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-- Download Abandoned Farm Plow as PDF --

Buy Prints Here

-- Download Hazy Shade Of Winter as PDF --

Buy Prints Here

-- Download Roller Coaster as PDF --

For those of you who are big fans of my urban exploration photography, you can now see the entire collection on Flickr!

-- Download Urban Exploration Collection as PDF --

1. Exposure Creativity
2. The Daily Norm
3. Sketches From Memory
4. carrieblueberry
5. Blue Line
6. McClish Photography Studios
7. Jennifer Mendez Photography
8. Light, Shadow, Form, and Texture
9. There Is Time
10. Nikkormagic
11. frenchtoastpost
12. Caroline In The City
13. Amber Goodwyn
14. christian harkness – photo blog
15. 366
16. Force Of Seeing
17. Amelia Andaleon’s Blog
18. McRobert’s Photography Blog
19. Aion Teleos
20. I’monnet Photo
21. carolynrauhdotcom
22. O’Brien’s Pix
23. Richard Radstone
24. Richie A. benavidez
25. (Kat)hleen O’Neill Photography
26. Avidvisions’ Blog
27. Draw And Shoot
28. Mike’s Look At Life
29. Lifeintheblueridges
30. Clinton Lewis
31. Here I Be
32. Flossy.
33. Rolling Into Deep
34. Leisy Vidal
35. On The Road With Jim And Mary
36. Shpics
37. Sweet Life Laur: à la carte
38. Arfotografie
39. Ian Spangnolo Photography
40. Thin Spiral Notebook
41. Just About Photography
42. David Heilman
43. Chameleonic.
44. Michael Raymond Photography
45. Michigan In Pictures
46. Scepticalkarma
47. My Photo Diary
48. Venus In The City Dot Me
49. It’s A BEEautiful Life
50. Project ATTEMPTERS

Do you have, or know of a good photography blog on WordPress.com that I missed?  Please leave a comment…

-- Download 50 WordPress-Based Photography Blogs I Encourage You To Visit as PDF --

First of all, from now on, unless noted otherwise, all WordPress themes are free.  Everyone is free to use the themes free of charge at no cost.  All you need to do is credit the source.  Here are the available themes so far: The Great Outdoors, The Contents Of My Head, Stargazer, Paperwork, Grunge King, and Broken Heart Crane.

Secondly, during the year of 2012, every Friday will be Free Sticker Friday.  If you live in the United States, and you want to enter to win a FREE TomSlatin.com sticker, send Thomas an email with the subject Free Sticker Friday with your complete name and mailing address.  Each week, our staff will select one lucky winner.  You only need to enter once for this weekly drawing.  Winners will be mentioned here.  (Fine Print: No purchase necessary.  Must be 18 years or older, and have a mailing address within the United States of America.  Not responsible for lost, misdirected, or returned mail.  One winner per week, and winner selection is final.)

Finally, we’re working on greater social media involvement and interaction.  This includes the addition of directory pages for the folks behind TomSlatin.com, and links to TomSlatin.com’s related social media profiles.

-- Download What's New at TomSlatin.com For 2012 as PDF --

January
Abandoned Stuckeys In Winter

February
50 Bizarre & Abandoned Things I’ve Photographed
Creepy Dolls
My Top 50 Grunge & Urban Exploration Exploration Photos

March
A Simple Experiment In Digital Pinhole Photography
The Exploration Of An Abandoned Farmhouse That Never Sold

April
25 Blog Post Ideas
The Exploration Of Old Lodge
The Story Of Centralia, Pennsylvania
80 Journal Writing Prompts

May
50 MORE Journal Writing Prompts
The Exploration Of Aiden Lair Lodge

June
Sharing Is Caring — How To Share Just About Anything On The Cheap
The Exploration Of The Hotel Adler Spa

July
The Exploration Of A White Farmhouse (Abandoned Circa 1988)

August
Calm Before The Storm

September
Abandoned Overpass On US-20

October
Light String Ghosts
Abandoned Station Wagon

November
A Light From Above
Hard Rain
Abandoned Railway
Logo Parody T-Shirts

December
Why Every Writer Needs A Notebook

… … …

That’s all for 2011.  We’ve got some pretty incredible plans laid-out for 2012, but you’ll all have to wait to see what they are…

Special thanks goes to 7 Treehouses, Broken Doll, Current Photographer, Founding A Father, Ileandra Young, NeBWeb, Geraldo Biggerstaff, and A Look Into Dunkin’ Donuts. Thank you for your support, both online and in real life!

A very special mention goes to:
http://this1sforslatin.wordpress.com/
Thanks for making a blog specifically devoted to my writing prompts (here & here).  It has been a pleasure as well as an honor to be mentioned in such a manner.

-- Download TomSlatin.com's Best Posts of 2011 as PDF --

Shipwreck! Exhibit At The Witte Museum by Thomas W.P. Slatin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.tomslatin.com.

Download the entire photo set here, or here. (237.8 MB)

http://www.wittemuseum.org/

-- Download Shipwreck! Exhibit At The Witte Museum as PDF --

Buy Prints Here

-- Download Hanging Stars as PDF --

AMMED Museum by Thomas W.P. Slatin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.tomslatin.com.

Download the entire photo set here, or here. (656.6 MB)

http://www.ameddmuseumfoundation.org/

-- Download The U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Museum as PDF --

Other San Antonio Photography Posts: Bus Graveyard, The U.S. Army Medical Museum, Hanging Stars, Shipwreck! Exhibit At The Witte Museum, and Pappadeaux Lighted Sign.

View The Flickr Set | San Antonio, Texas on Flickr

-- Download Trip To San Antonio, Texas as PDF --

Just as photographers carry a camera with them, the best and most famous writers of all time carried notebooks with them at all times, and as an aspiring or already established writer, you should too.  If you don’t believe me, here is a list of famous writers who all used notebooks.  By the way, the names of these folks were found here and here.  By the way, the second forementioned list is of writers who used Moleskine notebooks.  My notebook is my second most prized possession, second only to my digital camera.

What’s In My Notebook
I write everything in one notebook.  Some folks use multiple notebooks for each interest, and recently Moleskine has started to capitalize upon this new trend.  I’m a bit of a minimalist when it comes to writing and photography; when out on location, I typically bring only what is necessary to get the job accomplished, and leave the rest of my gear safe at home.

To get the most out of my writing, I typically jot down anything that comes to my mind that has a good chance of being useful in the future.  Sometimes, I’ll write down random quotes, ideas, or concepts that I’ve found to be interesting or inspiring at the moment.  My notebook is a mashup of my personal journal, facts and figures, doodles, thoughts, memories, writing kick-starters, or anything else that I wish to remember.  I’d be devistated if I was to ever lose or misplace it, which is why there’s always no-questions-asked cash reward for the safe return of my notebooks written detailed on the inside of the front cover on page one.

When The Nervous Breakdown approached me and asked me to be a writer for their website, their instructions were too vague enough for me, and I was unfortunately forced to politely turn them down.

The Nervous Breakdown asked me to put all thoughts aside and to “…throw a bunch of shit at the wall and see what stinks.”

