www.markholder.org

The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.  - Carlos Castaneda

Beaufort, South Carolina is an archetypal southern town. It also happens to be home to the late author Pat Conroy. My wife and I trespassed to get this photo; we were on our honeymoon and thought even the most hard-assed southern cop would give us a pass. It was a quiet day and our journey went unnoticed. Years of neglect and decline of a fine old home gave birth to this photo.

It has been more profitable for us to bind together in the wrong direction than to be alone in the right one. Those who have followed the assertive idiot rather than the introspective wise person have passed us some of their genes. This is apparent from a social pathology: psychopaths rally followers. - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

I do not seek. I find. - Pablo Picasso

Photography has been a defining passion of mine for almost three decades. I began with a 35mm Nikon and a copy of " The 35mm Photographer's Handbook ," both purchased locally, as was custom in the early 90s. After many ups and downs during the learning process, I began to get results I was proud of. Medium format photography beckoned and I moved to a Mamiya 645, a truly fine camera of its time. I was on a roll. In time, I would return to 35mm and the wider range of accessories. In the early 2000s, I moved to digital and was struck by the immediacy of the format. No more waiting for film to be developed, prints made, etc. Photo editing software made it even more immersive to capture one's vision. Amazing stuff. A few years later, I stumbled upon a book about pinhole photography. I'd encountered the format once before, in 4th grade, when the class made our own cameras out of cardboard and black electrical tape. Most failed, mine included. A web search of pinho...

"Who is your model?" I was asked this several times when this photo was first published on the old site.. Truth be known, she never modeled for me. Her name was D'a-lal  and she was the muse of sculptor  Harold Cash . This piece stands outside the  Hunter Museum Of American Art  in Chattanooga. She stands arms over head, looking ever westward.

 We've had a mild winter this year, albeit one with record rainfall and the occasional polar vortex sending temperatures below freezing for a day or two. It is early April as I write; Spring is in the air, birds abound, the first of long days is upon us. These are the days that fill my soul with renewal.