1. @bernabephoto—www.richardbernabe.com
2. @brucepercy —www.brucepercy.com
3. @CornforthImages—www.cornforthimages.com
4. @ianplantphoto—www.ipphotography.com
5. @enlightphoto—www.enlightphoto.com
6. @MartyKnapp—www.martyknapp.com
7. @chriscorradino—www.christography.com
8. @spoolimages—www.spoolphotography.com
9. @jimgoldstein—jmg-galleries.com
10. @gdanmitchell—www.gdanmitchell.com
11. @scottflaherty—store.clanoflaherty.com
12. @Niebrugge—www.my-photo-blog.com
13. @ScottDickerson—scottdickerson.com
14. @MoosePeterson—www.moosenewsblog.com
15. @pixelatedimage—www.pixelatedimage.com/blog
16. @artwolfe—www.artwolfe.com
17. @akornylak—www.akornphoto.com

This list is not in any particular order, and is clearly not meant to be comprehensive, merely the ones I am familiar with. If you have suggestions, please share them, I can always use more inspiration.

The thing about the rules of photography, especially composition rules, is that they can be helpful to someone who doesn’t understand the fundamentals of what makes a good image.  They’re good guides in helping illustrate abstract concepts, like visual tension, that are difficult to explain without something of a concrete example. Unfortunately, the rules can become counter-productive if they underlying concepts they illustrate are never fully grasped.

To illustrate this, I tend to use the example of hitting in baseball.  In little league, children are taught the rules for hitting a baseball.  Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, arms back, elbow up, step into the pitch, swing level, etc. The thing about these rules is that they’re great for someone with absolutely no clue how to hit a baseball, but look at baseball players from every age group, from the traveling teams through to the pros. How many of the players still have a textbook swing? As players get experience, they learn what works for them and they adapt their hitting style accordingly. By the time most players become pros, their hitting technique is so unique, that they can be identified by their stance at the plate. These guys are by definition among the best baseball players in the world. Every one of them have abandoned the rules, after learning the fundamentals of hitting and adapting those techniques to their strengths.

So it is with photography. Photographers learn the rules as a guide for understanding the concept, and then move past those rules, adapting their technique to their strengths.

A book I’m reading about how the Bible came into existence in it’s current form talks a lot about how scribes often used abbreviations for common words. The Greek Letter chi was often used as an abbreviation for Christ. If you’re not familiar with the Greek alphabet, chi is the letter X. I found it interesting anyway.

There’s also a wikipedia article dedicated to the term “Xmas” for those who are interested.

The rules are as follows.

(1.) Boot up your iPod or open up your mp3 playlist on your computer.
(2.) Put it on “shuffle” (random song selection)
(3.) For each question below, answer it with the name of the next song that comes up randomly on your playlist–no matter how silly.
(4.) Pass it on.

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
My Doorbell (The White Stripes) — An inauspicious start. They get better though, I promise.

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Back in the County Hell (Shane McGowan and the Popes) — If it’s opposite day.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
I Don’t Know What It Is (Rufus Wainright) — Yes, I do

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY:
Maybe You’re Right (Barenaked Ladies) — Hmm… I don’t think I’ve ever really felt that way.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Ghost (Indigo Girls) — There could be something profound in this.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Shoehorn with Teeth (They Might Be Giants) — And it’s a good motto too.

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Amazed (The Offspring) — Maybe amused.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Spiraling Shape (They Might Be Giants) — It makes me go insane

WHAT IS 2+2?
He’s Back (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones) —

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
The Hounds of Winter (Sting) — Clever.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Fortunate Son (Creedance Clearwater Revival) — Her son is very fortunate to have her as a mother.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
He Went to Paris (Jimmy Buffet) — some of its magic, some of its tragic, but I had a good life all the way

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Young (Nickel Creed) — If I can’t be young, I settle for immaturity.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
It’s Called a Heart (Depeche Mode) — Among other things

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Star Mile (Joshua Radin) — No idea what that means.

