Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul & Mary fame, is currently battling cancer and nearing the end of his days. His daughter, Bethany, has put together a “Peter Yarrow Living Tribute” page online at https://www.peteryarrow.net. (Contributions to this page can be submitted at https://tinyurl.com/y26rfxv2.) Here is the message I sent to Peter yesterday.

Dear Peter –

We have met on two occasions, but you have meant so much more to me than a couple of brief encounters. Here are just a few thoughts before you go… 

In the early morning hours of December 18, 1969, as I was experiencing a relationship trauma, I needed an escape from my current situation, and as I got into my car, the radio came on to the gentle, unmistakable opening chords of “Leaving on a Jet Plane” – “All my bags are packed…” In the ten thousand times I’ve heard that song since, I’ve always been reminded of the strains of Peter, Paul & Mary during that cold winter morning in northern Wisconsin. And how meaningful those John Denver lyrics were for me at that point.

In November of 1988, when I was on a business trip, I went into an art shop in Lexington, Kentucky, and found a poster with a black & white 1964 photo, by John C Desaint, of John, Paul, George & Ringo; Peter, Paul & Mary; and Ed Sullivan (see below). I just had to have it. I gently carried this incredible find back home to Oregon, had the print framed, and it’s been on display in every place I’ve call home since. You were my favorite artists – the Beatles providing the pop, and PP&M the folk - for the soundtrack to my high school and college years.

On February 9, 1991, I attended a Peter, Paul & Mary concert (the only time I saw you together) at the Indiana University Auditorium in Bloomington. This was at the beginning of the first Gulf War. You, personally, invited any of us in attendance to get together with you after the concert to talk about current events, and I was in that very small group who was there. (Of the 3,200 at the concert, only about 20 of us hung around to talk with you.) I’m sure you don’t remember me from this event, but I remember that evening very clearly. Among the topics were the morality of that specific conflict. And all war. You were so very gentle, kind, informed and articulate. Just as I had imagined you.

On May 21, 2019, I was the event photographer at Linda Carroll’s house when you performed as a benefit for your new non-profit. Before dinner, you graciously posed with each of the attendees so that they could have a remembrance of that night. You worked with me via mail and email to personally sign all the prints so that I could then distribute them. You were really great to work with, and even signed multiple prints for me and my date, Wendy. A signed 8x10 hangs in my living room right now; and it always will. I have since been able to brag that Peter Yarrow’s contact info is in my phone.

Wendy and I sat in the front row of the folks gathered in Linda and Tim’s living room that night. A special and enduring memory of the occasion happened when you approached Wendy, sitting at the end of the row, and sang most of one verse of “Puff, the Magic Dragon” directly to her.

Peter, you have meant so much to so many. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for living the life you have. I’m glad our paths crossed.

Blessings…

-----

Soundtrack Suggestion

Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them, every one
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn? 

(“Where Have All the Flowers Gone” – Pete Seeger)

The Beatles; Peter, Paul & Mary; Ed Sullivan - by John C Desaint (1964)

I was roaming around Saturday Market a couple days ago when the boldly-colored sign of an empanada stand caught my eye. After pointing my camera and taking a shot, I was immediately waved off by the owner who was upset that I had not first asked permission. I approached him to have a conversation and, after obligingly deleting the photo, I was informed that just that morning some of the vendors had been advised that there were reports of a "creepy old man” taking photos of women and children at the Market.

Without necessarily trying to defend that person’s behavior (whoever he was), I did inform Michael, the empanada guy, that, in this country, people who are out in public are “fair game” (so to speak) and, in most cases, should not have any expectation of privacy; photographers are not obligated to seek permission, however gentlemanly (and ethically-sound) that behavior may be. As long as the photo is not used commercially, the picture is the property of the photographer to do with it as he/she will. (I actually do carry with me photo-release forms in the off chance that I may want to use a picture for commercial use. See "Photography and the Law" for more info.)

I let him know that it was the striking colors of his sign that attracted me and the reason I took the photo in the first place. It turned out to be a very cordial conversation during which, interestingly, he offered me a free empanada! After our chat ended, and strolling around the Market for a bit longer, I returned to let Michael know that my take-away for the day was that at least one Market vendor had initially pegged me for a “creepy old guy.” Ugh. He then allowed me to take this photo. Thank you, Michael.

Soundtrack Suggestion

I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away

(“Kodachrome” — Paul Simon)

I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. I think they’re silly, and always have. After all, who needs a change of calendar to change their life? Not me.

That said, I did set a couple of goals for myself at the beginning of 2016. I didn’t make them public, and I knew the world would not end if I simply decided to abandon one or both.