I rarely, if ever write for any websites besides my own, unless of course, I’m being paid to do so.  But that didn’t stop me from allowing Current Photographer to license some of my material, with full credit.  The deal with Current Photographer proved to be one of the greatest keys to my success, in terms of exposure and the eventual traffic revenue to my website.

Practical Information Gathering
In recent years, we have seen a multitude of television programs that document the disastrous effects that hoarding has had on peoples lives.  Since the Internet has become a popular and massive source of information, we have started to see a new breed of so-called information hoarders, or digital hoarders.  If you don’t believe me, check out this article about digital hoarding and the Internet.

Sure, to some, any blog might appear to be an information hoard, and a notebook filled with drivel that only the notebook owner might find interesting might appear to be a hoard of sorts.  There is a difference here; anybody can collect useless information, and just about any computer-savvy person can post a blog filled with the same useless content, but it takes intelligence and talent to post useful and informative things.

Keeping a notebook or journal is a great way to track your journey through life, to keep track of trends, moods, travels, interests, or just about anything else, as long as you fill it with useful things, not just anything.  The difference between hoarding and practical journaling is having a specific focus and goal and sticking to it.  Hoarders generally collect anything they can attach emotion or feeling to, regardless of what it may be, and will generally keep this habit a close secret, whereas people like me choose to display it publicly in blogs and websites.  Believe it or not, but there is a clear difference.

Going Public Via The Internet
This may sound rude, but I kind of miss the early days of the Internet when TomSlatin.com made its official debut in 1998.  In the early days of the Internet, website hosting was quite expensive, and a domain name registration would typically cost anywhere from $50 to $100 per year.  At the time, the commercial software that automatically coded WYSIWYG HTML was expensive.  The costs involved in maintaining even small websites was prohibitive to all but the most serious of folks who truly wanted and/or needed a website.  This meant that with the exception of a very few select people actually had websites, and those that were willing to pay, sometimes a considerable amount of money to have them, took the time to create some brilliant and creative things.

These days, the opposite is true.  Domain names are cheap, with some being under $3 for a one-year registration.  Blogs have taken over, and sites like Tumblr make it so easy to create and host content, that it seems that just about everybody is doing it.  Everybody, it seems, except for those who should be doing it, like a friend of mine who is an English professor at a local university, who has literally stacks and stacks of notebooks, but never learned how to use a computer, and unfortunately, it is very likely that none of this valuable and brilliant information will ever go public.

-- Download Why Every Writer Needs A Notebook as PDF --

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-- Download Oswald In The Snow as PDF --

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Photo Credit: Angie Model: Thomas Slatin Post-Processing: Thomas Slatin

-- Download A Light From Above as PDF --

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-- Download Rusty Barb Wire as PDF --

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-- Download Green Eyed Girl as PDF --

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-- Download Bailey as PDF --

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-- Download Hard Rain as PDF --

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-- Download Bleed Slow as PDF --

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-- Download Abandoned Railway as PDF --

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-- Download Creamer as PDF --

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-- Download District 4 Abandoned Schoolhouse as PDF --

iHoard – An app to manage and catalog your obsessive and useless collections.  Includes virtual sharing capability to share your collection with friends and family members.

iDie – An app to let you know if you’re still alive.  If you can use this app, chances are, you are still amoung the living.

iGay – Everything that’s gay can be found in this app.  Everything from gay dating, gay bars, gay marrige locations, even the Village People.

iGeek – All the things a geek could ever want.  Locations of Star Wars conventions, ComicCon, Star Treck parties, photos of the Linux development headquarters etc.

iFuckedup – We all make mistakes.  This app is a mistake tracker; it has the capability to remind the user that we all make mistakes.  Premium (paid) version has the ability to undo life’s greatest mishaps.

-- Download Funny iPhone Apps I'd Like To See as PDF --

Fuckr T-Shirt by tomslatin
See more Flickr T-Shirts

-- Download Logo Parody T-Shirts as PDF --

Find TomSlatin.com On Google+!  Please help spread the word!

-- Download We're On Google+ as PDF --

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-- Download Light String Ghosts as PDF --

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-- Download Bozenkill Falls as PDF --

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-- Download Abandoned Plow Car as PDF --

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-- Download Route 20 Diner as PDF --

This tutorial will show you how to render Holga-like effects that are unique to each individual image using free software.

What You Need – You will need to download a copy of Paint.net, which is available for free. In case you aren’t familiar with Paint.net, it is a free [very basic] clone of Photoshop. We’ll start with this plain snapshot of a toy rocking horse. Feel free to download this image if you wish, but please DO NOT post this image, or your final image on the internet (if you used the above photo). Images you create using this method using photos you took should be posted online, and I encourage you to do so!

Step 1 – We will open the rocking horse photo with Paint.net. Throughout this tutorial, the images shown are smaller than actual size to save layout space. Click the images for a larger view (opens in a new window).

Step 2 – Now that we have the file open with Paint.net, we will first need to crop it as squarely as possible. To create an exact square crop, hold down the shift key. I have cropped this image somewhat (i.e. not exactly) squarely, which is more representative of a true image taken with a holga camera.

Step 3 – This is what your image should look like now that the image has been cropped.

Step 4 – Add noise. Go to Effects > Noise > Add Noise. Set the Color Saturation to 0, and the coverage to 100. The intensity is yours to determine. Try moving the slider back and forth until you find the amount that works best for your image.

Step 5 – Add the vignette. Go to Effects > Photo > Vignette… Set the intensity at 1; adjust the radius accordingly. For the ultimate Holga effect, set the offset just off center, and change the values randomly slightly off center with each and every photo you edit.

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This is the final, finished image. The last [optional] step is to adjust the brightness and contrast, but remember that a Holga camera has a fixed aperture and no light meter, so it is not unusual to get imperfect exposure. Be sure to save your image, and share it for others to admire.

-- Download Easy Do-It-Yourself Holga Effects as PDF --

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-- Download Abandoned Station Wagon as PDF --

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-- Download Pumpkins On The Porch as PDF --

Let’s go back to 1998 for a moment because this year was a major turning point in my writing career.  By this time, I had been writing for quite a few years, and had just gotten one of my poems published officially that summer; The Tree of Life.

I’m reminded of course of how teachers always made us write outlines before we actually started to write anything.  Later, in my senior year of high school, my English teacher allowed us to ‘graduate’ into the more modern and refined methods of concept mapping, which today is known as mind mapping.

I absolutely despised wasting precious and valuable time trying to conceptualize my ideas into a drawing instead of simply writing them down.  To my high school English teacher, this was unacceptable.  Whenever it was possible, I would write, sometimes for hours at a time, then draw a complicated, haphazard, almost incomprehensible concept map above the first line of my writing to give the illusion that I had followed his directions exactly.  I often wonder who does this nowadays, relying on outlines, plans, and drawings?  Certainly not me, my time is better spent writing, not wasting time pre-planning what I want to write.

On a side note, I had a college English professor chastise me for using concept mapping instead of the older line-by-line outline, despite the fact that he was at least 20 years younger than my high school English teacher.  So much for progress.

Up until sometime in November of 2008, I always wrote in composition books I paid $1 for at the college bookstore.  They were, at the time, the only notebooks I could afford.  These days I’m flat-out addicted to writing only in the pages of my Moleskine notebooks, preferably under sun or candle light, and of course only with a smooth-writing gel pen.

