Bob Shell: We All Steal Ideas

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Photography by Bob Shell. Copyright 2018
 

 

Bob Shell: Letters From Prison #21

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Letters by Bob Shell, Copyright 2018

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WE ALL STEAL IDEAS

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I’ve talked about Richard Lovelace and his famous Althea poem. There’s another poem from the same era that you have probably heard without realizing it. It begins:

Once there was a way to get back homeward,

Once there was a way to get back home,

Sleep, pretty wanton, do not cry,

And I will sing a lullaby,

Golden slumbers fill your eyes,

Smiles await you when you rise,

Sleep, pretty wanton, do not cry,

And so on. Paul McCartney took credit for a slight variation on that verse, would have been nice if he’d acknowledged his source. Sadly, I can’t now remember the name of the original poet. Anyone know? The song McCartney wrote from that poem has an interesting story as well. One of the original groups signed to Apple Records when The Beatles started that label was a group originally called Poor White Trash, but later shortened to just Trash. They were signed around the same time as The Iveys, whose name was also changed. They became Badfinger, and went on to some fame. Anyway, the song Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight was written for Trash, who recorded the original version. Later, McCartney replaced the vocal track with his own and released it as a Beatles song. Don’t believe me? Listen to Trash’s version and then McCartney’s version. Save the vocals, they’re identical!

The music industry being what it is, I’m sure there are many other thefts from poets. And, after all, if the poet is long since dead, who’s to care? Probably nobody except people with OCD about such things, like me.

I’m reminded of an interview I once read of the great surrealist Salvador Dali. The interviewer asked Dali about his “borrowing” from other past artists. Dali bristled, his mustache quivering, he indignantly replied, “The divine Dali does not borrow; He steals!”. Yes.

If we’re honest as artists, whether with pen, brush, or camera, we all steal ideas. After all, there is always much to be learned from the masters. When I could find time in my travels, I always visited art museums. The paintings of the old masters can teach you all you need to know about light and shadow, and composition. After all, there are only so many ways you can pose a human body and have it look natural.

My own personal favorite artists are those of the Viennese school of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Particularly Klimt and his disciple Egon Schiele. There are some excellent videos on Klimt in the Khan Academy. The Khan videos we get here are very limited, so naturally we don’t get any on Schiele. I was lucky enough to see some of Schiele’s work in a small museum in Linz, Austria. I was there as one of the judges of an international photography competition and after a morning spent looking at hundreds of photographs, I needed a break to unwind, so I was just walking around the narrow streets of the old town. As I recall, there was a small castle on a hill that had been turned into a gallery. There among mostly mediocre old paintings was a Schiele, the first original of his I’d seen. It was wonderful. I’d bought a big book earlier that had all of his surviving works, but most were reproduced small. Here he was in full size. Many of Schiele’s works were destroyed by the authorities when he was imprisoned for making “improper drawings.”. Prudery is not confined to the USA. Today those surviving “improper drawings”are considered national treasures. Schiele did not produce a great body of work because he died young, victim of the 1918 influenza plague that killed so many in Europe. Funny, but I identified with him and his work long before my own legal troubles, which are mostly because I was making “improper photographs.”. At least that’s what the judge thought. He called my photographs “the worst pornography I’ve ever seen.”. Obviously he’s not a web surfer. In fact, he said all he knew about computers was how to turn his on! Here was a complex case about digital images, among other things, and the judge and most of the jurors were computer illiterate. Jury of my peers, baloney!!

But that’s not the topic of this post, so forgive the digression.

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About The Author: Bob Shell is a professional photographer, author and former editor in chief of Shutterbug Magazine. He is currently serving a 35 year sentence for involuntary manslaughter for the death of Marion Franklin, one of his former models. Shell was recently moved from Pocahontas State Correctional Center, Pocahontas, Virginia to River North Correctional Center 329 Dellbrook Lane Independence, VA 24348.  Mr. Shell continues to claim his innocence. He is serving the 11th year of his sentence. To read more letters from prison by Bob Shell, click herehttp://tonyward.com/2018/08/5866/

 

Mikala Mikrut: Change

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Portrait of Mikala Mikrut
 

Article by Mikala Mikrut, Copyright 2018

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Photography by Alex Meyer, Copyright 2018

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CHANGE

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Change is a touchy subject. Whether welcomed or not, it will find its way into your life. The only control of it we really have is how it affects us. We can learn and grow from this unexpected friend or suffer and curse it as an enemy. In my case, I’ve been hit with a multitude of changes in the past few months and I’m doing my very best to keep a positive attitude. And while I may still feel down at times, the term “fake it til you make it” definitely comes into play. At the very least I try to smile or connect to strangers in passing and every time I get a welcomed response my day gets a little bit better.
 
