veteran's Memorial Auditorium.
• Walking the 3/4 mile distance, in the elements, from the UPI Bureau to Veteran's Memorial Auditorium 11 times each day to file the photos from the 6 games that were covered.
• Working with a Nikon FM armed with an 85mm/f1.8 lens using Tri-X film pushing it to 1600 ASA while exposing it at 1/500th at f2.8 and then souping it in Acufine developer.
• Watching that Nikon FM and 85mm/F1.8 lens transform into an auto-focus machine after the first day on the job.

• Surviving on a diet of hot dogs, cokes, the occasional hot pretzel with mustard, and ice cream sandwiches for days on end.
• Asking for and receiving a receipt, written on a napkin, for the meals described above, foolishly thinking I needed one to be reimbursed for them (Hey, I just started the job).
• Grabbing a Giant pork tenderloin after the last game of every night of the tournament.
• Eavesdropping on a huddle while the coach orders the team's star, his son, to take and make a 3 pointer to win the game . . . and he does . . . in triple overtime!
• Photographing the stoic coach while his team erupts from the bench after their double overtime win.
• My shoes sticking to the floor as I exit the building after the final game of the tournament at Veteran's Memorial Auditorium.

I miss March Madness.

The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not. - Charles Barkley

Modern Man

I'm a Modern Man, digital and smoke-free; a man for the millennium.

A diversified, multi-cultural, post-modern deconstructionist; politically, anatomically and ecologically incorrect.

I've been uplinked and downloaded, I've been inputted and outsourced. I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading.

I'm a high-tech low-life. A cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, bi-coastal multi-tasker, and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond.

I'm new-wave, but I'm old-school; and my inner child is outward-bound.

I'm a hot-wired, heat-seeking, warm-hearted cool customer; voice-activated and bio-degradable.

I interface with my database; my database is in cyberspace; so I'm interactive, I'm hyperactive, and from time to time I'm radioactive.

Behind the eight ball, ahead of the curve, ridin' the wave, dodgin' the bullet, pushin' the envelope.

I'm on point, on task, on message, and off drugs.

I've got no need for coke and speed; I've got no urge to binge and purge.

I'm in the moment, on the edge, over the top, but under the radar.

A high-concept, low-profile, medium-range ballistic missionary.

A street-wise smart bomb. A top-gun bottom-feeder.

I wear power ties, I tell power lies, I take power naps, I run victory laps.

I'm a totally ongoing, big-foot, slam-dunk rainmaker with a pro-active outreach.

A raging workaholic, a working rageaholic; out of rehab and in denial.

I've got a personal trainer, a personal shopper, a personal assistant, and a personal agenda.

You can't shut me up; you can't dumb me down. 'Cause I'm tireless, and I'm wireless. I'm an alpha-male on beta-blockers.

I'm a non-believer, I'm an over-achiever; laid-back and fashion-forward. Up-front, down-home; low-rent, high-maintenance.

I'm super-sized, long-lasting, high-definition, fast-acting, oven-ready and built to last.

A hands-on, footloose, knee-jerk head case; prematurely post-traumatic, and I have a love child who sends me hate-mail.

But I'm feeling, I'm caring, I'm healing, I'm sharing. A supportive, bonding, nurturing primary-care giver.

My output is down, but my income is up. I take a short position on the long bond, and my revenue stream has its own cash flow.

I read junk mail, I eat junk food, I buy junk bonds, I watch trash sports.

I'm gender-specific, capital-intensive, user-friendly and lactose-intolerant.

I like rough sex; I like tough love. I use the f-word in my email. And the software on my hard drive is hard-core -- no soft porn.

I bought a microwave at a mini-mall. I bought a mini-van at a mega-store. I eat fast food in the slow lane. I'm toll-free, bite-size, ready-to-wear, and I come in all sizes.

A fully equipped, factory-authorized, hospital-tested, clinically proven, scientifically formulated medical miracle.

I've been pre-washed, pre-cooked, pre-heated, pre-screened, pre-approved, pre-packaged, post-dated, freeze-dried, double-wrapped and vacuum-packed.

And . . . I have unlimited broadband capacity.

I'm a rude dude, but I'm the real deal. Lean and mean. Cocked, locked and ready to rock; rough, tough and hard to bluff.

I take it slow, I go with the flow. I ride with the tide, I've got glide in my stride.

Drivin' and movin', sailin' and spinnin', jivin' and groovin', wailin' and winnin'.

I don't snooze, so I don't lose. I keep the pedal to the metal and the rubber on the road. I party hearty, and lunchtime is crunch time.

I'm hangin' in, there ain't no doubt;

and I'm hangin' tough. Over and out. - George Carlin

Now, on the other hand, please allow me to present the Oregon Cavemen of Grants Pass. Claiming to be direct descendants of the Neanderthal man of ancient times, the Cavemen incorporated as a unit in October of 1922 in a ceremony held secretly in the depths of the Oregon Caves. Their main purpose as an organization is to publicize Grants Pass and Josephine County, but they also exist to pull pranks, capture pretty girls (jokingly, of course), and live life to its fullest. They're memorialized by this statue, coincidentally the world's largest caveman!

Savvy marketers, crazy clowns, and smooth operators . . . maybe these Cavemen are Modern Men after all!

Sun Strokes

Oregon embraces fresh ideas and free thinkers. That's why it should come as no surprise that the state's second solar highway project - a continuation of the success of the nation's first solar array on highway right of way - will become the United State's largest!

