About

Hi there!  Welcome to Prose & ISOs.*  If you’ve read my first post, pardon me for ripping off a lot of what I wrote there.

So, what’s this blog about?  Well, the “prose” part deals with writing, which I’m sure you’ve already figured out.  The “ISO” part does not stand for “In Search Of,” as in:  “Prince Charming ISO his Cinderella for candlelit dinners, long walks on the beach, and good times with puppies.”  Sure, I MIGHT write something here about dating occasionally, if I think it’s funny, informative, or otherwise blog-worthy.  For the most part, though, the ISO portion of my blog is about photography. ISO refers to the camera or film speed; for instance,  ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, and so on.  (I’ve always wondered why it is that on my Canon 20D, the max setting is mysteriously named “H.”  Like a character in a James Bond film or something.  It’s not like it doesn’t have an actual speed – it’s really ISO 3200, so why not just call it that?  But I digress…)

As you might have guessed, I’m a writer and a photographer. Therefore, a lot of my posts will tell you about what I’m up to, writing- and photography-wise.  I’ll also talk about things of interest to writers and photographers, like software I’ve tried, a good book I just read, etc.  Of course, writers love to write about all sorts of things, so no doubt other subjects will sneak their way in.  I’m especially likely to share funny stuff and good news from a variety of sources.  Let’s face it, we’re constantly bombarded with negativity from the media, other people, and even ourselves.  But life is not so black-and-white.  You can’t have the yin without the yang.  So, I’ll be bringing you the yang.

My sensibilities in both photography and writing are similar. I’m often drawn to works which incorporate surrealism, emotion, drama, humor and/or mysticism. Beauty in all its forms also inspires me, whether in a poetic turn of phrase or a stunning image. I seek to use those elements in my own work (but not necessarily all at the same time). Although I’m generally not a fan of categorization, here are a few of my favorite artists in each discipline, according to what they’re best known for:

Favorite Photographers:

    Animals: Rachel Hale, Sharon Montrose, Art Wolfe
    Fine Art: Robert & Shana ParkeHarrison, Rodney Smith, Maggie Taylor, Joyce Tenneson, Jerry Uelsmann
    Photojournalism: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau
    Portraiture: Richard Avedon, George Hurrell, Annie Leibovitz, Eugene Robert Richee

Vincent Versace belongs on this list, too, but I couldn’t decide exactly where to put him. Fine art? Photojournalism? They both seemed equally appropriate to me. Not to mention that he’s a guru of digital imaging techniques, although I didn’t make a category for that. Whatever you want to call him, his work is breathtaking.

Favorite Writers:

    Fiction: Lewis Carroll, Edgar Allen Poe, J.K. Rowling, P.G. Wodehouse
    Playwrights: Christopher Durang, Eugene Ionesco, Molière, Shakespeare
    Poets: Richard Brautigan, Sappho
    Screenwriters: Mel Brooks, Tim Burton, Joel Coen, Christopher Nolan

I’d also be remiss not to mention Ben Elton and Richard Curtis, the brilliant pens behind the classic British t.v. comedy Blackadder. In addition to Blackadder, Ben Elton masterminded the earlier t.v. hit The Young Ones, while Richard Curtis has written a number of popular films, such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Love Actually.

If you’re not familiar with any of the photographers or writers I mentioned, I encourage you to take a look at their work.  You might love it, you might hate it, or you might be indifferent to it; either way, you’ll learn something. And, hey, you might just find a new favorite to add to your own list.

Happy clicking,
Karen Joslin

*Just in case you’re thinking that there should be an apostrophe between the “O” and the “s” in “ISOs,” no, there shouldn’t.  It’s a plural, not a possessive.  Please join my crusade to stop the rampant misuse of apostrophes.  The next time you’re tempted to write something like, “Check out my traveling gnome photo’s,” take the apostrophe out. I know it might look weird to you, but trust me on this one.  Yes, even if your spelling and grammar check say it’s okay, because they don’t always distinguish proper usage.  Using punctuation correctly makes a much better impression on people. And that might boost your good karma.

© Karen Joslin, 2009