So far, I’ve detailed a few of my writing habits and how I prefer to write (pen and paper, no outline, sunlight and/or candle light).  Where I write depends on a multitude of factors.  Most of the time I sit at my kitchen or living room table, but I have written in my notebook in some very unusual places.  One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from being a writer is to always have ones notebook handy whenever possible.  When inspiration hits you, it almost never hits while one is at their favorite writing spot.  My solution is to carry my notebook with extra pens with me everywhere I go in an engineer bag I purchased years ago at an army/navy store.

Finding time to write is perhaps one of the greatest challenges to an aspiring writer.  Our modern chaotic and sometimes over-scheduled lifestyles often leave little or no time for writing, which is why a lot of freelance writers like myself employ creative solutions to ensure that our writing does not get neglected.  With a little creativity and imagination, even the busiest of people can find time to write.

Another challenge to overcome for many writers is inspiration.  Just like an artist must be inspired to create art, a writer must find inspiration to write.  The main reason we see so many abandoned blogs on the Internet is because the people writing them either lost interest in writing altogether, or simply could no longer tap into their main source of inspiration.  I’m one of the lucky ones who is able to draw some inspiration from my daily life as well as past experiences.  I’m also a habitual note-taker; I take notes on my life experiences, things I’ve learned, facts and figures I find interesting, etc.  While my notes might not make sense to anyone else, they are a way for me to record my daily life experiences and are in some ways a major source of inspiration.  I have written a collection of writing prompts to help myself as well as others through inspirational dry spells.

Perhaps my best kept writing secret is to form a writing habit.  Not all habits are bad, such as smoking, fingernail biting, etc.  A writing habit is where one devotes themselves to writing, usually on a daily basis.  For example, every night before I go to bed, I will typically spend 2 to 3 hours reading and/or writing in my notebook.  Alternatively, I will write in my notebook out of boredom or as a replacement to idle time.  I’m also the kind of person who, when camping, will get up with the birds (literally just past sunrise) to write.  And yes, I’m the guy at the museum taking notes in front of exhibits.  Some habits can be worth forming and can actually turn into creative and productive endeavors.

One last thing.  Everything I’ve said here could be wrong.  Write from your heart, not for commercial gain.

-- Download Secrets Of A Successful Freelance Writing Career as PDF --

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-- Download Ferns And Logs as PDF --

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-- Download Sara Lib State Forest Pond as PDF --

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-- Download Generic Sunset Photo as PDF --

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-- Download Abandoned Overpass on US-20 as PDF --

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-- Download US-20 at Cherry Valley, New York as PDF --

This list of social media websites.  To see TomSlatin.com’s social media involvement, click here.

Blogging

• Blogster
• TypePad
• WordPress
• Blogger

Communication

• Twitter
• Tumblr
• Scribd
• Posterous
• Ping.fm
• Quora
• Namesake

Image / Video Sharing

• YouTube
• Flickr
• Vimo
• Justin.TV
• Instagram
• DailyBooth
• picplz
• Flixster
• Lockerz
• Twitpic
• yfrog

Feedback

• GetSatisfaction
• Yelp
• UserVoice

Location-Based

• FourSquare
• Gowalla
• BrightKite
• SCVNGR
• Hipster
• BUMP

Music

• SoundCloud
• Last.fm
• Audamated
• Spotify
• Turntable.fm
• Rdio

News

• StumbleUpon
• reddit
• digg
• Hacker News

Niches

• deviantART
• Zynga
• okCupid
• CircleOfMoms
• Foodspotting
• OneTrueFan
• Meetup
• Kongregate
• DailyBurn
• SiteJabber
• Everlater
• Experience Project
• Dogster
• Catster
• Graphic.ly

Professional

• LinkedIn
• SlideShare
• XING
• Viadeo
• Plaxo
• Yammer
• Plancast
• BranchOut
• Udemy
• TopProspect
• Favo.rs

Social Networking

• Facebook
• MySpace
• Orkut
• Ning
• Bebo
• Habbo
• Hi5
• SecondLife
• Path
• Friendster
• Classmates
• MyYearbook
• ASmallWorld

http://blog.favo.rs/periodic-table-social-web/

-- Download The Ultimate List Of Social Media Web Sites as PDF --

-- Download Oak Pond as PDF --

-- Download Calm Before The Storm as PDF --

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-- Download Good Old Ozzie Hot Dog as PDF --

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-- Download Sour Apples as PDF --

Verizon Union Workers on strike, Stamford, New York.

STAMFORD, NEW YORK - A small group of Verizon workers gather outside of a Verizon location to strike against company policies workers see as unfair.  The group states that the company is trying to cut costs by paying sub-standard wages, cutting benefits, and changing terms to 401k plans.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

More info: 45000 Workers On Strike At Verizon

-- Download Verizon Union Workers On Strike as PDF --

A new feature is the TomSlatin.com Daily, which is a feed-aggregated E-Newspaper.  This newspaper pulls news stories, photographs, media, and articles from official TomSlatin.com sources as well as everyone who is followed by the official TomSlatin.com Twitter account.

As with all other content on TomSlatin.com, this E-Newspaper is completely free of charge and is available to anyone with access to the Internet.  If you would like to participate or have your content included, the following are a list of your options.

• Follow TomSlatin.com on Twitter, and be sure that we follow you back.  Feel free to send an @twps message if need be.  Although there is no gurantee that your content will be featured, lots of news stories and content is aggregated from tweets in our timeline.
• Add your content to the TomSlatin.com Group on Flickr.  Lots of photos are added to the paper, and we’re always looking for more.  Add away!  Seriously, start adding some!
• Send a request to have your feed(s) directly submitted.  If you have a blog/flickr account/podcast/whatever that focuses on the topics of writing, photography, or website design, submit the address for consideration.  Please note that there is limited space, and that your feeds might be replaced with others some time in the future based upon community feedback.

Any ideas, suggestions, or feedback is always appreciated and helpful.  Let’s make this the best E-Newspaper on Paper.li!  Leave lots of comments here…

-- Download New! The TomSlatin.com Daily as PDF --

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-- Download The Great Outdoors WordPress Theme as PDF --

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-- Download The Contents Of My Head WordPress Theme as PDF --

Download / Alternate Download

-- Download Stargazer WordPress Theme as PDF --

Download / Alternate Download

-- Download Paperwork WordPress Theme as PDF --

Download / Alternate Download

-- Download Grunge King WordPress Theme as PDF --

-- Download Broken Heart Crane WordPress Theme as PDF --

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-- Download Wildflower as PDF --

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-- Download Roller as PDF --

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-- Download Abandoned Industrial Storage as PDF --

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-- Download Abandoned One Room House as PDF --

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-- Download ROAD CLOSED as PDF --

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-- Download Sink Strainer as PDF --

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-- Download Aerials as PDF --

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-- Download Forgotten as PDF --

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-- Download Henhouse as PDF --

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-- Download Fencing Planks as PDF --

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-- Download Drifter as PDF --

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-- Download Window Frame as PDF --

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-- Download Alligator–No Swimming as PDF --

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1 2

-- Download Grand Old Abandoned Farm as PDF --

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-- Download The Exploration Of A White Farmhouse (Abandoned Circa 1988) as PDF --

-- Download Thirty Magazine as PDF --

If you have content that you want to share with your friends, or even the world, or if you are frustrated by your ISP placing limits on attachments via email, you have come to the right place.