Socrates once said, “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” It is vital in our constantly developing world to remember to let go. Whether it is of anger or of things simply not going your way, holding onto negative emotions about change will always do more harm than good. It can be so difficult, especially when the healthiest change you can make is forgiving someone. But here’s the thing, we must always take care of ourselves first and foremost. To help other people in a healthy manner we must be grounded and well managed. Seeing eye dogs shouldn’t also be blind, right?
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Portrait of Mikala Mikrut

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Sometimes our lives have to be completely shaken up changed, and rearranged to relocate us to the place we’re meant to be. Regardless of religious beliefs, the universe certainly seems to intervene at the most inconvenient times. Our initial reaction might not be easily controlled, but we most certainly have say in how we let change make us feel in the long run. Truly, no good can come from dwelling on “the way things used to be.” The only moment we should concern ourselves with is the present. The past cannot be changed and the future cannot be controlled.

 
Change nothing and nothing changes. Why be unhappy in any aspect of your life? The world is full of opportunity and adventures. Miserable in your work life? Make time for a hobby or start the hunt for a job that better caters to your personality and needs. Red flags in your relationship? Address it and work it out through clear communication or walk away, life is too short to be with the wrong partner. Disappointed in your wardrobe that hasn’t changed in a decade? Take what you don’t need to a place that buys used clothes, donate the rest, and go to the thrift store to embrace the style you’ve been wanting.  
 
The most recent change I made was to dye my hair peach. Sadly, my hair decided it wanted to be pink instead. While I’m trying to wash it out as soon as possible to restore the pretty blonde balayage underneath, I’m doing my best to accept the compliments I receive with grace. When someone says “I like your pink hair!” I now respond with a smile and a thank you; they were just paying a compliment, not asking for its back story like my first instinct to give would be. I was looking forward to peach hair for a long time and it didn’t turn out the way I planned, but my point is that it’s okay! Big deal, plans change, outcomes aren’t always what they’re anticipated to be. I’m safe, I’m fed, I’m loved; that’s all I need. 
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Portrait of Mikala Mikrut
 

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About The Author: Mikala Mikrut is a sophomore enrolled at Southern Utah University and  summer intern at Catherine Trifliletti Design, Las Vegas. To access additional articles by Mikala Mikrut, click herehttp://tonyward.com/2018/08/mikala-mikrut-i-hope-you-read-her-eyes/
 

A.H. Scott: The Devil and the Catholic Church

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Photo; Tony Ward. Copyright 2018
 

 

A.H. Scott: The Devil and the Catholic Church

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Copyright 2018

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Passing the plate of gold coin and paper in a solemn aria

While passing around the pubescent in a Luciferian bacchanalia 

On our knees we pray

On your knees we prey

Your innocence we take with four points of blessing

There, there, my child, all which we do is ordained

Believe in the collar and be leashed to silence in the wake of what we do

We prey upon you

Nobody will say a word, for your tale of truth will not be believed

Another deviant shuffled to a new meadow of fresh faces to deceive

All which we have done is good for the soul

Even if it ain’t, the ones who get off are the old

Because, for them to get off, reveals the sickness of their soul

This is not nothing new to the cathedral of hypocrisy

Fornication is a sin and it is the ace we always play to the hilt

After all, this is how our gilded empire has been built

And, don’t you dare be gay, lez, trans, or queer

Our public face must always be clear

Preying is how we play

Up is down, right is wrong

Yet if the word of sin is spoken upon what we do, you damn sure better sing a different song

The Devil is here and hard

No matter how much we keep mouthing that holy card

Taking the pure and ripping away their virtue

Filming our sins is what we do and passing around our victims to the rest of this predatory crew is how we prey

We even hand out crosses as the radar to give a heads up to others of our sadistic brotherhood

Devil’s whisper is the hymn they sing

For when we prey upon the innocent our collar becomes a leash

Like hounds of Hell and pigs in swine, they kneel for the Devil and call their unspeakable actions divine

Confessionals transform into stadiums for the wicked to be contained

When will my sins wane?

When their tears become years as well as you feel their pain

Now is the moment when your knees to them you shall be

As you said once in your dark den of deviance in days gone by, “This is God’s will”

And, if you believe that as the leash is tightened and your comeuppance begins

Be still and accept what is happening now is God’s will

And, don’t you dare shed a tear and cry

For you fallen Princes of the church have forfeited mercy beneath the altar of sadism, orthodoxy, complicity and lies

Hypnosis of ritualistic grandeur is slowly evaporating, as that yoke of blind faith becomes unshackled beyond the walls of stained glass

Angels surpass

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About The Author: A.H. Scott is a poet based in New York City and frequent contributor to Tony Ward Studio. To read additional articles by A. H. Scott, go herehttps://tonywardstudio.com/blog/a-h-scott-by-george-hes-got-it/

 

Bob Shell: American Justice System

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Portrait of Marion Franklin by Bob Shell, Copyright 2018

 

Bob Shell: Letters From Prison #20

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Letters by Bob Shell, Copyright 2018

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AMERICAN JUSTICE SYSTEM

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In 1923 the great American journalist H. L. Mencken wrote:

You will find as many intelligent and honest men in the average prison as you will find in the average club, and when it comes to courage, enterprise, and determination — in brief the special virtues which mark the superior man — you will probably find many more.

