The Butterfly Effect

2008-10-15T16:43:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't been posting recently. It's not that I don't have any photos - I have a ton waiting to be converted to black and white - and it's not that I don't want to blog. It's just that I'm really trying to focus on my other blog, Danish Poet, which I'm really having a blast with. So I'm retiring this blog. Not for too long, but long enough where I can't give an exact date to when I'm going to start posting again. Retire isn't even a good word. I'm taking a break. This isn't a goodbye necessarily, but a see you later. However, I feel I should say thanks to all those who have been supporting me since the beginning of this blog - you know who you are.

I'd feel guilty leaving this post without one last photo - so here's one I took at the gardens.

Guarding Knight

2008-10-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

There's that knight again, this time guarding the gateway to... what do you think?

Trees & Rooftop Silhouette

2008-10-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took of the edges of tree branches, framing the rooftop of an old building in a stark silhouette.

Charity

2008-10-06T18:01:00.003-07:00

This is a photograph I took of a man giving money to the poor in New York City.

Two Roses

2008-10-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

Remember that garden I was talking about the other day? Well, the garden had a huge section devoted to roses, and this is a photo I took from the rose section. It reminds me of one of those Hallmark Valentine's Day cards. The only thing missing is some white cursive script beneath the flowers reading "Happy Valentine's Day".

Coaster

2008-10-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

This is a picture I took of a beautifully designed Christmas coaster, ordered from the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art catalog. You'll find that they have some really creative stuff in that magazine if you ever get around to reading it.

Arboretum Gates

2008-09-30T15:23:00.001-07:00

This is a picture I took of the top of a building that houses hundreds of plants in a college near where I live. Surrounding the building is a beautiful, gigantic garden, which I'll be posting pictures of throughout the week.

Knight

2008-09-29T17:54:00.001-07:00

This is a photograph I took of a small toy knight I have. The knight actually comes with a whole set, but this one is my favorite.

Skyscrapers

2008-09-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took of some skyscrapers outside of Radio City Music Hall, where I saw a very enjoyable Willie Nelson concert.

Majestic Building

2008-09-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took of a very majestic school building, from the grand steps leading to its entrance.

Car

2008-09-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

This is a photo I took of a car as it drove by. Mostly, this picture is an experimentation with blur, and I believe that gives it a nice effect.

Sun and Harmonica

2008-09-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

This is a picture I took of a man playing the harmonica, with the sun blazing in the background. Even though it made the man a silhouette and you can't necessarily see the harmonica, you can still make out the man's hands as he plays a vibrato

Strange Door

2008-09-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took of a mysterious doorway I saw on the side of an apartment building near a car dealership. My only question was "Where does it lead to?" Make sure to click on the photo for better detail.

Pillow Cover

2008-09-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took of a pillow cover covering a particularly comfy pillow.

Tree and Wires

2008-09-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took of a telephone pole sticking up through a tree on that roadtrip to Montauk I'd mentioned in an earlier post. To me, this photo represents how human civilization seems to be dominating the beauty of life.

Weed In a Crack

2008-09-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

Remember that tennis court I told you about? Well, there were actually two sections to it. One section, the part I took the picture of, was the nicer section, the section where the courts were clean, and you could safely play tennis. The other section however, wasn't so nice. Divided from the nicer one by a large green wall, it was scarred with cracks and looked like someone had actually taken a jackhammer and literally tore the place apart. I'd remembered it being bad when I was little, but not nearly as destroyed as it is today. Anyway, this is where I took this photo. One of the larger cracks had a huge weed growing out of it, and I thought the contrast between the shadows cast by the weed and the tennis court's battered ground was nice.

Apples Barn

2008-09-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took on a roadtrip to Montauk. As I passed by a cornfield I snapped quickly this shot of a red barn. I think it is a good example of the things you only seem to find on roadtrips.

Tennis Net

2008-09-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

When I was younger I used to play tennis with my parents at an old tennis court. Over the years, the grounds surrounding the tennis court were put under construction, as two new baseball fields, a pathway, and a lacrosse field were made. During the construction, it was impossible to play at the tennis court. Over the years, I missed walking down the dirt path - where I would occasionally see a rabbit - to the tennis courts on a hot summer day, passing through the weeds and by the old abandoned ticket booth, to play a merry game of tennis with my mother and father. Eventually over time it was reopened, and just last week I went to go play tennis there. Even though the dirt path was gone, the weeds were pulled out, and the old ticket booth had been removed, the tennis court itself didn't change, and I like that. It is hard to decide whether change is a good thing or a bad thing, but I don't think that is to be decided. What's important to decide is how you remember things before they changed. My memories are still fresh in my mind.

"Become a student of change. It is the only thing that will remain constant."

