Bird On A Wire

.

 

 

“Like a Bird on a Wire” (original lyrics by Leonard Cohen – 1968?)

 

Like a bird on a wire,
Like a drunk in a midnight choir,
I have tried in my way to be free.
Like a baby on a hook,
Like a knight from an old fashioned book,
I have saved every freedom for thee.
And if I, if I have been unkind,
I hope that you can just let it go on by.
And if I, if I have ever been untrue
I hope you know it was never to you.

 

I have saved every freedom for thee.

 

I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch,
He said − I heard him say to me − “You must not ask for so much”,
And a pretty woman standing in her dark door,
I say – I heard her sayin’ − “Why, why not ask for more?”.

Like a drunk in a midnight choir,
I have tried, I have tried in my way to be free.

From the Album by Tim Hardin “Bird on a Wire” – 1971

(in my mind an outstanding and timeless record!)

 

 

 

 



This song has many cover versions by several artists, including Judy Collins, Joe Cocker, Johnny Cash, Rita Coolidge, Jennifer Warnes, etc., etc.

I have tried to transcribe the slightly different – and shorter −  words by Tim Hardin, as far as I can understand them.

I apologize for any possible mistake.

 

.

O Astronauta

.

“O Astronauta” – Vinicius de Moraes / Baden Powell


Quando me pergunto
Se você existe mesmo, amor
Entro logo em órbita
No espaço de mim mesmo, amor


Será que por acaso
A flor sabe que é flor
E a estrela Vénus
Sabe ao menos
Porque brilha mais bonita, amor


O astronauta ao menos
Viu que a terra é toda azul, amor
Isso é bom saber
Porque é bom morar no azul, amor


Mas você, sei lá
Você é uma mulher
Sim, você é linda
Porque é

.

A Day at the Races (Part 2) - Autódromo do Estoril (20th of November 2011)

.

Jorge using the Canon EF 500mm

(courtesy of Canon Professional Services/Colorfoto)

Some days ago, you could see some photographs I made during the treino fotográfico organized by Colorfoto and Canon Professional Services, so I won’t repeat myself here, explaining how it all came to take place.

Please, just use your mouse, should you wish to know more and you missed the first post.

The workshop actually consisted of two days, so this second post on the theme shows the photographs I shot on Sunday.

Please, allow me just to remember that the treino fotográfico took place under the supervision of the very kind gentleman Paulo Maria, an experienced sports photographer.

Once again, thank you Paulo, thank you Colorfoto and Canon.

I also wish to thank the staff at Autódromo do Estoril and the racing teams, everybody was very kind and supportive.

Last but not least, a special grateful word to my sun Jorge who brought me along…

The racing cars were only the Leitmotiv…

I don’t really much care about racing cars, I am more the type of guy who gets a faster heartbeat staring at Land Rovers and Pinzgauers, everything that can climb over rocks, or dive in some deep mud… The type of workhorse vehicles that can take me to that far away places, out of reach from the ordinary Sunday drivers.

Nevertheless, photographing racing cars (with a digital camera) can quickly become a passionate addiction and you must control yourself to stop shooting.

As you might guess looking at the photographs, I got a kick out of telling a story about the human action at it, all the anxiety and stress, all the concentration and awareness, all the sadness of losing and all the joy of winning.

Just like in real life…

Some of the fellow-photographers who made the day very enjoyable

Some thoughts and opinions about the Canon gear I have used on the event:

The 500mm that you see Jorge using above is for sure a great lens! Jorge got absolutely wonderful shots with it!

 If I would earn my money shooting sports or birds, I would definitely consider such a beast.

As I don’t, I prefer to stick to my (much smaller and lighter)  EF 400mm / 5.6 L (or whatever Canon calls it, I am lazy to check it up, this long terminology kind of nerves me!).

Since I got recently a frozen shoulder and some trouble in my left hand, this beast of a lens (I mean the 500mm) just is too heavy and cumbersome for my taste. I know that you need to get used to it, but I feel much more confortable with the smaller lens.

(Please, keep in mind that on the 30D body, as I have used it, the 400 becomes equivalent to a 640mm lens! I was actally getting “nearer” than Jorge with his 5D and the 500mm… I have used the 400mm exclusively hand held, no tripod or monopod! - no Image Stablizer on this lens, thanks!)

You can see the lens in question (I mean the 400mm) on an older post, should you have interest on taking a look. If you look further on, you will also find several photographs that every now and then I posted, made using that piece of glass.  

I also had the chance to try the 70-200 / 2.8 L in the Autódromo, the newer version of the lens, with Image Stablizer. In case you have noticed my former comment, you will understand that I am no big fan of IS… The noise and feeling of it working just drives me nuts, I rather prefer to hold one of my cats in the arm!

So, I prefer to stick to my older version, without IS, thank you again! (of course, you may claim that I can shoot with IS off. You are right, but I have the feeling that if we made a side by side test on optical quality and definition, the older lens would win… Somebody with more experience than me out there with a different opinion? Maybe Canon?)