Goal #1 was creative in nature: publish one iPhone photo per day to Instagram (and simultaneously to Facebook and Twitter). It became pretty obvious within the first month that this was going to be quite a challenge, but I was inspired to this quest by Facebook friend (Pulitzer Prize winning photographer; former Chief White House Photographer; Oregon native) David Kennerly, who published a book after he accomplished this task. He made and posted one iPhone 5s photo a day for the entirety of 2013 and then published David Hume Kennerly On the iPhone. It’s quite a great book. You should check it out.

This goal actually evolved over time. I wanted to take at least one publishable photo per day and then upload it. I quickly modified that to simply posting one photo per day, whether or not it was taken on the same day. Then, I decided one image per day was allowable, regardless of camera used or its content (screenshots became permitted). I kept on giving myself more and more flexibility or I might never have reached the goal. But now, on January 1, 2017, I am able to report that I did indeed post one image a day for each of the 366 days (yes, it was a leap year) of 2016. Whew. For those of you who follow or friend me, I hope you enjoyed at least some of the work I produced. (I highly doubt a book will follow.)

Goal #2 was physical- and mental-health related. In 2015, I had walked over 800 miles during the course of the year (as measured by the Walkmeter app on my phone). Therefore, I thought that 1,000 miles might be a reasonable goal for 2016. I am happy to report that I made it; my final mileage for the year was 1,066. Of course, many of the photos you saw me post during the year were taken during those daily walks. (There were only a handful of days during the year when I didn’t get out for at least a short walk). This final tally comes to an average of 2.9 miles/day. I’m pretty happy with that result.

Other than that, 2016 pretty much sucked. But at least I can say I lived through it.

Please make sure to stop by and visit my other primary home here in the virtual world …

[click on this photo]

I attended Nikon School again this year. This is an all-weekend, two-day photography seminar sponsored by the makers of Nikon cameras; it is available in several cities around the country over the course of any given year. No other camera manufacturer has a program that’s even remotely similar, if my information is correct. The first day, Saturday, is a beginner’s session entitled “Introduction to Digital SLR Photography.” It starts with the basics of ISO, shutter speed and aperture and goes from there, including exposure modes; white balance; lens choice; composition; and framing. The second day is called “Next Steps: Color, Light & Technology.” This day is much more technical, and includes such topics as understanding the qualities of light; how to make the most of RAW format images and maximize a workflow built around them; color management from camera to print; and a demo of Capture NX2 (Nikon’s own photo-editing software). Both days are incredibly packed with information: so much so that the first time I attended the “Next Steps” day, I thought my head was going to explode. Luckily, I keep up with most parts of all topics now, so I don’t walk away so overloaded and exhausted. At the end of the weekend, I’m more energized than anything, so I guess that’s why I keep going back year after year.

Last weekend marked my fifth year in a row attending Nikon School in Berkeley, and perhaps my tenth time overall (honestly, I've lost track). I’ve also attended Nikon Schools offered in Portland and Seattle (two or three times in each of those locations, when I lived in Oregon). Back in the early 2000s when I first started attending, I was still shooting film, as was one of the two instructors (Sam Garica; Bill Durrence was shooting digital.)

Autofocus Speedlight SB-700An additional topic (not listed above) for the “Next Steps” day is flash photography, with a discussion of fill- and bounce-flash. The presentation includes a live demonstration using multiple Speedlights (the name for Nikon’s line of flashes) in a simulated portrait session. For this part of the seminar, one audience participant is asked to volunteer to sit on stage as their subject.

When it came time for this demo, I thoroughly expected the instructors to choose a female (and certainly someone who doesn’t wear glasses, as that adds an unneeded complication to their work) for this very interesting, but rather-intense part of the show. However, this year, they didn’t ask for volunteers! With no advance warning of what was to come, I was, more-or-less, simply selected to be the subject.

How did this happen? Well, Nick Didlick, along with Reed Hoffmann, were the two instructors this time around and I’ve been Facebook friends with Nick for a couple years now. He knew I was in the audience … right there in the front row, as usual. The flash demo was his topic, and when he started it out, he simply pointed to me and indicated that he’d like me to come up and help. I don’t exactly remember how he asked: I was too stunned. However, I was flattered to be chosen, and, of course, got up on stage. I remember saying, jokingly, something like, “you’ll be sorry.”

© 2012 Nick DidlickDespite my embarrassment at having every single frame immediately visible on the big screen, I pretty much enjoyed myself. Nick really worked hard, and eventually produced some good shots. (There were lots of bad ones, too, as he quite ably demonstrated what didn’t work so well.)

Amazingly, I had packed my MacBook Air along with me to the seminar. This was the first time I had ever carried a computer in. It certainly came in handy as, during the break, Nick allowed me to download the entire photo shoot onto my machine. I’ve included one of my favorite shots here.

You may want to check out the websites of the five Nikon School instructors: Nick Didlick, Bill Durrence, Reed Hoffmann, Bob Pearson, and Michael Schwartz.

Bottom line: I heartily recommend attending Nikon School if it ever comes to your neighborhood.

[See also: Nikon Acquisition Syndrome.]