The Baldock Solar Highway Project, a 1.75 megawatt direct current solar array consisting of 6,994, 250-watt panels, will generate up to 1.97 million kilowatt-hours of clean, renewable energy -- enough electricity to power 165 homes for a year! Situated on 7 acres of vacant state-owned rest area land, this project - like the first - partners Portland General Electric (PGE) with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) under the dedicated and skillful direction of ODOT's Project Manager Allison Hamilton. Moreover, it's an "all-Oregon" creation with local companies supplying all of the materials as well as designing, installing, operating, and maintaining the site.

Considering this was the second time I've had the good fortune to document a complete solar project from start to finish, my charge was to devise a new strategy -- so in addition to photographing all of the construction-related activities, I focused on the essence of this technology - the panels - trying to exploit the elements of design that they embody. I was looking for brush strokes, or more appropriately, Sun Strokes.

Line, shape, space, value, color, and texture: all of these elements were present in abundance and obvious to see on site . . . as long as you took the time to look for them. From the shape and texture of raindrops resting on a panel, to the reflection of the colorful crowd at the groundbreaking shining through, the solar panels offered a myriad of photographic options.


And with its park-like setting, ample foliage, and Willamette Valley location, the Baldock site provided some interesting photo opportunities too. Whether it was revealing the change of seasons or showcasing the iconic Mount Hood, the field of panels complimented the landscape and almost seemed to belong there!

To date, 26 states and 14 countries have contacted ODOT for information to develop their own solar highway projects and programs. The Baldock site will also include an interpretive display where the public can view the array and learn more about the process and advantages of solar energy, hopefully planting the idea for residents to consider using renewable energy to power their homes. ODOT's future holds the promise of over 120 miles of solar highway installations in Oregon one day and I look forward to seeing all of those panels in operation. But right now, the panel I really want to see is at the Baldock site . . . because it has my signature on it!

(Note: for more information about the first Solar Highway Demonstration Project, please see "#16 - Here Comes the Sun", in the January 2009 archive. To keep up to date with the entire program, please visit: www.oregonsolarhighway.com).

Dark Room

The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera. - Dorothea Lange

If you step into a dark room on a bright day and poke a small hole in a window cover then look at the opposite wall, what do you see? There in full color and movement is the world outside the window -- upside down. This ancient discovery, first documented by the Chinese philosopher Mo-Ti during the 5th Century BC, changed the way the world would see.

The Camera Obscura, or Dark (Obscura) Room (Camera) in Latin, was the precursor to the modern-day photographic camera. It demonstrated light travels in a straight line and when some of the rays reflected from a bright subject pass through a small hole in thin material, they don't scatter but cross and reform as an upside down image on a flat surface held parallel to the hole. The image quality was improved with the addition of a convex lens into the aperture in the 16th Century, and the later addition of a mirror to reflect the image down onto a viewing surface made the Camera Obscura a valuable aid to artists and astronomers alike. By the beginning of the 19th Century, this device was ready to accept a sheet of light sensitive material and the rest is history.

On a recent trip to San Francisco I was amazed to find a real Camera Obscura still in operation there. The Giant Camera behind the Cliff House on Point Lobos was built in 1948 as part of the Playland at the Beach Amusement Area. Decorated to look like a giant 35mm camera with its lens pointing to the sky, the Camera Obscura designed by Floyd Jennings survived two attempts to destroy it, and was formally saved with its addition to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

The Giant Camera at the Cliff House uses a 10" mirror on the roof to reflect an image through 8" condensing lenses mounted in opposition to each other so they focus the outdoor scene 12 feet down at F8 to a parabolic screen anchored to the floor. The lens pans across a wonderful expanse of beach and coastline around Seal Rock and now makes 4 historical stops during a 6 minute, 360 degree rotation just like the original design for the attraction. Inside the darkness of the Giant Camera, the projected shoreline was bright and sharp on the viewing table and the experience was surreal . . . at least for a photographer!

So if you're ever near the Cliff House in San Francisco, I suggest you witness the Giant Camera. But be forewarned: the Camera Obscura is not for everyone. There are those that say,"What kind of fool would pay to go into a dark room to look at the projection of something they can see for real outside?". I guess they just don't get it.

The Charity Stripe

Now that another NBA season appears poised to tip-off soon, I hope one lesson both the owners and players learned from their prolonged employment battle is this: don't expect anything for free . . . unless of course you're a photographer covering the game!

Not many sports offer shooters gifts - perfectly posed portraits of nearly every player nearly every game (they even stop the clock for them!) - the way basketball does. I'm not talking about game action shots either, as way too often photogs focus strictly on capturing them while ignoring the simple yet effective "sportraits" happening right in front of them . . . on the free throw line.

I can't recall how many times I've been ridiculed for taking these pictures too. "They happen every game." "They're too easy." "No sports magazine will buy them." These are just a few of the comments I've heard. My responses: yes, no, and are you nuts? Let's quickly examine each fallacy about the free throw line portrait.

I don't know about you, but I'm thankful free throw line photos happen every game, multiple times during the game, and for multiple players taking part in the game. Sometimes it takes a couple of chances to get the picture just right, as every player displays their own unique form and observing their motion first often helps in anticipating the moment to grab your shot . . . or at least what to expect next time.

If you've ever peered through a camera outfitted with a 300mm f/2.8 lens while sitting on the baseline and aiming it at a NBA star standing on the free throw line, then you'd know that player's bust nearly fills the entire frame and movements of even inches will render a photo fuzzy -- concentration and timing are critical. "They're too easy" . . . you tell me.

Finally, believe it or not, back a couple of decades ago when black and white stock basketball photography was in high demand by several sports publications, I made more money from free throw line portraits of players than any other type of roundball photo. In my opinion, that's easy to explain: the images were tight, sharp, clean, and active; or in other words, the ideal sports portrait. So tease me if you want, I'll continue to shoot the stars at The Charity Stripe because that benefits my favorite charitable cause . . . me!