The rest of the stuff was plain bread and butter:

I have used Jorge’s EF 50mm / 1.4, a lens that I can’t say it is bad for sure, but I also won’t claim that it is “GREAT”.  I know that lots of knowledgeable people love it, but I am maybe spoiled by Leitz / Leica and Zeiss…

I say jaein (ja + nein as the germans like to say)…

About my old 17-35 / 2.8 L:

Canon still has to make it better, if they want to convince me with their wide-angles, but then again maybe I am spoiled by the Summicrons, Elmarits, Distagons, Super-Angulons and Grandagons…

(lots of funny names, right!)

As I have said before, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose…

All in all, I absolutely was a winner by taking part on the event!

I hope that you enjoy the photographs.

Technical data for both days:

Camera - Canon 30D

Lenses - Canon EF 17-35mm/2.8 L + EF 50mm/1.4 + 70-200mm/2.8 IS L (not used on the 20th) + 400mm/5.6 L

Dates - 19th + 20th of November 2011 (these images, second day only)

Location - Autódromo do Estoril, Portugal

. 

Boom! Boom! Out Goes the Light!

.

I washed the dishes and warmed the palm of my hand with a cup of coffee, the cats are fed and I am ready to share some little things with you:

We play our power games, we step on each others feet,
And, all of a sudden…
Boom! Boom! Out goes the light!

Ah, just small nobodies…

I wish I had a photograph of dolphins - I used to see the toninhas on the beach in Maxixe, Mozambique, many years ago. I was too young, I had no camera, but after all, we are all god's children, right?

To cheer it up, a song by the great Fred Neil, a song that often makes me break into tears:

"The Dolphins" - Fred Neil (1966)

This old world may never change

The way it's been,

And all the ways of war

Can't change it back again.

I've been searching

For the dolphins in the sea,

And sometimes I wonder

Do you ever think of me?

I'm not the one to tell this world

How to get along,

I only know the peace will come

When all hate is gone.

I've been searching

For the dolphins in the sea...

You know sometimes I think about

Saturday's child,

And all about the time

When we were running wild.

I've been searching

For the dolphins in the sea...

This old world may never change,

This world may never change,

This world may never change...

(Please, allow me to dedicate this song to a lady who actually swims with the dolphins in Hawaii - Hi Pamela, would you please say hello to the dolphins for me?)

And because sometimes I am so addicted to Fred Neil songs and his deep voice, here comes the next one:

"Everybody's Talkin'" - Fred Neil (1966)

Everybody's talkin' at me,

I don't hear a word they're sayin',

Only the echoes of my mind.

People stop and stare,

I can't see the faces,

Only the shadows of their eyes.

I'm goin' where the sun keeps shinin'

Through the pouring rain,

Going where the weather suits my clothes,

Bankin' off on the northest wind,

Sailing on a summer breeze,

Skippin' over the ocean like a stone.

Everybody's talkin' at me,

Can't hear a word they're saying

Only the echoes of my mind.

I won't let you leave my love behind...

Fred Neil is dead and gone, but I know we will meet one fine day, that's for sure!

.

This old world may never change
The way it's been
And all the ways of war
Can't change it back again

I've been searchin'
For the dolphins in the sea
And sometimes I wonder
Do you ever think of me

I'm not the one to tell this world
How to get along
I only know the peace

A Day at the Races - Estoril, 19th of November 2011

.

At first I was reluctant and said no.

But my son Jorge insisted, and I agreed to take part on the Photographic Training organized by Colorfoto ( it is no exggeration if I claim that they are the best photographic retailers in Portugal) and Canon Professional Services.

Instructor was Mr. Paulo Maria (Interslide), a professional with long experience in the field of Motorsports Photography, and who happens to be a very kind person.

David and Rui Morgado from Colorfoto were also always at hand with good advise and driving us around the track.

We also could try some of those beautiful grey Canon lens that you can watch the pros using on TV during sports events.

As a whole, all the event was very well organized and a joy to be part of.

Thinking afterwards, I came to realize, that I had never photographed a car race before.

So, you’re watching a kind of premier…

The long lenses from Canon are really top-notch and digital photography is a very convenient medium for this kind of stuff.

Yes, you guess it right: even a hardcore Leica guy like me has to concede that in this field Canon sounds better than Leica!

“Come on, you will have some fun!”.

Well, I must admit that Jorge was right, and I am happy that I came along.

We had a wonderful day at Autódromo do Estoril!

.

Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)

.

"Would You Lay With Me (In A Field Of Stone)"

(David Allan Coe)

Would you lay with me in a field of stone?
If my needs were strong, would you lay with me?
Should my lips grow dry, would you wet them dear,
In the midnight hour if my lips were dry?

Would you go away to another land?
Walk a thousand miles through the burning sand?
Wipe the blood away from my dying hand,
If I give myself to you?

Will you bathe with me in the stream of life?
When the moon is full, will you bathe with me?
Will you still love me when I'm down and out?
In my time of trial, will you stand by me?

Would you go away to another land?
Walk a thousand miles through the burning sand?
Wipe the blood away from my dying hand,
If I give myself to you?