- Anthony J. D'Angelo

Nailed Coke

2008-09-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

In the town I live in there are many telephone poles, and of course people like to hang all kinds of things on them, but never have I seen somebody nail a coke bottle to one before. In a strange way, I find it quite beautiful. I even took a video of it, and in the video the sunlight captures the bottle's plastic in a beautiful and almost epic way. Then again, what do I know, I just like a good bottle of Coke.

Washington

2008-09-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

This is a photo I took of George Washington's head in a paivting I have hanging in my bedroom. I received it from my grandmother and apparently it was my great grandfather's. I know the picture is blurry, but if you look at it from far away it becomes clearer, and I think it ads a certain effect to it. Then again, I might not have a clue what I'm talking about.

Printed Heads

2008-09-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph of some pictures of heads my father printed out as a bases for his artwork. They are laying on top of a chair I love to sit in in his studio.

Boots

2008-09-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

This is a photo I took of my grandfather's black boots one time when he was sitting down in my patio. My grandfather has worn those black boots for as long as I can remember, even since I was a kid, but they never seem to age a day.

Painting's Eyes

2008-09-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph of the eyes of a painting by my father. The rest of the painting is beautiful as well, but I do love the eyes.

Update

2008-08-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

This is just a note stating that this website, my blog, and the shop will have no further editions until next Monday. By then, I should have one or two items in the shop and plenty of posts during the week ahead.

Dear Readers:

2008-08-25T18:31:00.001-07:00

In case you haven't noticed, I have not posted yesterday and today - why? It is not for lack of photography or inspiration, but merely for lack of time and growing of personal business. Beyond that I cannot explain. I will not be posting as frequently as I used to everyday, but please keep checking back. I hope you will continue to enjoy my photographs, whether they be delayed or not. This will also be the same for readers of my blog Danish Poet. Though I had grown into the habit of posting every day on that blog, I will be incapable to do that until a large holiday or next summer. However, in the mess of things I assure you the Danish Poet Shop will be up and running soon with t-shirts and possibly posters.

Please keep frequent,

Arnold Layne

Paradise 7

2008-08-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

A few years ago my great grandmother had to move out of the home she had lived in for thirty years - a small cape in the town of Hicksville, Long Island. Of course, over the years she had collected many items in her house which varied from cheap jewelery to small sunhats. Among the clutter of her second floor, I discovered two cardboard road signs, one reading Intercourse 69, and another reading Paradise 7. Taking the second sign home with me, I hung it in my bedroom where it is displayed to this day. This is a photograph I took of the number 7 on the sign. I like the vintage feel it has to it.

Skywatch Friday: Parking Lot Lights

2008-08-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took for Skywatch Friday of some lights in a parking lot I was driving by. To me, the cloud behind them looks like an eye, what does it look like to you?

2008-08-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph of a watercolor my father painted that is hanging by the bottom of the stairs in my house. If you look closely at the painting, you can see my reflection in the glass.

Chandelier

2008-08-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took of a chandelier reflecting on a beautiful ceiling. As of the moment, the location of where this photo was taken escapes me.

Clouds and Traffic Lights

2008-08-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took in the car of some street lights hanging by a wire with a beautiful backdrop cast by the setting sun and a street lamp in the corner.

*Note

Please forgive the absence of a post yesterday, I am afraid I got caught up watching Edward Scissorhands.

Unidentifiable Flower

2008-08-17T19:40:00.001-07:00

This the last and final photo in the flower photo series. The week has come to an end, and I am very grateful for all your encouraging comments. I may make these photos available on Picasa Web Albums but until then you must wait. This is yet another photo of a flower I found and was unable to define. I hope you've all enjoyed the week.

Rose

2008-08-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

This is a picture I took of a rose in a large pot on my patio. It's a very beautiful pink rose plant that sprouts about three flowers every summer. I've taken pictures of it before but none have ever come out quite like this.

Hydrangeas 2

2008-08-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

This is the exact same hydrangea bush that I took a photo of before, so I couldn't think of a more creative name. I showed this photo later on in the week because I think it is better than the first one.

Rose of Sharon

2008-08-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

This is a photo I took of one of the many Rose of Sharon flowers surrounding my patio. Rose of Sharens are a very common and beautiful flower on Long Island, and always seem to attract hundreds of bees. The flower has so much sweet-smelling pollen that the bees usually overdose, and I find them covered in pollen and stumbling drunkly through the air (if one can stumble drunkly through the air) back to their hive near my attic.

Black & White Flower

2008-08-13T23:23:00.000-07:00

I'm not even sure what type of flower this is, that is why I entitled it "Black & White Flower" All I know is that it can be found in my backyard, so if anyone can tell me what flower this is by the picture, please do so.

