Lookin' Up: A book

I love taking photographs. I love looking at photographs. I love figuring out what makes great photos and how I can be better at taking them. Besides that, I like taking photos of famous things and looking at them from a different perspective. I've described earlier my idea of taking photos of famous landmarks and obscuring them with the surroundings around them. This one is different in that they are photos of famous landmarks but taken from the base of them looking up. It's to give the viewer a sense of what it is like to be there and gazing up at it. You get more detail up close that way. Case in point, in 2008 I went to London and saw the Big Ben clock tower. I know, I know, Big Ben was originally the nickname given to the bell in the tower itself but over time the whole tower, clock and bell are referred to as Big Ben. As I was standing underneath the tower I was struck at how ornate the tower and clock were. It was something I hadn't noticed in all of the previous pictures of it. So, I took a picture of it. I was impressed by how tall it was. I wonder what else I missed on famous landmarks by only viewing the pictures of them from far away? Thus, the idea for my picture book. I'd love to see the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Wall of China and St. Basil's Cathedral up close. All in good time.

Religious? Read on.

I gotta be honest. I'm not very religious. I never grew up with and never felt attached to a religion. But, that doesn't mean I don't have respect for it or for peoples beliefs. In fact, a few years ago I walked across Spain along the Camino de Santiago. For centuries it has been a pilgrimage to the final resting place of St. James. I went because my girl friend at the time wanted to go and she knew how to speak spanish very well. Plus, it was cheap. Looking back, it was one of the best trips of my life. Walking all day and then rolling out your sleeping bag and making dinner with every nationality on earth. I had this idea the other day and I do not know if it is sacriligious but here it is. A book that combines all three major religious texts. The Bible, the Torah and the Koran. I call it the Biboran. No, it's not a joke. It would be a way to read the major religious books all in one place. I'm sure it would be a thick book and I wonder who would read it. I would.

Hidden Landmarks: A photo book

I've been kicking around this idea for a little bit and I haven't really told anyone because I think I'm sitting on a gold mine. It's a little out there but here goes. Pictures of famous landmarks that are obscured by the local surroundings. I figure, everyone knows what the Eiffel Tower looks like or the Pyramids of Giza, but if you block them slightly and show the surrounding area, you'd get a better perspective of what it's like to be there. Last thanksgiving I was in San Francisco and had the opportunity to put this theory to the test. It's the Golden Gate Bridge blocked by a call box at Crissy Field. The bridge is so iconic that you know what it is even when it's covered up. I have this wild dream of traveling around the world taking pictures like this one of famous landmarks. Yeah, I know it's pretty weird. But can you picture it?

Who wants to be President?

That title is a serious question and I ask it because I am curious about what makes a person think he or she can become President of a country, US or any other. My idea is to examine the underlying psychological reasons behind their motives. I get that some people think they can make a difference and want to see change and all that. But what makes them think they are the ones to do it? It's a near impossible job with daily assaults on their intelligence, patriotism and heart. I'd research past Presidents and even those who ran but failed and see what the patterns and commonalities are. Were they driven by ego? Well, I think that has to be considered right off the bat because it takes a considerable ego to believe you know what is in the best interests of millions of people. Is there a level of detachment these people all share? In a sense that sticks and stones will break their bones but criticism will not deter them. Do they care too much and that is what drives them or do they care just enough to not have to think about the lives they put in harms way, or the people that will go hungry or broke because they curtailed some needed public assistance? I think it's a fascinating topic and to the extent that some will say it depends on whether they are Democrats or Republicans, I don't think that matters. Both can be extremely selfish and strident. I enjoy politics, or at least I used to. I've been turned off lately because nothing good seems to be happening and both sides know it. The whole world knows it and yet there seems to be no urgency to correct that trend. There have been steps, albeit small ones and I know miracles don't happen over-night in governement but the mentality seems to be the same and that is disappointing. So, to sum it all up, my idea is a book on the psychological reasons on what makes a person want to be President. Pretty simple huh?