Bookmark Sharing

• Delicious
• StumbleUpon

File Sharing

• 4shared.com
• Badongo
• Box.net
• Dropbox
• Drop.io
• FileFactory
• Google Docs
• Hotfile
• KeepAndShare
• MediaFire
• Megaupload
• RapidShare
• Sendspace
• Windows Live SkyDrive
• Yousendit
• Ziddu

Image Sharing

• Dotphoto
• Flickr
• Fotki.com
• Photo Bucket
• Webshots

Video Sharing

• Google Video
• Metacafe
• Vimo
• YouTube

-- Download Sharing Is Caring -- How To Share Just About Anything On The Cheap as PDF --

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people that treat you right and forgive the ones that don’t. If there’s a chance – take it. If it changes your life – let it. No one said life is easy they just said it would be worth it.
– Hannah D.

-- Download A Strangers Advice On Life as PDF --

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-- Download Little Girl Of The Mountain as PDF --

My lifelong obsession was first documented on my blog here: My Fascination With Rolling Ball Sculptures.  As luck would have it, The Montshire Museum Of Science has two of these sculptures.  The one shown here was built by George Rhoads.

The second one I photographed resembles the work of George Rhoads, but I need some clarification to be sure.  If you have any information, please leave a comment.

-- Download 2 More Rolling Ball Sculptures as PDF --

-- Download My Fascination With Rolling Ball Sculptures as PDF --

The Adler Hotel was a 150-room, five-story hotel in Sharon Springs, New York that was operated from 1929 until 2004. Known for its therapeutic sulfur baths, it catered primarily to a Jewish clientele who travelled to Sharon Springs in the summers. The hotel was built by Louis Adler for $250,000. He operated the hotel until selling it in the 1950s and later owned and operated hotels in Miami Beach, Florida, including the Allison Hotel. Bernard and Hilda Wieder, noted Miami Beach hoteliers, purchased the Adler Hotel from Louis Adler 1951 for $250,000 and operated it until 1971, selling it to The Yarkony family for $75,000. They owned and operated the hotel as Yarkony’s Adler Hotel from 1972 until 2004, when the derelict building and other buildings in the town were purchased for $750,000 by Sharon Springs, Inc., a Korean-American investment group based in New York City. -Wikipedia

View This Set On Flickr

Related External Links:

• The Abandoned Hotel Adler in Sharon Springs, New York (YouTube)
• The Abandoned Hotel Adler – Sharon Springs, New York (The Digital Mirage Blog)

-- Download The Exploration Of The Hotel Adler Spa as PDF --

The game of chess is ages old, and is loosely based on the days of castles and medevil warfare, only in a civilized table-top mind-challenge way. The writer explained that her favorite chess piece was the rook (i.e. the knight), because as far as she is concerned, knights are sexy and are her ideal mate. I know this because she mentions drooling over how manly knights are.

But aside from knights, I might find one attractive if there were ever a female knight. The post made me think of another prompt that is loosely related; describe your ideal living situation.

My favorite chess piece is the king. Not only is the king in charge, but the king traditionally lives in a castle and historically, is married to the queen. Everything the king does, he does royally, or in a royal fashion. A king wears a gold crown, sits on a golden throne, and wears a fur coat. Just like me, a king goes overboard whenever he sets out to do even the most mundane of things.

My ideal living situation would ultimately be a castle because I’ve always been fascinated by the medieval times. I would love to build my own castle, but since they are built with stone and concrete, castles are expensive things to build.

How could I live in a castle? Let’s take a look at the possibilities…

• I could marry into royalty, which would be unlikely because I’m already in a relationship and not looking.
• I could build a castle, which would be very unlikely unless I won the lottery jackpot… Twice. Castles are not only expensive to build, but also very expensive to maintain. I can only imagine the taxes of such a place. But even if I could have my own castle, it would need to have castle-wide Wi-Fi installed, which might prove difficult because radio signals have a difficult time passing through concrete.

I’ve also always wanted my very own freight train diesel locomotive, but trains are big things. Extremely expensive things, mind you. I’ve heard that some locomotives can cost in upwards of $200 million!

Lots of folks tell me that I have expensive tastes.  Truth be told, I don’t.  I have impossible tastes.  Besides, where would I put a train?  In my yard?  Hardly.  Trains are big things.  Historically speaking, when we are told stories of a train robbery, it’s always the contents of the train that are stolen, not the train itself.

-- Download How Writers Accidentally Inspire One Another as PDF --

1. Name one thing that has always fascinated you.
2. What is the most valuable item or largest sum of money you have ever found?
3. Name one thing in your life you hope you never have to see or encounter.
4. Growing up, what career goals or dreams of accomplishments did you have?  Did any of them come to be, how many did you abandon or revise along the way?
5. Write about a time in your life when things weren’t the way you or others thought they should be.
6. Describe an odd or unusual writing habit or ritual you or someone you know has.  (Here are some Unusual Writing Habits.)
7. Can a book really be judged by its cover?  Explain in as much detail as possible why or why not.
8. Describe a moment in your life you laughed so hard you cried, had a drink come out your nose, or peed in your pants.
9. Detail the greatest prank you have ever pulled off successfully.
10. What musical medium did you grow up with; vinyl records, CD’s, or MP3′s?
11. How long was your longest inter-personal relationship?  Was it friendship, family, romantic, or something else?
12. What is your biggest ambition in life?
13. What is your lucky number, and why is it so lucky?
14. How long have you been able to live off the grid?  No e-mail, Internet, electricity, running water, etc.
15. What is your favorite chess piece?
16. Do you have a daily or weekly routine that you follow?
17. What is the worst event in history to have ever taken place, in your opinion?  Could something like this possibly happen again?
18. How would you classify your ideal living or working situation?
19. Who in your life has been the best positive influence on your life?
20. What things do you enjoy most in your life?
21. Is there anything you, ‘just know’ and have no explainable or rational way to explain how you know it?
22. What was the most intamite or personal question you have ever asked someone, or have been asked of you?
23. What Lo-Fi or non-electronic / old-school things from the past do you still enjoy?
24. Describe your first intamite experience.
25. If you could start your life over from birth, what is the one thing you would change about yourself?
26. Have you ever wanted to trade places with someone else for a day, week, or a lifetime?  If so, who was it and why?
27. Name something you’ve always wanted that you will never ever have.
28. Describe a time in your life when you were lost (figuratively or not).
29. Do you believe the end of the world will come to pass during your lifetime?
30. If you could choose to believe in Science or religion, which would you choose and why?
31. Is there ever justification for revenge?  What things in your life have made you vengeful?
32. Have you ever risked your life to save the life of someone else?  Would you if the situation arose?
33. What is your biggest insecurity?
34. In your own opinion, what is the greatest downfall of modern society.
35. How long have you gone without something necessary to your survival (food, shelter, water, sleep, or clothing)?
36. Assuming you’ve lost your virginity, at what age did you lose it?
37. Are you or someone else the black sheep of the family?
38. Is beauty skin deep or does it come from somewhere else?
39. How good are you at keeping secrets?  Spill 5 closely-guarded secrets.
40. Did you ever have your own ‘special place’ as a child?
41. What are your beliefs in regards to cosmetic or plastic surgery?
42. Do you believe in reincarnation?
43. Have you ever been homeless, or had no place to call your home?
44. Has anyone (besides yourself) ever read your journal, either with or without your permission?
45. What rumor(s) were spread about you?  Were any of them true?
46. What are the best and worst memories of childhood?
47. Have you ever had a crush on an authority figure (i.e. boss, teacher, etc.).
48. Have you ever felt as if you were a failure or somehow ‘failed’ someone you care about?
49. Do you have any irrational fears?
50. Describe your relationships with your family/friends/parents/significant other.