Would you lay with me in a field of stone?
If my lips grow dry, would you wet them dear?
Would you bathe with me in the stream of life?
Will you still love me when I'm down and out?

Would you lay with me in a field of stone?
When the moon is full, will you lay with me?

From the album “American III: Solitary Man” – Johnny Cash (2000)


(Canon 30D + Leitz Telyt 6.8/400mm, 2011)


.

Up From The Skies

.

“Up From The Skies”


I just want to talk to you,
I won't do you no harm.
I just want to know about your different lives
On this here people farm.
I heard some of you got your families
Living in cages tall and cold,
And some just stay there and dust away
Past the age of old.
Is this true?
Please let me talk to you.


I just wanna know about
The rooms behind your minds,
Do I see a vacuum there
Or am I going blind?
Or is it just the remains of vibrations,
And echoes of long ago?
Things like "Love the world" and
"Let your fancy flow"…
Is this true?
Please let me talk to you,
Let me talk to you.


I have lived here before
The days of ice,
And of course this is why
I'm so concerned.
And I come back to find
The stars misplaced,
And the smell of a world
That is burned.
The smell of a world
That is burned.


Yeah, well, maybe
It's just a... change of climate…
Well I can dig it,
I can dig it baby,
I just want to see.


So where do I purchase my ticket?
I'd just like to have a ringside seat.
I want to know about the new Mother Earth,
I want to hear and see everything,
I want to hear and see everything.


Aw, shucks,
If my daddy could see me now!


From the album “Axis: Bold As Love” – The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

Experience: Jimi Hendrix (lead vocals, guitar), Noel Redding (vocals, bass), Mitch Mitchell (drums)


(Clouds photographed with Canon 30D + Leitz Telyt 6.8/400mm, 2011)


.

My Friends the Cats

..


Permit me to acquaint you with my friends

Pipoquinha, our new family member met some weeks ago

Mico, a nice amigo for some years now

Pipoquinha (little pop corn) is a young female cat we found a couple of weeks ago, while going for a walk.

A sister of other beautiful little kittens, we were not clever enough to avoid going back there "just for taking a look"...

When we heard that they didn't belong to somebody, we couldn't resist!

Mico (also known as Minhoco, Mircolino, Micanhoto... He always knows who I am talking to) was brought to me by my sons, five or six years ago.

An adult male cat, he adores to look cool and blasé, sometimes acting with full indifference and disdain. He is actually exceptionally pacific and a nice companion, except for the smell of his territory marking...

I get along very well with cats, it is easy for me to make friends among them.

For the photo-freaks:

Both shots made with Canon 30D + Leitz 135mm f/2.8 Elmarit (Pipoca) and Leitz 400mm f/6.8 Telyt-R.

I used an enjoyyourcamera adapter to get it all together.

..

Happy birthday Sara! (22nd of September)

..

“Birthday”

You say it's your birthday
It's my birthday too, yeah
They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you.

Yes we're going to a pally party
Yes we're going to a pally party
Yes we're going to a pally party

I would like you to dance (Birthday)
Take a cha-cha-cha-chance (Birthday)
I would like you to dance (Birthday)
Dance

I would like you to dance (Birthday)
Take a cha-cha-cha-chance (Birthday)
I would like you to dance (Birthday)
Dance

You say it's your birthday
Well it's my birthday too, yeah
You say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you.

(Words and music Lennon / McCartney)

From the album “The Beatles” (aka “White Album”) by THE BEATLES, 1968

Canon EOS 1n + Canon EF 1.4 / 50mm

Kodak Ektachrome Film

Sara pictured on April 2003 with our puppy Charley.

The photograph was made in Gouveia / Fontanelas.

In those days, I was living alone with Charley, and Sara came with her brother Mário for a visit.

As usually, we drove around in the Land Rover and strolled in the nice fields that surrounded the small village where I used to live.

We tried to pretend we didn't feel the pain of separation...

Canon EOS 30D + Leitz Telyt 6.8 /400mm

(enjoyyourcamera adapter)

September 2010

Sara will be fourteen today.

She is the youngest of my four children, and she also has the honour of being the only girl.

She now lives with me and Maria Helena in Alentejo.

We made these photographs last Sunday afternoon, not far from Montemor.

Not long ago still a baby, Sara will forever be the Princess of the family...

So, please, allow me to say:

"Happy birthday my dear daughter, wish you all the best in the world, all the luck and happiness that you can have.

I am sure that everything is gonna be alright!

I love you very, very much!!!"

For my little baby a sweet lullaby:

“Golden Slumbers”

Once there was a way to get back homeward
Once there was a way to get back home
Sleep pretty darling do not cry
And I will sing a lullabye

Golden slumbers fill your eyes
Smiles awake you when you rise
Sleep pretty darling do not cry
And I will sing a lullabye

Once there was a way to get back homeward
Once there was a way to get back home
Sleep pretty darling do not cry
And I will sing a lullabye

(Words and music Lennon / Mc Cartney)

From the album “Abbey Road” by THE BEATLES, 1969

..