UNUMUNDUS

There is a growing imbalance in this world. Technology is increasing and culture and human expression are diminishing. We are an expressive species and yet we are drawn to technology that limits our expression. We spend more and more time each day in the digital prayer engaged in unlimitied connections that limit our quality of relationships.

Thousands of years ago we were scribbling on cave walls with charcoal. Today, we are sending photos around the world at the speed of light to billions. Technology comes and goes, but art is forever. Regardless of whatever tools we use to express ourselves, we will always be expressive. We will search for inspiration and creativity. Our passion drives us to be more than just an animal.

Unumundus means One World. And we are one, one people, one race, one planet. If you feel that 90% of television and cinema are mindless garbage, then visit our place for a few minutes a day or even a few minutes a week. Our goal is to update our content weekly...to bring the human expression and experience to you. Our attempt is to document the human experience, human expression, and art.  Whether that art is the photo, the content in the photo, the video or the subject of the video, Unumundus will bring human expression to you.

There is too much technology in this world. This project is one effort to bring balance of culture, art, and human expression back into this world of increasing technology.

Stop being and thinking digital, everything is analog...you are one...we are one.

Rule of Thirds ~ Synchronicities

Hi everyone,

I have signed up to create a slide show for my Tae Kwon Do club's upcoming 40th anniversary. My goal is to write about it for this blog along the way. Last weekend, I gathered about 50 possible songs, which I need to whittle down to one or two. I have also been working on cleaning up the photos. I started with approximately 1500 pictures and after some heavy deleting, have the number down to about 800. Obviously that is still way too many...


One of the problems I have encountered is that there is not a lot of visual stimulation in many of the photos because we are all wearing our white uniforms, in basically a white room with white ceilings. I thought maybe if I could crop some photos to be a little more interesting, it would help spice things up a bit.

I am going to try to crop some photos following 9-balance or the rule of thirds that I have recently learned from Caesar...

I really like the visual grid of nine blocks because it applies to many other areas of life (not just photos). The first thing I thought of when I saw the nine square grid overlaid on the photo on wiki, was a poi or hoop (flow arts) learning technique, that I heard about at Hoop Camp this year from Danielle Odette. This technique is called the nine square theory and is developed by poi artist, Charlie Cushing, in a series of YouTube videos. Here is the first one.

I tend to get very excited when I find out that seemingly unrelated things are, in fact, related! When you are learning flow arts, one of the way to understand the space around you is using this grid. The middle box is the box that is directly in front of you, your mid section. The rest of the grid expands to your left and right, the bottom row is the three squares that line up with the floor/your feet. The top row is the three squares that line up above your head when you raise your arms.

Now picture that grid in three dimensions, and you have a cube! Reference the Spin Cube which debuted at last year's Spin Summit in Colorado. Inspiration for this interactive artwork came from Sacred Geometry; another topic which I would like to delve into.

And now that I'm thinking in cubes, my mind has leaped to Rubik's Cubes and sugar cubes and all kinds of cubes! I also love how there are circles inside of the cubes. Something about combining the smooth circle of the hoop with sharp edges of cubes, makes me think of yin/yang, dichotomies, and how nicely opposite seeming things can complement each other.

There are also more fantastical connections to the rule of thirds starting with the Golden Ratio, that I would like to explore further also.

Spin on, my friends.
 ~ Minerva

Cityscapes

Cityscapes can be fun and easy to image.  This is the Bay Bridge from Coit Tower.  Some judicious cropping on the top and this is a very good image.

Cityscapes like landscapes can have an epic feel/look.  It's also easy to get "caught in the moment" and feel something looks like a big/epic image until you actually capture the image.  Russian Hill from Coit Tower.

Imaging objects in a row can give depth and perspective.  The cars are obvious, but the houses and trees across the street also contribute.  A flattering shot of Coit Tower on the fringe of North Beach.  Some frame-cropping to the right could have produced an even better shot.

A shot down from Telegraph Hill on the fringe of North Beach.  You can see The Cathedral.  This has plenty of perspective, but I feel lacks context for some reason.

This image may be instantly recognizable by the natives.  Russian Hill.

But zooming out gives better context.  The residences on the either side give perspective, balance, and some symmetry to the touristy "zig-zag" of Lombard Street.

An unflattering shot of Lombard Street.  The power lines totally detract and the distance captures some haze.  Sometimes the moment feels like a good shot, but once the image is captured it may have a completely different look and feel.

Another unflattering shot of the Lombard zig-zag.  This image lacks context because it's difficult to discern what the object is.  I find it helpful to frequently remind myself that I'm taking a picture of some thing or things, setting, or people. 

A nice cityscape of Telegraph Hill from the foot of the Lombard zig-zag. The power lines don't have as much contrast against the city from this angle so they don't detract much.

A different angle and a bit of zoom on Telegraph Hill from Russian Hill.  The power lines are more obvious from this angle and thus detract more.

Landscapes

Landscapes are a challenge.  Getting that "epic" feel can be elusive. Near Boulder, CO.

That same scape from a different angle has a completely different look.  Near Boulder.

Again that same scape but pulled back (or zoomed out) has a more panoramic look.  Near Boulder.

