The eye. Our young grandson has it. He has practiced photography and gotten good at it.

[George McGovern]

He loves contemporary music. Sets up shoots at various venues in and around Seattle. He has forsaken his Nikon for two used Olympus kits. His two zooms reach a range of 24mm wide angle to 3oomm telephoto. He's finally getting paid for his talent. Next show will pay him $300 and he has contracted for a future concert to pay him $600. Evidently that future concert band is highly thought of and asked to see his work and liked what they saw.

This is his favorite photo from a recent Seattle show.

[Deuxcents]

1. No better mentor than you, George. I sincerely hope your grandson's love for what he's doing is successful

And he has lots of fun doing it

[George McGovern]

8. Thus far so good Deuxcents. He's a "rare bird" in that his passion for his craft takes

precedence well over love of prestige, ego and money. He sees success by customer appreciation and return engagement. Or when a well-known local band says they like his photography and want to hire him for the first time.

His parents and his grandparents are justifiably proud.

Thank You!

[KT2000]

2. What are his Olympus kits?

digital?

[George McGovern]

7. Yes. Olympus E-M1 Mark II with Olympus 45-150mm f.2.8 Pro lens + Pen F w/17mm f/1.8 lens.

Grandson used to use Nikon digital, but now favors Olympus over Nikon. He's having a blast attending concerts and not having to sit in his seat the whole time.

If you'd be interested seeing some of his work DU mail me please.

Thank you.

[LoisB]

3. Evidently, "the eye" is an inherited trait. Good shot.

[George McGovern]

12. Thank You Lois. Good traits are good for us.

[Grumpy Old Guy]

4. Good for him.

[George McGovern]

9. Thank You GOG!

[usonian]

5. Chuckle, Chuckle, my Dad was an artist, and the finest camera he used was a Brownie Reflex. OHHHH NOOOHHHH.

Of course, he had "the eye".
I may have diminished skills, but far better cameras.

Why he didn't borrow a speed graphic from the photographers at his work, I don't know.

But talent does flow down.

And did you know that insanity is inherited?
You inherit it from your kids!!!

[George McGovern]

10. Sounds was a good photographer. And thanks for clarifying my source of insanity.

Mom used to open up a similar Brownie. Took lotsa pictures. She had a good eye before anyone knew what that was. Thanks!

[Grumpy Old Guy]

14. LOL!!!!

I used a Brownie when I went to summer camp in the very early 60s.

Box cameras made a lot of sense. They were f/8 or f/11 focused at 15 feet. Everything from 8 feet to infinity was in focus thanks to depth of field. The instructions said to stay at least 8 feet from your subject. The film was ASA 100 with a lot of exposure latitude, and we could use flash bulbs indoors. It was really ingenious if you think about it.

[usonian]

17. I've been rescuing old photos over time.

Builds character.
But now, there's AI.

I don't go there, though this is one area likely to do the least damage, compared to writing articles, books, resume's (and processing them) and rewriting certain incriminating "files" ... no particular Epstein in mind.

It's more "focused"

[Grumpy Old Guy]

18. I do the same thing.

I use Topaz PhotoAI to restore old photos. It's worth it if it brings happiness to people

[ShazzieB]

19. The first camera I ever took a picture with was a Brownie.

My parents had one when I was growing up. I have lots of old family photos that were taken with that camera, some of which I snapped myself as a kid. It was definitely super easy to use.

[George McGovern]

22. My mom had one too ShazzieB. Fold-down box camera. Regrettably I never knew about it nor how to use it.

It was real nice that your mom let you use it. Heck, Shazzie, you ever want to take pictures again, like with
a cell phone (if you don't mind me asking)?

According to Wikipedia —
"The Brownie was a basic cardboard box camera with a simple convex-concave lens that took 2+1⁄4-inch square pictures on No. 117 roll film. It was conceived and marketed for sales of Kodak roll films. Because of its simple controls and initial price of US$1 (equivalent to $38 in 2024) along with the low price of Kodak roll film and processing, the Brownie camera surpassed its marketing goal."

[ShazzieB]

24. I love to take pictures!

The first camera I ever had that was all mine was a Kodak Instamatic that my cousin gave me for a high school graduation present. I took loads of pictures with it, but have never got around to digitizing them.

At the moment, all I have is my Samsung Galaxy smart phone, but it does a pretty decent job. Here are a couple of examples (all have been cropped to improve the composition):

Canine participant at a recent protest


My cat, Wllow, getting comfy in a shoebox


Patriot from another recent protest


I'm saving up to get an actual camera one of these days, but in the meantime, hooray for smart phones!

[George McGovern]

31. Whoa! ShazzieB, YOU HAVE A GOOD EYE! All images are excellent -- BUT

the "Patriot from another recent protest" is outstanding! (As I'm sure you were when you took the picture.) You can take photos. Who knew? Thanks!

[ShazzieB]

32. Thank you!

You have no idea how affirming that is to me!

About the last one, when I saw that guy in the colonial era costume walking back and forth with the flag, I knew I just HAD to get a shot of that. He was holding it at just the right angle and the breeze was ruffling it just so when I snapped it. I will admit I am proud of that one!