Hydrangeas

2008-08-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

Hydrangeas are my favorite flower to photograph. These are some white hydrangeas in my backyard that I'd always admired and thought looked even better in black and white.

Introducing A Week of Flowers

2008-08-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

From this monday to this sunday will be Flowers Week. Every day I will post a picture I took of flowers with a black background. Today's flower week entry is a photo I took of some daisies that can be found in a pot on my stoop. Sometimes it is hard to capture daisies on a sunny day because the pure white petals becomes so bright the photo comes out bad. However, when the beauty of a daisy is captured it can be stunning. Personally, I believe I captured these daisies quite well, but let me assure you I saved the best flower photograph for last this week.

Greenwich Door

2008-08-10T18:30:00.001-07:00

In case you haven't noticed by now I love to hang around Greenwich Village. This is a photograph of a battered old door I found leading into an apartment building in Greenwich Village. A month after taking this picture I saw a man on the street selling a photograph of the same door - who'd figure? Maybe I should start making some money myself...

Graffiti

2008-08-09T13:00:00.001-07:00

One of the things I love about Manhattan is the graffiti. Not the meaningless colored scribbles that you find on the inside of bridges, but the creative artwork that is made by those who are bursting with artistic ability. The most beautiful graffiti is usually found in Soho, but I believe I photographed this near Greenwich Village. Believe me, this isn't the nicest graffiti I've found, but it's the nicest graffiti I've photographed in black and white.

Sea of Clouds

2008-08-08T06:02:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I originally took to capture the beauty of a stunning group of clouds. However, the building that was originally in the way of the perfect shot soon became part of it, as it gave it the clouds the effect of expanding very far and looking like a sea of clouds. This is one of those photos that look better when you enlarge it.

Ash

2008-08-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took of an engraving I found on the sidewalk.

Aviators

2008-08-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

Aviators, or Aves, as I most lovingly refer to them, are by far my favorite type of sunglasses. My uncle, who is a professional photographer, has his own pair of which I snapped at a family barbecue. If I had not darkened the picture, you would have been able to see my reflection in the glasses.

Lantern

2008-08-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took of a beautiful, iron candle lantern hanging to the right of my backdoor. It was bought a very long time ago at a garage sale, and it leaves the faintest, and yet most magical light when a candle is placed in it and lit on a clear summer evening.

Please Forgive Me...

2008-08-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

But I am afraid that for some reason Blogger is preventing me from loading any photos onto todays post. I would try later, but I've already made plans to view Being John Malkovich for the first time and do not want to miss it.

Leaves

2008-08-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph of the hundreds of leaves that grow on a tree canopying my driveway. What I always loved about these leaves is the fact that they are shaped like a heart.

Skywatch Friday

2008-08-01T05:29:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took for Skywatch Friday of the top of a building in Greenwich Village. What I personally like about this photo is how wispy the clouds are above the building.

Painting

2008-07-31T05:22:00.000-07:00

This is a sketch for a painting my father is making. The picture appears warped only because it was taken on the other side of the canvas with the light shining through it.

Le Figaro Cafe

2008-07-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

This is another painting I found outside the wall of a building in Greenwich Village. However, this one stated the title of the restaurant that inhabited it. Though at one time I'm sure it was a nice cafe, it has long since been vacated.

Man With Umbrella

2008-07-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

This is a painting I found on the wall of a building in Greenwich Village.

Outdoor Lamp

2008-07-28T04:58:00.000-07:00

This is yet another photograph of a lamp but instead outdoors. It does not show the radiation of the light as well as it does the texture of the awning above it, which is placed directly over my stoup.

Dear Readers,

2008-07-27T06:38:00.000-07:00

Please forgive my four day absence from this blog for I am afraid I have been carelessly swept away by the summer.

I'm sure there has been confusion as to why I kept inserting links to my Zazzle gallery and Cafe Press images and why they did not work. My Zazzle gallery originally contained three posters I designed for the bands Spoon, Bright Eyes, and Sufjan Stevens. However, I inserted the three posters into the gallery every time, only to find that it displayed the Sufjan Stevens poster. I was very puzzled, and after two days of desperately attempting to restore the other two posters to the gallery I gave up and created an account on Cafe Press where you could order framed prints of my colored and non-colored work. It was until just now that I realized one needed a Cafe Press account to order my prints, and I figured I wouldn't put you through that much trouble, that is why there is no longer a Cafe Press link.

There have been multiple reasons for my absence alongside the Zazzle/Cafe Press problem that I would rather not get into right now, but as of the moment I shall continue my daily photo. Todays photograph is yet another experiment of what happens when you take a cardboard tube and press against the lens as you snap a shot.

Magnifying Glass

2008-07-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

This is an experimental photo I took with a magnifying glass placed in front of the camera lens.