Here is Menckin’s description of a trial:

With a crowd of poltroons in the jury box venting their envious hatred of enterprise and daring upon a man who, at worst, is at least as decent as they are: with a scoundrel in the bench lording over a scoundrel in the dock because the latter is less clever than he is.

Menckin pretty much nailed the “American Justice System,” which has never really been about justice, if we’re honest about it. A real justice system would provide the accused with resources equal to those of the prosecution. A person should not be forced to bankrupt himself to defend against false charges. When you are accused of a crime. the state martials all its resources against you, and unless you are rich, you most likely can’t come up with equivalent resources. Criminal investigators, expert witnesses, paralegals, and good criminal lawyers are very expensive. When I was charged I contacted the best criminal lawyer I knew of. He listened to my story and asked if I could raise several million dollars, and when I said no, he said that I couldn’t afford him. As actor Robert Blake said, “In America today you are presumed innocent until you are found broke.”.

And think about that presumption of innocence. In the USA you are “presumed innocent until proven guilty.”. Note the use of the word “until” which carries the implication that you WILL be proven guilty. The word should be “unless.”. But in most cases you will be found guilty because most people think “they wouldn’t have charged him if he didn’t do it.”

Just how did I end up in prison at the age of 60 with a 32 1/2 year sentence? I’d had my studio in Radford, Virginia since the end of the 1970s. I had been working for Shutterbug magazine for years, first in the 70s as a columnist, then as Technical Editor, and in 1991 I became Editor in Chief, and held that position until I “retired” in 2001, staying on as Editor At Large. Actually, “retired” was a euphemism for ” forced out in a palace coup.”. I first had my studio in Radford starting in 1981, when I took over an existing business that was studio/photo shop. I had been working for Gentry Studios in Blacksburg. Gentry also had a location in Radford and had decided to close it. I took the risk and took it over. At first I made hardly any money there, but in time it picked up and by the time Shutterbug offered me the Editor’s job it was doing well enough that I was able to sell the business. We were living on a small farm at the time, so we sold the farm and bought a house in Radford. (Oddly enough, we sold the farm back to the man we’d bought it from fifteen years earlier. It was his wife’s old home place and she was homesick for it.)

My original Radford studio was in downtown just a block off main street. Once I was living in town, I went looking for a new studio and found it at 239 West Main Street, just a couple of blocks from the police station.

Let me make something clear, during all those years I worked for Patch Communications, publisher of Shutterbug, PhotoPRO, Outdoor and Nature Photography, and other magazines I was never an employee. My company, Bob Shell Ltd., contracted with Patch for my services. This arrangement allowed me to work from my home office and set my own hours, for a flat monthly fee. It saved Patch money, too, since they didn’t have to provide me benefits. I took care of my own medical insurance and dealt with the IRS myself. I valued my freedom and my right to take time off whenever I wanted without being tied down to an office.

In 1991 I found the ideal studio location in a storefront between a drugstore and an antique shop. The space was about 40 X 80. I wanted a big space because I wanted it to be a teaching studio where I could hold my studio lighting and posing workshops. With the help of a friend I built a wall across the front for a small office, and built a dressing room in back, with big mirrors for the models. There was already a storage room and restroom in the back. The same friend and I remodeled the restroom. The floor was covered with old wall-to-wall carpet, which was in terrible shape. I hired a couple of strong young college men to take up the carpet, which had to be scraped up with shovels, and to use a big commercial sander to sand the wood floor smooth. Then I painted all the walls and floor with white pigmented shellac, which I’d used before and is very durable. I then approached photo equipment companies to loan me equipment and props, which they were all too glad to do because they knew my students would buy equipment they had used in my workshops. It was a win-win for them and me. I soon had s studio bulging with equipment and props. The studio was big enough that I could have three sets going at once. To keep the flash units on one set from interfering with another I used Wein Products infrared flash triggers, and later radio slaves. My studio workshops were held three or four days a year, each for two days on a weekend.

In the late 80s I’d bought a tract of forest land and had a road built into it and began conducting outdoor workshops there. It was beautiful forest, and my plan was (and still is) to put a house or cabin there at some point.

On June 3, 2003, I returned to my studio in the evening and found my girlfriend, Marion Franklin, passed out. When I could not awaken her I called 911 and then my nightmare began. I was accused of killing her based on false testimony of an incompetent medical examiner, and I sit here today because the man is too stubborn to admit that he was wrong. That’s today’s American Justice System.

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About The Author: Bob Shell is a professional photographer, author and former editor in chief of Shutterbug Magazine. He is currently serving a 35 year sentence for involuntary manslaughter for the death of Marion Franklin, one of his former models. Shell was recently moved from Pocahontas State Correctional Center, Pocahontas, Virginia to River North Correctional Center 329 Dellbrook Lane Independence, VA 24348.  Mr. Shell continues to claim his innocence. He is serving the 11th year of his sentence. To read more letters from prison by Bob Shell, click herehttp://tonyward.com/2018/08/bob-shell-warning-environmentalist-rant/