The original 80 Journal Writing Prompts are here.  As a reminder, please note that these prompts are subject to copyright; reuse by permission only.

-- Download 50 MORE Journal Writing Prompts as PDF --

More of my Urban Exploration Photography on Flickr…

-- Download The Beauty Of Urbex: Alexandria, Virginia as PDF --

• Stephen King writes 10 pages per day, every day minimum.
• Anthony Trollope wrote 250 words every 15 minutes, though only through the hours of 5:30 and 8:30 in the morning.
• J. D. Salinger had a filing system of character names and ideas written on index cards that were pinned on the wall where he wrote.
• Michael Ondaatje writes exclusively on paper, then ‘cuts and pastes’ his writing using a pair of scissors and tape.
• Issac Asimov never did any editing or revision work when he wrote.  What he wrote down was what he wrote, and that was that.  He also had two electric typewriters on hand, just in case one died.  Apparently, the backup typewriter was out of necessity after he was forced to stop writing after one died unexpectedly.
• Blanche d’Alpuget writes everything using a computer, but once she’s done, she prints out her work, deletes the file, and types it all over again from the printed page.
• Kurt Vonnegut obsessed over every page he wrote.  He would re-write every page over and over again, multiple times, until he was satisfied with his writing.
• Jack Kerouac had a list of 30 “Essentials”.  He was also known for his constant attempts to get published and as such, would constantly revise, rearrange, and edit everything he wrote, which only resulted in more letters of rejection from the publishers he worked so hard to impress.
• Friedrich von Schiller used the smell of rotten apples to stimulate his senses, and from this he was able to draw inspiration.
• Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette picked fleas off of her cat before she wrote.
• François-Marie Arouet Voltaire liked to use the naked back of his lover as a writing desk.
• Edgar Allen Poe liked to have a cat sit on his shoulder when he wrote.  He also married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm.  Poe died at age 40, the cause of his death has been debated for some time, and has been attributed to alcohol, brain congestion, cholera, drugs, heart disease, rabies, suicide, and/or tuberculosis.  He was not a very practical person.
• T.S. Eliot preferred to write especially when he had a head cold.
• Kent Haruf wrote his novel Plainsong with a wool stocking covering his face as he blindly typed in the confines of an unheated basement.

-- Download The Writing Habits of Those Who Write as PDF --

This fortune has been in my wallet for some time. I just had to share it.

-- Download Fortune Cookie FAIL as PDF --

Creating high-contrast black and white images is quite simple.  Some digital cameras allow you to set things such as contrast, saturation, picture style, etc. using the in-camera menus.  My Canon 5D Mark II makes setting the contrast and picture style quite easy (along with a multitude of other settings I haven’t yet found a use for).  For others without the luxury of high-end digital cameras, or for those who are converting their prints to digital, the process is also relatively easy.

The photograph here was edited using Paint.net, which is free.  All you need to do is open the image, then go to Adjustments > Brightness / Contrast.  Set the contrast higher, and the brightness lower.  If the image is color, you’ll need to convert it to Black and White first.  You may need to do this in small increments as just subtle changes here have a drastic effect on the photograph.

Other Black & White Flickr groups worth checking out include (but certainly aren’t limited to) All That Is Black And White, Old-School Photos [B&W And Sepia], Shades Of Gray, B&W Photographer, B&W, B&W Gallery, B&W Xibit, B&White, and B+W.

-- Download High Contrast Grunge Photography as PDF --

The sign outside reads, “THEODORE ROOSEVENT – September 14, 1901, stopped at Aiden Lair to change horses in night ride in Surrey from Mt. Marcy to North Creek to take oath of president at Buffalo.” – State Education Department 1935

-- Download The Exploration of Aiden Lair Lodge as PDF --

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

-- Download 2011 Honor Flight as PDF --

1. Use your job to inspire you. Hate your job?  Don’t quit.  Use harships and disapointment to your advantage.  That’s what Sean Hayden did!
2. Make an interesting list of blog posts.  Also called speedlinking.  Backlinks are a helpful boost to your traffic.
3. Review products. If you’re lucky, doing this every now and again can get you free stuff to review.  Trust me on this one.
4. Photograph everything. A good photographer doesn’t go anywhere without their camera.  Photograph things that inspire you, and use the pictures on your blog. (Hint: Post your pictures to this Flickr group if you’d like them to be considered for posting on this blog.)
5. Video! If you have a video camera, use it!
6. Pet Peeves. Make a list of your pet peeves and the little annoyances of life.
7. Start with a title. Often times, writers will title their piece before coming up with a title.  Try the opposite; come up with a catchy title before writing your piece.
8. “Go To” your blog inspiration. Instead of sitting around trying to come up with an idea, try going to an interesting place near where you live, and write about it on-location.
9. Watch the news. All of the current events and happenings are generally covered in the news; writing a post about current events is a great way to stay…  Well…  Current!
10. Ask your readers. If you’re stuck, or need a lot of ideas in a hurry, try asking your readers for ideas.
11. Mention friends, family, and folks you know. If you know other bloggers in real life (folks you’ve met physically, in person), write blog posts that mention their blogs in some way.
12. Show off your talents or skills. Do you know how to do something exceptionally well?  Blog about it!
13. Read an eBook. Chris Garrett has written this great eBook about coming up with great headlines.
14. Guide us! Write a guide to doing something lots of people want to learn how to do that you are already an expert at doing.
15. On the road again…! Write a travelogue, a guide to travel, or a story of your recent travels.  Check out this Wikipedia article.
16. Be an amatuer reporter. Pretend you’re a newspaper reporter.  Blog about something in your community.
17. Cover an obscure subject. Some subjects are sought after, but for whatever reason, rarely written about.  Write about one such topic.
18. Exploit Google Trends. Check out Google Trends to see what folks are looking for and talking about.  Write something that everyone is talking about before they start talking about something else.
19. Visit a library. When I was younger, (before StumbleUpon) I used to visit the local library every weekend and wander around until I came across a random book that grabbed my interest.
20. Gain insight. Talk to those around you.  Sometimes everyday get-togethers can lead to some great blog posts.  Change the names, dates, and locations if you have to.
21. Start a Podcast! If you’ve heard traditional broadcast radio, you have the basic format for a podcast.  Record things as MP3 files, and post them to your blog.
22. List useless facts. Although websites of nothing more than useless facts got its great debut in the 90′s, blog posts of useless facts still remain quite popular, especially if you dig up some obscure but true facts.
23. Check out Flickr. Lots of photos are available on Flickr, many of which allow posting on blogs.  Use these for your inspiration, and include them with your blog posts.
24. Seek out other prompts. Use the 80 Journal Writing Prompts to inspire you.  Adapt the prompts to use for blog posts.
25. Buy this book. If all else fails, this book might be your answer. No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog

Other Stuff To Check Out:

• 101 Great Posting Ideas That Will Make Your Blog Sizzle
• 100 Blog Topics I Hope You Write
• 45 Blog Post Ideas That Always Generate Buzz
• 101+ Killer Blog Post Ideas
• 100 Ways To Find Ideas For Your Blog Posts

-- Download 25 Blog Post Ideas as PDF --

The instant camera is a type of camera that generates a developed film image. The most popular types to use self-developing film were formerly made by Polaroid Corporation.