[George McGovern]

33. Good shooting! Looks like you timed it just right when he was walking near you.

Do you remember when cyclist Juli Briskman was photographed giving the middle finger to President Donald Trump?
Riding with Trump's convoy a White House photographer looked ahead on the route. He was sitting in a right side passenger seat. Like you, as soon as he saw the person on a bicycle making a gesture he knew he HAD to get that shot. Instinct took over, he aimed ahead, focused on the subject, allowed for lead time and via his camera's setting for continuous shooting got the shot.

[ShazzieB]

34. I remember that image well.

But I didn't know thestory behind it. Very interesting.

[George McGovern]

35. Yup. As I recall the rider won some sort of local election. Probably became sort of famous. THX

[Figarosmom]

6. Good job Grandpa

Mentoring is so rewarding. I bet you are one proud grandpappy.

The first paying job from something you like is a real thrill and i bet he's over the moon.👍

[George McGovern]

11. He IS. He and his mom came for dinner recently. He showed concert photos online while we were waiting on dinner.

His family is proud. Thank You Figarosmom!
A few of Brenden's images. He likes to shoot black and white. His concert genre
is different from ours. The "music" too.

[Figarosmom]

16. Those are good. The use of

Chiaroscuro is dramatic. Especially in that last one. No substitute for a good eye, either you have it or you don't. Out in the field you have to be quick, no time to set up a shot, that's why you need the eye.

That's why I have always preferred black and white myself when I was goofing around with photography. My degree is in fine arts so did have several classes in 2D where we used photography. But my preference is oil painting.

His work is very good. Good composition. Lighting and atmosphere.

[George McGovern]

20. Wow Thank You, Figarosmom, for your cogent comments. With which camera(s) have you taken pictures?

Also, could you, would you post a sample(s) of your oil painting?

I found this online. Never had heard of the technique. Looks pretty cool.

Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more
chi·a·ro·scu·ro
/kyärəˈsko͝orō/
noun
noun: chiaroscuro
The treatment of light and shade in drawing and painting.
An effect of contrasted light and shadow created by light falling unevenly or from a particular direction on something.

[Figarosmom]

21. I had an Olympus 35mm with assorted filters

And lens. I liked doing double exposures and time lapses. I also loved doing flash pictures in darkness making for drama. Anyway I gave no idea where any of thise pictures ended up after my last move, in a box somewhere. The one I like best was a double exposure of my brother in law. The first shot was of him sitting in a wooden rocking chair and the second one had him behind the chair bent over like ge was whispering in his own ear. I gave that to him as a gift figuring I still had the negative and the slide. Oh well, someday I'll have to go through the boxes in the back of the closet.

Here is a landscape of Carthage College from a hill above Sheridan Rd. In oil.

Oil landscape

— MUZZY SAYS (@muzzyismine.bsky.social) 2025-08-04T22:40:57.403Z

Here are a couple of self- portraits . The one done in Renaissance style is oil and the Cubist one is in acrylic.

Some self portraits

— MUZZY SAYS (@muzzyismine.bsky.social) 2025-08-04T22:31:39.489Z

And this is a charcoal self -portrait and a colored watercolor pencil drawing of my daughter. The smaller pics are a charcoal of my Mom and a pen snd ink of myself and my sister when we were like 10 and 8 that I did from a photo.

Self portrait in charcoal and pencil drawing of my daughter

— MUZZY SAYS (@muzzyismine.bsky.social) 2025-08-04T22:36:29.938Z

[George McGovern]

23. Holy Toledo Figarosmom! Your art is amazing (plus another 5 or 10 superlatives)!

I have them bookmarked enabling ongoing access for further study. I viewed and enlarged them on Bluesky.
I am at a loss for words right now; your art, your gift, your willingness to share them with a DU "brother" is humbling and moved.

Thank You,
George

[Figarosmom]

25. I'm glad you liked tbem.

Art and painting was a huge part of my life for most of my life. I still do a little for gifts. But I've got to say, I've regretted and miss every piece I have sold. Next life I will only paint for my enjoyment and gifts, not to live on. That saying of do something you love for employment and you will never feel as though you are working. Wasn't for me, I felt like I was prostituting my enjoyment for survival . Drawing a " happy " cabbage for a saurekraut can wasn't rewarding or enjoyable.

[Diamond_Dog]

13. WOW George, the "eye for photography" runs strong in your family!

These are super! I’m sure he has gotten much inspiration from you!!

How exciting that he’s becoming known for his work too! I don’t have to tell you how important and meaningful it is to be recognized for one’s passion. Very nicely done.

[George McGovern]

15. Thanks DD. You sure know how to help a guy like himself. Take passion one step to "PaidPassion" and rejoice,

[Bayard]

26. You have taught him well, Obi-wan

[George McGovern]

29. Thank You Bayard. Anakin Skywalker agrees.

[CrispyQ]

28. That's a super interesting image!!

The lines, the textures, all bathed in that great color! The people look like little pebbles.

[George McGovern]

30. Thank You CrispyQ!

Last edited Wed Aug 6, 2025, 02:26 PM - Edit history (1)