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Streams of Whisky (The Pogues) — Though, there wasn’t any room for dancing at my wedding.

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Sing it Again (Beck) — Nice.

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
It’s All Understood (Jack Johnson) — Seems like a politician’s answer to me.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Jelly Belly (The Smashing Pumpkins) — Not really a secret.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
People are People (Depeche Mode) — How apropos.

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Swimming in the Ocean (Crash Test Dummies) — Actually, that sounds quite pleasant.

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2 (Pink Floyd) — More weight.

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Infidel (Five for Fighting) —

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Everything Will Be Alright (The Killers) — Cynicism?

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Upward Over the Mountain (Iron and Wine) — Sore? Yes, but never enough to cry.

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Taimse ‘im Chadladh (The Chieftans) — That must be a Celtic expression meaning it already happened.

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong) — Sarcasm?

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Optimistic (Radiohead) — I’m not positive, but hopeful.

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
You Turn the Screw (Cake) — Things must have turned out badly when I did it.

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
God Walks Among Us Now – Jesu (The Flaming Lips) — I think this one was meant for the artist not the song title.

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Someone Else’s Life (Joshua Radin) — Some of the answers are definitely don’t describe me.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Gift Bags. They can be reused in a way shredded paper cannot.
2. Artificial or real tree? Real.
3. When do you put up a tree? Weekend after Thanksgiving.
4. When do you take it down? Soon after New Years.
5. Do you like eggnog? Yuck.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Legos
7. Hardest person to buy for? My wife.
8. Easiest person to buy for? My buddy Matt.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, it’s a terra cotta set my wife inherited from her Grandmother.
10. Christmas cards (real mail or e-mail) Real, if I can remember to get them sent.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A cream color cable-knit sweater.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Muppet Christmas Carol
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? The day after Christmas.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I recall
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Laura’s snickerdoodle’s.
16. Lights on the tree? Definitely
17. Favorite Christmas song? Either Silent Night, or Angels We Have Heard on High
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel every other year.
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s? Yes, but they already have names, so I don’t need to.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas eve for adults, Christmas morning for the kids.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People trying to force it to start earlier and earlier.
23. Favorite Ornament theme or color? Red, Green, and White
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Roast Beast
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? World Peace or a new camera, though the likelihood of either is about zero.
26. What color lights do you put on your house? White
27. Favorite holiday drink? Shirley Temple

My buddy Greg tagged me on his blog Friday, and I haven’t posted anything in a while so I’m playing along.

4 Random Things I Like About My Significant Other

1. Her smile.
2. She’s kind, caring, loving, and everything a good wife and mother should be.
3. She knows what I’m thinking without me saying it.
4. She makes the cutest babies ever.

4 Jobs I’ve Had

1. Dairy Stock Clerk
2. Bus Driver
3. Tech Support Rep
4. Web Developer

4 Movies I’ve Watched More Than Once

1. The Princess Bride
2. It’s a Wonderful Life
3. Disney’s Robin Hood
4. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

4 TV Shows I Watch

1. House
2. Life
3. Bones
4. Lost

4 Favorite Foods

1. Anything Mexican: Tacos, Enchiladas, Burritos, etc.
2. Steak
3. Chicken Parmesan
4. Veggie Spring Rolls

Ask me next week and the bottom three could be completely different, but the first one will remain the same.

4 Places I’d Like to Visit

1. New Zealand
2. Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
3. The Alps
4. The Caribbean (pretty much any Caribbean island. I’ve never been anywhere tropical).

5 Things I’m Looking Forward to in the Coming Year

1. Being able to understand what Spencer is saying.
2. Holly crawling (talking, walking).
3. Holly sleeping through the night in her own bed.
4. Getting a paid photography gig.
5. Going to Vermont.

4 People I Tag

1. Justin
2. Melissa
3. Victoria
4. Beth

Today I read the following article, http://news.illinois.edu/news/08/1027data.html, that warns of ‘digital dark ages’ resulting from the ephemeral nature of electronic data.

Apparently, I’m ahead of my time. Now I need a research budget to fund these observations.