The invention of modern instant cameras is generally credited to American scientist Edwin Land, who unveiled the first commercial instant camera, the Land Camera, in 1948, a year after unveiling instant film in New York City. The earliest instant camera, which consisted of a camera and portable darkroom in a single compartment, was invented in 1923 by Samuel Shlafrock.

In February 2008, Polaroid announced it would discontinue production of film, shut down three factories and lay off 450 workers. Sales of chemical film by all makers have dropped by at least 25% per year in the first decade of the 21st century, and the decline is likely to accelerate. Fujifilm is now the only remaining supplier of instant film in the United States. However, in October 2009, Polaroid announced it would bring back its classic instant film cameras, after announcing the year before that production was to be stopped.
-Wikipedia

Since the era of digital photography becoming mainstream, the use of traditional film and instant cameras has become less common.  With few exceptions, it seems that most photographers are turning to digital cameras, computers, and electronic printers; everything that was commonly found in a darkroom has now been replaced with digital equipment.  Although digital equipment has many advantages such as lower cost, higher productivity (batch processing, automation, etc.), and ease of use, old-school film and instant formats still remain popular among some photographers.

A friend of mine on Flickr named Ashley Burress, is one of the few photographers who refuse to succumb to the all-digital fad, and who is still an instant print enthusiast.  She gave me permission to use her Polaroid photographs as part of my article in exchange for a link to her blog and mention of her Flickr photostream.  Most recently, Ash has posted a collection of instant photographs from a recent trip to The Nashville Zoo, which are a must see.  All of the photographs presented here are Copyright Ashley Burress, and used with permission.

Instant format has its own signature quirks and attributes.  Because of its instant results, it was popular in the days before digital photography became mainstream.  It remained quite popular during the early days of digital photography before LCD screens were added to digital cameras which showed the exposures that were taken with the camera.  As the article on Wikipedia states, production of instant film almost stopped forever.  Had it not been for the small percentage of enthusiasts who still demanded the film still be in production, the world might never have seen instant film ever again.

The advantages of instant print film are that due to its almost instant process, there is only a momentary wait between the time the exposure was taken and the print coming into being.  One of the greatest misconceptions of instant film is the shaking of the print people always seem to do after the shot is taken.  There is really no need to shake the print, and doing so actually degrades the quality.  It’s best to leave the print on a flat, horizontal surface for a short period of time to allow the chemicals to work their magic.  On the other hand, if a grunge style is your aim, you can bend and/or place objects on top of the print surface immediately after taking the shot to alter the chemical reaction that takes place that develops the print, literally right before your eyes.

Anyone who was around during the peak of the Polaroid craze will tell you that the most amazing part of the process is watching the print develop on its own.  I can’t explain the process by which the print develops, as it is immensely complicated, and covered by numerous patents, but it starts out with the print being ejected from the camera, where it starts out grayish in color, and the color develops slowly, starting with shadows.

Polaroid prints tend to have exposure and saturation that is a little janky, because there is no real way of setting exposure exactly.  Some of the digital-instant camera hybrids will allow you to adjust exposure to a certain degree, but unlike modern digital photography, it’s far from perfect.  Focus is also somewhat fixed much like that of a holga camera or a really cheap point-and-shoot film camera.

The biggest disadvantage of instant print photography is the cost, and availability.  Amazon.com has perhaps the best selection, and [usually] very competitive prices on Polaroid Instant Film.  Photography and camera stores usually also carry this type of film, or will be able to tell you of a shop that does.  Typically, the average exposure will cost at least $1, sometimes more, depending on the brand and ISO speed.  The price varies on a number of factors, including buying in bulk.

polaroid spectra set on Flickr

For those of you who have already made the switch to digital, don’t despair.  You can download free software to make digital photos look as if they were taken with a Polaroid camera.  Here’s the Poladroid website and the Flickr group to go along with it.  Also, Polaroid has made quite the debuit on Flickr with this group.

-- Download Polaroid: Lo-Fi At An Instant as PDF --

-- Download Thoughts And Words Are Powerful as PDF --

Writers by their very nature must be good listeners as well as keen observers in order to put their thoughts and life experiences to paper. As such a good experienced writer is often sought out as a reliable source of advice and guidance, having spent countless hours thinking, observing, and in their own ways, processing and recording. So when someone recently suggested I write a generalized piece about advice for youth, I felt honored that someone had such faith in my writing prowace as well as my life experiences from which to draw insight and inspiration. This piece will deal with mature, yet important topics faced by every generation, such as education, love, sex, relationships, abuse, etc. in a respectful straight-forward manner. If you are not yet mature or ready to learn some truth and insight on these topics, stop reading and come back when you’re ready for the reality of real life.

Love
Society today dictates that it is possible to fall in love quickly; it might be a result of reality television or the way that Hollywood portrays love in the movies. There is no such thing as love at first sight, it’s just not possible. Love takes time; love is trust, respect, and intimacy between two people. Love is when you care about each other and are so close that nobody else means as much to you more than the both of you. Love is an unbreakable bond between two people where no topic is ever too taboo or personal to discuss. Love is built upon complete and total commitment to the point where both people who are in love have no interest or desire to date or have sex with anyone else. For those who still believe in love at first sight, the feeling isn’t love, but rather infatuation.

Relationships are complex, complicated, and sometimes scary things.  No matter what you hear or see, nobody is ever a relationship expert.  There is simply no way any human being can be an expert in relationships, because just when everything seems perfect, it is bound to change.  As human beings, we’re always changing; we’re growing, maturing, and experiencing different things.  If you involve another person, things will change twice as much.  Just because you’re in love with someone now does not mean that you will be in love with that person forever, and it is naive and immature to believe that this is even possible.  True love means compromise; this means that if you really truly love someone, you are willing to accept the other person for their faults and flaws, and find reasons to love them anyway.

A loving relationship is something that is worth waiting for until the time is right, and you’re both mature enough to handle it.  An abusive relationship is quite the opposite, so without going into too much detail on abusive relationships, let me just say that if you are in an abusive relationship, get out of it as soon as possible; it will only get worse.

