recent shoot - her nickname "mouse"

Just images and memories

Sometimes while going back through photo-files I come across images that just randomly create memories. Photographs can sometimes be like the subconscious mind - they just pop up when you least expect them and remind us of a day, a person, a place. An image remains in one place while time keeps moving on and we all get older yet those images remain as they were some time ago and maybe there will be time left for more...you just never know - or do you?

video

If you click on the blue wording "our wedding" you can watch a video of some weddings my partner Jackie and I shot. Enjoy!

Our Wedding

Our Wedding

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Return to Woodstock

I took a drive to Woodstock recently. The signs of the old days are falling apart amidst the occasional vibrant banner of peace and love - a once noble idea! I ran across Santa in a run-down flea market near a bus, now stranded in a parking lot with no wheels and clearly nowhere to go. He wasn't fat or jolly nor holy or noble but rather faded and pale, a little worn from centuries of consumerism. Not far away a stone carver was busy carving a eulogy - probably to replace the chipped and faded tile that once proclaimed a welcome to the town that endured 500,000 ... now a few tourist stop by on their way to some other place. They seem curious and lost. When I left town I spotted a figure in my rear view mirror - a lone singer in the park with guitar in hand and an open case next to him on the ground - the case was empty. -

lance Manning fall of 2009

Memories

Some of us cling to the past because that is the only reality. The present is now - gone into the past almost as quickly as it arrived from the future. The future is just a tic away and then its past. You can see where I'm going with this, that is if you can see into the future, far enough. Photography really is a time-machine traveling into the past, always into the past. That's where we all really live because the now is instantly the past and the future is not yet. And after-all the past has all of those memories, good, bad and indifferent. As we live we are creating a past. Time travel, is possible....

Lance Manning at 7:55 p.m. Wednesday, November 18,2009. Gone-

unicorn

I still believe in the possibilities that keep the creative magic working in our minds eye. If you look carefully you can almost see the horn. I am sure that somewhere in a misty meadow just as the first rays of light caress the mossy side of an old apple tree a unicorn tastes the fruit from long ago.

Or on just the right moon-lighted night you may glimpse the shadow of a unicorn as it blends into the night sky.

comments

In the world of blogs it seems people do visit but most of the time they don't leave a comment. If you stop by drop a line. What do you think? If you want to see an image larger just click on the image and it will enlarge. Which images do you like? Dislike? What's your interest? Thanks.

World's most dangerous sport

I recently took these images at a local fair. The bull riders took a beating. Amidst the dust and the smell of rawhide and bull sweat, I gained a new respect for these guys. They risk life and limb and in one case an eye, for little pay, and the chance to chase a dream into the big time bull-riding circuit. I think I'll stay behind the camera.

Children

The innocence of children is a treasure that endures until we let the rest of the world in and then something gets lost. No matter how we try to prevent it, to cling to it, to cherish the moments forever, we can only look back at the images and memories that linger forever in our hearts. May they stay forever young!

"Such a conflict! The world outside is nothing like the one inside. No matter how hard you try to portray one or the other the vision always comes down to the translation of the viewer. After-all everyone's some kind of a critic. Being compelled to take the picture doesn't mean it will transport the viewer to the place you once stood. It's the pain of communication and the agony of the artist that gets lost between the lines - but I keep tryin' . Why? Because occasionally someone gets a glimpse of what it all means, but then, there it goes and like Leonard said, "Everybody Knows" or do they?" L. Manning

"Being a photographer makes it possible to wake up each day, look at the world, and get involved. The days are filled with images, ideas, communication, and the hope that the world never stops or stays the same but rather keeps changing. The hard part is accepting the fact that I'm just passing through." L. Manning

"Getting lost in your art sometimes requires ignoring the wishes of others but then again what they sometimes wish for you ignores your art and that means more of your creativity and your time in this life goes astray for another day" - Lance Manning 2009

"There's nothing quite as lonely as a long dark highway in the rain just before the sun sets." L. Manning

The words of poets appear on walls, alongside metal buildings, concrete places and youthful denim as rebels expose the dust of yesterdays.

Letters written on paper reflect time across seasons and the lines on  faces carved from  living long and hard.

It's only rock n' roll  -  but I like it! 

Music runs through the soul of our lives like rivers cut through mountainsides.