And panning a bit to the right gets that same rock "spine" diminishing into the horizon. Near Boulder.

This has 9-balance, a big look, and visually engaging.  The power lines and tower detract a bit.  Near Boulder.

Landscapes don't need to be big...they can be small.  This has perspective (depth), and good balance.  The garden area, Alcatraz.

Shooting structure with garden landscapes can balance organic versus inorganic content in the frame.  Alcatraz.

Another scape with a nice balance of structure in the background. Alcatraz.

This approaches a cityscape with a hazy San Francisco skyline in the background.  Frame-cropping the right or a slightly different angle of shot could have eliminated those detractors to the right of the frame.  Alcatraz.

This is also landscape/cityscape with Yerba Buena island and the Bay Bridge in the background.  The afternoon sun is casting a harsh shadow from the right wall onto the garden.  Choosing the time of a shot is important, too.  Perhaps a bit earlier would have illuminated the entire garden without too much shadow.  Alcatraz.

Towers

Imaging towers can be challenging. They can stand out above foreground and background and make it difficult to get good 9-balance. Alcatraz, S.F.

Flag poles, similar to towers, can be challenging as well.  Getting a shot of an unfurled flag can be a test of one's will.  Patience and several shots are usually the cure. Alacatraz.

A different angle with that same tower and flag pole. Frame-cropping could have allowed me to image more of the tower's top and a bit less of the foreground. Alcatraz.

The water tower on Alcatraz before renovation.  I love the delapidated look...on just about anything.  This is a good pic of the tower...you have foreground, middleground (the fence), and the object, with good sky-balance.

Shooting from low to high can give a sense of grandeur (bigness). But towers stand out and can cause challenges with exposure with the other elements in the frame. Coit Tower, Telegraph Hill.

The Cathedral in NorthBeach.  The angle (low to high) allows the "grandeur" feel. Frame-cropping would have allowed me to capture more of the church's steeples, and less of the people and cars at the bottom.

An example of frame-cropping of The Cathedral. NorthBeach.

Statuary at NorthBeach.  This is an example where background can detract from the object due to lack of contrast.  The green in the trees is similar to the verdigris on the statue.

Frame-cropping just the base of that same statue. NorthBeach.

Statuary in Boulder, CO.  A straight-on side shot is usually unflattering.  In this case there is a good deal of background "noise" and some undesirable shadowing. Taking some time and moving around the object to experiment with angles can pay off.  Also, frame-cropping out the bottom to get more of the rack could have helped.

Statuary

Statuary of any kind can be a little tricky for image capture.  This oblique angle doesn't show as much detail and perspective.  Trinidad.

This angle is much more flattering, gives better detail and perspective, and reduces the background (which enhances the object). A very nice statue in the front yard of a house in Trinidad.

Frame Content and Balance

A fawn in a glade. Zooming in a bit may have helped enhance the youngling, but this has good balance as-is. Woodley Island.

Yes...it's a shrub in the shape of a boat.  Shot at an oblique to give depth, detail, and perspective.  Cropping out the left side would enhance the object...but we don't do that on this project.  Woodley Island.

Known as the "Rusty Fisherman" by the locals, this statue is made of copper...like the Statue of Liberty.  Balanced with a shoreline of Indian Island in the background, it has a panoramic look and feel.  It has a bit too much sky for my liking, but that could be cropped with a photo editing program.  True to the spirit of this project, the pic is presented it its original frame.  Woodley Island.

An example of how a straight on shot does not give much detail of the object.  Woodley Island.

A straight on side shot can also be wanting for a bit more content in the frame.  Zooming out might have helped.  Woodley Island.

A better pic with more 9-balance and a little motion/activity.  Woodley Island.

This would have been a better shot in burst mode with manual focus.  It's also a little overexposed. Woodley Island.

This pic has a majestic feel to it.  The buck is off center with the rack almost right in the middle.  Woodley Island.

Frame Content

Crab Beach, Loleta.  This would have been a really nice pic...but the foreground elements detract.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull.  Crab Beach.

All in row...Beaches and estuaries are target-rich environments for birds and other wildlife. Crab Beach.

JLS perched on a stump.  A nice portrait.  Crab Beach.

I like this pic.  It has a nice 9-balance and a desolate feel to it.  Crab Beach.

Sometimes minimalism has impact.  This is simply a shoreline, a log, and a pelican.  Crab Beach.

Photo Op

Low tide in Humboldt Bay.  This is an opportune time for shots of wildlife as they come out for their foraging routine.

 

Compare this shot with the very first post of a similar shot in Humboldt Bay.  This is a clear day and the context is a completely different vibe and feel.

 

Asymmetrical balance...is that an oxymoron? Humboldt Bay.

 

Ren Faire '12

A musical performance at the Nor-Cal Renaissance Faire in 2012.  The symmetry was choreographed into the performance, of course, which makes for a good shot even from this angle. Symmetry with people shots doesn't happen too often...unless it's choreographed.

Nor-Cal Ren Faire '12.  They were posing, but really relaxed about it, which made a nice portrait.

Nor-Cal Ren Faire '12.  Obviously this gentleman was posing.  I have to give him credit, though, for the effort he put into his costume.  Nicely done, Gandalf!