Sex
While sex is a part of any strong, loving, and caring relationship, it is not something that is generally taken lightly, which is why many cultures and religions view sex as something acceptable between a married couple. Virginity is something that many cultures and religions deem to be of utmost importance, whereby people refrain from sexual contact or intercourse until they are in fact, married. Virginity is a once in a lifetime gift, and regardless of your beliefs, one will always and to whom they lost their virginity to, and their first sexual experience will affect not only their feelings about sex, but also any future sexual experiences they might have later on in life. If you are in a relationship and your partner is pressuring you to have sex, they obviously don’t care about you, they only see you as a potential sex partner, If someone truly loves you, waiting to have sex until you both are ready is a sign that they love and respect you. Sex is an extension of the love two people have for one another, not a replacement for love or a need to feel love.

Keep in mind that the true purpose of sex is reproduction.  Nature never intended for us to have sex for any other reason.  Therefore, if you are not ready or mature enough to deal with the potential outcome of a pregnancy, should one occur, then you’re not mature enough or ready enough to have sex.  Enough said.

Education
For those of you who are considering college, and I’m hoping that most of you are, keep in mind these important facts. First of all, college can only prepare you for a career, and in todays world, many employers require applicants to have a college degree. Having a college degree has little or no bearing on how successful you will eventually be in life. Many of the interesting folks I’ve known in my life had no idea what they wanted to do with their life during their college years. Some of the most interesting folks I know still have no clue. When I was in college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, and almost every semester I changed my major. I started out as a business major, then went to liberal arts, and finally decided to pursue medicine. For whatever reason, I still could not make up my mind, and subsequently haven’t finished yet. That was over 10 years ago. Not having a college degree has barred me from a handful of high-end jobs, but unlike most of my friends who have masters degrees, I’m not stuck with an overwhelming debt in the form of college loans. Why so much hype about college? Colleges and universities are businesses, and as such, will do everything they can to fill as many spots as they possibly can to turn what critics say is an unfair and unsubstantiated profit margin.

Money
We’ve all heard that money will not buy you happiness.  This is the biggest understatement of them all.  I’m sorry, but it’s true; money can not buy you happiness.  Sure, money can buy you things that will make you happy, but being happy comes in short periods.  One cannot be happy all of the time, it’s just not the way the world works.  We all go through good times and bad, and money can’t change that.

I hate it when I turn on my television set and see people wasting money on foolishness.  Sure, it’s okay to go out and buy things that you’ve always wanted, but spending beyond your means is a sure-fire way to get yourself into a mountain of debt which will soon take over your life.  Live well, but at the same time, spend within your means, not beyond them.

Life
While an education is vitally important, nothing but life experience can actually prepare you for real life.  All the advice in the world, not including this and many other articles written on the topic will even begin to cover what you will need to know, and what you might (or might not) experience within your own life.

Life is filled with chances, opportunities, challenges, and problems.  While a recent graduate of high school or college might think that they’ve got it all figured out, they are fooling themselves into thinking that life is as simple as taking a test or figuring out a tricky math equation.  In life, our problems are much more complex and abstract, and our decisions and solutions to those problems (most of which seem to come out of nowhere), no matter how successful and great, will ultimately lead to other challenges and problems along the way.  Life is not a party, and life is not about living off of someone else.  We all need to work for what we have, while at the same time, helping others to do the same.  If we all want too much, then there will be nothing left for anyone else.  I don’t have much, but what I have is enough; life is not about having things you want, it’s about enjoying what you have and making do with the things you’ve got.  Just because something new and exciting comes out, does not mean that you need it for your survival.  If you’ve made due without it, chances are, you’ll continue to do just fine without it.

Life is full of choices.  Every choice and decision we make as adults will forever and permanently change the rest of our lives.  It bothers me when young people say that they wish they were adults so that they could go and do whatever they want, whenever they want.  Staying out late and not having a curfew is a one of many popular dreams come true for many young people.  As adults, we can’t do whatever we want.  Teachers will tell you that you can do anything you put your mind to, and this is true, but the opportunities in life are nowhere near to being on any sort of level playing field.  As such, many opportunities in life are only available to select groups of people, while others are open to everyone except the fore mentioned group.  So while hard work and determination can get you quite far in life, it will not open up every door of opportunity; some of our dreams and the things we hope for are just too far beyond our reach.  Don’t set unrealistic goals in life; if something cannot be achieved or obtained within a lifetime, move on to something else before you spend your whole life pursuing the impossible; sometimes before we reach our goals in life, we have to conquer smaller goals along the way.

Still With Me?
If nothing else, I want to leave you with one piece of advice.  Instead of going out in life alone with no direction, take advice from those who are much older than you.  While older people seem to have little or nothing in common with the younger generation, and are seemingly unaware of many of todays stars and celebrities, they do have a lot of valuable and meaningful advice to give.  Whenever I am able to talk to an elderly person, I take the opportunity to learn from their stories.  You can learn a lot about life, and the mistakes they made in life, and most importantly, what they did to overcome the challenges that they faced in their own life.  What’s most important is the realization that chances are, they had more of a struggle growing up back then, compared to the struggles of today.  While you might call me crazy and think that talking to elderly people isn’t important, it is vitally important, so much so that I think a lot of high school seniors and soon-to-be college graduates should spend a few days talking candidly with a group of elderly people at a nursing home or at private residences of the elderly so that they can truly see what life is about.

Further Reading

• Important Advice For Youth
• Signs Its Love (Not Infatuation)
• America’s Most Overrated Product: Higher Education

-- Download My Advice For Todays Youth as PDF --

-- Download The Exploration Of Old Lodge as PDF --

I came across this place by accident.  Rose Haven was a resort in the Catskill Mountains, near Cairo, New York, that has been abandoned for some time.  Sadly, the only thing left of this place was the foundations of where the buildings used to stand, and of course, the steel deck swimming pool, which I photographed above.

-- Download Rose Haven’s Abandoned Swimming Pool as PDF --

Centralia was incorporated as a borough in 1866. The anthracite coal industry was the principal employer in the community. Coal mining continued in Centralia until the 1960s, when most of the companies went out of business. Bootleg mining continued until 1982. Strip and open-pit mining is still active in the area, and there is an underground mine employing about 40 people three miles to the west.

This abandoned section of sidewalk lead to nowhere.  This was just one of several I found, but perhaps the most intact one of all.  Empty plots were overgrown and abandoned.

One of my favorite photos from the trip is the one shown here.  Someone spray painted this stop sign on a street corner in Centralia, so that it says, “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

The DEP has placed monitoring wells like this one in various places all over Centralia.  This one happened to have, “DO NOT BACK OVER WITH TOUR BUS” written in the cement surrounding the pipe.  Ironically, the area has become a tourist attraction of sorts with folks traveling from all over to have a closer look after hearing and reading all the buzz on the Internet.  One group I talked to while visiting traveled from London England.

What once was a respectable town has been completely bulldozed into a group of dirt piles with broken road segments leading nowhere.

Another view of Centralia, this time showing the overall landscape of devistation.  In the foreground, an old mattress.