New Mexican Sun

2008-07-21T15:24:00.001-07:00

This is a stone sun my family bought on a trip to New Mexico when I was a child. We found it in an old pottery shop off the beaten track. I remember it was a large wooden shack surrounded by pots and statues, and if you looked past the clutter of pottery, a beautiful New Mexican landscape brought a feast for the eyes. At last, in reflection of that beautiful state, the stone sun hangs up on a wall in the pantry.

Lamp

2008-07-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

This photo is of a wall lamp in my house and an experimentation with light. It fascinates me how it reflects off the walls.

Soho Apartments

2008-07-19T06:36:00.001-07:00

This is a photograph I took of a building in Soho, New York City. I believe in some cases, as in an old apartment building, beautiful architecture can be painfully overlooked when seen every day.

Father's Silhouette

2008-07-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took of my father's head in my living room. Silhouettes can be extremely creative in some cases, but with the proper editing skills fairly easy to make.

Sylvia's Silhouette

2008-07-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

Everyday I come home my cat Sylvia sits at the side door and awaits my arrival, hoping for food and petting. That is one of the reasons why I love her.

Light In the Night

2008-07-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

"I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day."
- Vincent Van Gogh

I agree.

Gazebo Weathervane

2008-07-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph of a weathervane placed on top of a gazebo in a park near my house on a particularly stormy day.

Sleeping Sylvia

2008-07-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

Another picture of my photogenic cat, who's story I've told you before.

Imagine

2008-07-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

John Lennon was one of the great minds of the 20th century. He was a musician, a composer, an artist and a peacemaker, and left an impression on our world. Strawberry Fields is a 2.5 acre landscape dedicated to this poet, and is located in Central Park, New York City. When you first enter Strawberry Fields, you walk down a stone pathway that leads to a memorial sight, placed there after his death in 1980. It is a beautiful mosaic depicting the title of one of his most famous works, "Imagine", and is always adorned with roses, as gifts from those who believed in what he stood for. This is another addition to the countless photos that have already been taken of this mosaic. However, it is not as much for pictorial purposes, as it is for memorial purposes.

John Lennon

(1940 - 1980)

Gourds

2008-07-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

I love collecting gourds and pumpkins around the time of Halloween. I bought one of these guards homegrown, off of an elderly lady in the neighborhood, while I am unsure to the origin of the other gourd.

Eye In White

2008-07-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took a year ago, of a close-up of my eye.

Turning Guard

2008-07-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

This is a guard I noticed on a balcony at the Natural History Museum. I thought this photograph would make a decent observation of light.

Scoreboard Clouds

2008-07-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

On the same block that my house is located there is a football field for a public school. This is a photograph of the back of the scoreboard on that football field on a particularly cloudy day.

Facing the Light

2008-07-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

I have had this figure ever since I could remember. Over the years of my childhood parts of its body fell off, including the original stand. This photograph is an experimentation with light, which I intend to be doing more of for a change, instead of the dark and mysterious pictures I have taken in the past.

Gravel

2008-07-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph of the gravel driveway on the side of my house. You may enlarge it if you wish to view the detail.

Independence Day

2008-07-04T15:22:00.000-07:00

Today is the day dedicated to the bravery of our forefathers. Today is the day America shines as a country, as a whole. Today is the day a group of colonies became a nation. Today is the first day in the history of the world, that a colony broke away from its mother country.

Shack and Anchor

2008-07-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took on a vacation in Block Island - a small paradise located off the coast of Rhode Island. The anchor is hard to notice at first, but if you look closely you can see it is leaning against the shack.

Black Hat

2008-07-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

I have owned this black magician's hat since I was about five years old and it still fits. This is a photograph I took after I had thrown it into the air. I had done a series of hat shots that day but this was my personal favorite.

Clock

2008-06-30T19:37:00.001-07:00

My mother took this photograph of a clock in Grand Central Station. If you look closely the silhouette of a woman can be seen in the background. I show photos that my mother took on this blog because this is the version I edited.

Skeleton Key

2008-06-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

In this photo my father's brick path once again appears in the backdrop. The key belonged to my grandfather before his death. It was then given to me by my grandmother.

Sylvia

2008-06-28T06:32:00.000-07:00

During the cold winter of 2001 we heard a shivering meow at our doorstep. Sitting outside was a frost covered cat whom we would later tame and call Sylvia. We fed her milk that day out of pitty, but she kept coming back for more. Sylvia eventually gave birth to Kittens in our basement window, and from then on she's been ours.

Brick and Stone

2008-06-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I set up and took. The stone the rock is laying on is used as a doorstop while the brick path was built by my father.

The Statue of Liberty

2008-06-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

My mother actually took this photo as we were rounding the Statue of Liberty on a yacht during a special occasion.