Centralia continues to be in the news, both in media, and on numerous blogs on the Internet.  If you decide to visit, you should know that the ground here is unstable, and the air may be unhealthy to breathe.  The place has its own share of hazards, so you have been warned.  Here are a few blog posts I came across while doing some research for this post:

• We Were Pirates: Centralia, PA
• Mission #10 – Welcome to Centralia, PA
• Centralia, PA – The Real Silent Hill
• Centralia, PA: The town that no longer exists.
• Ghost Town – Centralia, PA

-- Download The Story of Centralia, Pennsylvania as PDF --

1. Name something you lost or gave away that can never be replaced.
2. What 5 websites do you visit often, and why?
3. Name a totally useless possession and how you came to acquire it.
4. What music album would be used for a movie about your life?
5. List your bad habits and/or addictions and what you have tried to rid yourself of them.
6. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be, and what would you do if later on you changed your mind?
7. What are your religious beliefs?  Have they changed, or have they always stayed the same?
8. When was your last food craving, and what did you crave?
9. Who was your first crush and what made them special?
10. Name your most cherished childhood memory.
11. Turn to an entry in your journal or diary from a year or more ago.  What has changed and what has stayed the same since then?
12. What is one thing nobody knows about you because nobody ever cared to ask?
13. Robert Frost write a poem titled The Road Not Taken.  Name a road you’ve always wanted to travel.  Where do you hope it takes you, and what might you see on the way?
14. Name one thing you always wanted to do, but haven’t.  What has prevented you from doing it?
15. Write about your first kiss.  Was it everything you wished or hoped it would be?
16. What was the worst mistake or decision you have ever made in life?  What could you have done differently?
17. What song was stuck in your head recently, and what were you doing at the time that made you think of it?
18. Describe 5 things you want to see or do before it’s too late.
19. Write about something you now know that you wish you knew earlier in life.  How could this knowledge have helped you?
20. Write about your greatest fear.
21. Name one thing you feel brings out the good in people.
22. Describe a time in your life when everything turned out fine, despite the odds.
23. If you invented a device that could fix one problem you are facing right now, would you use it?  What problem would you like to solve?
24. Write about the last time you spoke to your best friend.  What did you talk about?
25. Describe a time you felt alone.
26. Name something you found; what was it and where did you find it?
27. What’s on your calendar for tomorrow?
28. What is the most annoying sound you have ever heard?
29. Describe your first job.
30. What is the one thing you cannot live without?
31. Quote the nicest thing anyone has ever said about you.
32. Are you afraid of the dark?  Why or why not?
33. Describe the longest amount of time you have ever been away from home.
34. Write about a recent adventure or travels.
35. Who did you idolize growing up?
36. Name a celebrity or famous person you wish would take you out on a date.
37. Describe your daily routine when you get out of bed in the morning.
38. What was the longest amount of time you have spent waiting on line for something?  What was it, and was it worth the wait?
39. Name one thing you have always been good at doing.
40. What is your favorite season, and why?
41. What was the title of the last book you read?
42. List your biggest regrets.
43. Have you ever seen a ghost?
44. Describe your note-taking style and habits.
45. Do you believe that we are all here for a reason?  What might the reason be?
46. What comes to mind when someone uses the phrase prolonging the magic?
47. Have you ever done something just to feel the danger, or to feel alive?
48. What is your favorite cliché?
49. What are all your thoughts on god?
50. How do rainy days make you feel?
51. What is the most amount of money you have had at one time?
52. Write a celebrity crush list.
53. What is the most amazing thing you have ever seen, heard, or experienced?
54. What effect does music have on you?
55. What did you learn today?  What did you learn yesterday?
56. What 5 traits do people first notice when they meet you for the first time?
57. Have you ever carved your name or initials into a tree or stone?
58. Democracy, communism, or socialism?  Defend your choice.
59. Does Never Never Land really exist?
60. Where is a great place to get breakfast?
61. List 3 things that went right (or wrong) today.
62. What is the best method of travel, and in what ways have you traveled?
63. If you could give the world just one thing, what would it be?
64. What were your best and worst subjects in school or college?
65. Describe the most outrageous thing anyone has dared you to do.
66. Ice cream: chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry?
67. What historical events happened the year you were born?
68. Pick up a random object that has special meaning to you and describe it in as much detail as possible.
69. Write about a recent visit to a museum or art gallery.
70. What food items do you consider staples in a well-balanced diet?
71. Describe your feelings in regards to an issue in todays society, and what would be done to fix it.
72. If you had only one wish, what would you wish for?
73. If you could tell the world just one thing, what would you say?
74. Share a dirty little secret about yourself (or someone else).
75. Name a time when you broke a rule or law.  Did you get caught, or did you get away with it?
76. Have you ever gone skinny dipping?
77. Name something you would like to devote more time to seeing or doing.
78. What is the name of your favorite book, magazine, or publication?
79. Describe your first car.
80. Thunderstorms… Inspiring or scary?

50 More Journal Writing Prompts are here.  Please note that these prompts are subject to copyright; reuse by permission only.

-- Download 80 Journal Writing Prompts as PDF --

I was inspired recently to return to my photographic roots.  Lacking immediate access to an old oatmeal container, photo paper, and a traditional darkroom, I decided to create my very own pinhole camera mockup.  While this guy here has an awesome tutorial, I wanted something that was both cheap and fast.  I decided to tape a piece of aluminum foil over the front of my Canon 5D Mark II, poke a tiny hole in the near-middle, and go outside and start snapping photos.  On a side note, if pinhole is something you’re interested in, I have a bunch of pinhole photos here on Flickr.

With todays fast and advanced lenses, some of us with lenses as fast as f/2, pinhole is a major step-back in the face of todays technology.  A small pin hole is ideal, however the depth of field can be modified by making the hole larger or smaller.  A larger hole will decrease the depth of field, and your images will be more blurry; accordingly a smaller hole will increase the depth of field, and your images will be somewhat more clear.  Pinhole images will never be as clear as they would be if they had been taken with a modern lens.  Pinhole photography produces images that are soft focus, and dream-like.

Instead of using the same piece of foil over and over again, I like to use a new piece of foil for every shot.  By using a new piece of pinhole foil with each shot, one can replicate the feeling and tradition of pinhole photography of days gone by, where things were done in a very haphazard manner where many of the variables changed with each exposure.

Experiment with camera settings.  Pinhole photography is far from perfect, and you will likely need to take twice the number of shots you normally would to achieve what you are hoping for.  I took roughly 30 shots, and the four shots shown here were the only ones that actually came out the way I had planned.  Thank goodness for digital photography.

For those of you looking for even more inspiration, you should check out this Flickr Group.  Also these two blogs; Square Peg Pinhole and Pinhole Panoramic are fantastic photo blogs on the subject.  Lastly, if you don’t have access to a Digital SLR camera, rest assured that all hope is not lost; folks have been successful making pinhole cameras from empty 35 mm film containers, match boxes, and even an old airplane hangar, setting a world record.

-- Download A Simple Experiment In Digital Pinhole Photography as PDF --

In the old days, very few buildings had electrical service, and those that did had relatively low power requirements.  Today, we rely on abundant supplies of power as almost everything we own is powered using electricity.  Power plants have grown much larger in response to these ever-increasing energy demands.  I was fortunate enough to come across this still standing vintage power station, which was in relatively good condition, considering the age of the facility and its years of abandonment and disuse.  Not only was this photo shoot an inspiration, but also a lesson in History and how much things have changed since the turn of the century.

You can view the entire set on Flickr.

-- Download Photographing A Vintage Power Station, Pinhole Style as PDF --