Author: Randy Wells

ONCE IN A LIFETIME

This song from the Talking Heads album Remain in Light gets better the older I get. Produced and cowritten by Brian Eno, it was recorded 24 years ago. Eno was also one of the mixers and played keyboards, guitars, bass guitar, percussion, and backing vocals. Still sounds great on vinyl.

MICROSOFT AI GETS IT WRONG AGAIN

The CEO of Microsoft AI Mustafa Suleyman has shown an alarming ignorance of copyright law after he claimed that all content on the open web is fair use. – PetaPixel

“I think with respect to content that’s already on the open web, the social contract of that content since the ’90s has been that it is fair use. Anyone can copy it, recreate with it, reproduce with it. That has been ‘freeware’, if you like, that’s been the understanding,” Suleyman says.

6-27-24

R GRUPPE MAGAZINE ARTICLE IN THE WORKS

For those who like reading about early Porsche 911 hot rod clubs, this should be right up your alley. Coming in the fall is my story on the 2024 R Gruppe gathering in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Good times are guaranteed! More to follow.

Ferry, WA

WESTERN WASHINGTON TRAVEL STORY

PCA does it again with my newly published travel story for those looking to explore western Washington state this summer. It’s no secret that now is the best time of year to come to Seattle. Rather than hanging around the city, my advice is to hop on a ferry and head to Bainbridge Island. From there you can explore some of the best attractions this NW state has to offer, including more destinations like Whidbey and the San Juan Islands. Another option is to head to the Okanogan via roads north and east of the Puget Sound. I’d avoid the more touristed areas like Mt. Rainier and the like. Too many people.

6-17-24

BACK FROM PORSCHE PARADE WITH THOUSANDS OF IMAGES

Thanks to the the team at Porsche Club of America’s national magazine Panorama, I was the only full-time freelance pro assigned to make principal photography at the event. I am grateful for the faith they placed in me and happy to report I covered everything to the best of my abilities!

Birmingham, Alabama turned out to be the friendliest U.S. city I have experienced in many years. Look for coverage of my words and photos in the October issue.

FORM VS. FUNCTION

Traditionally, advertising has been more form over function. I’ve done a lot of advertising campaigns in my time behind the camera. Most have been based on form. Yet if I had a choice, my goal would be elegant function. It’s something I’ve strived for over the past 35 years as a full-time pro photographer.

Perhaps the world will turn towards this goal. However, that would mean a big change from appearances, which currently rule.

WHO IS A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER?

Simply put, it is someone who derives the majority of their income from photography. It doesn’t mean that they are being primarily supported by another job, a trust fund, retirement or a family member. A full-time professional photographer has to go beyond that definition. They need to make ends meet every month with the income they earn from their photography. And that means they have to charge a fee that could seem higher than those who don’t. It’s simple really, but the distinction has lost some meaning over the past 20 years. Please consider the differences when exploring these different services.

FORESHADOWING

If the latest reports are to be believed, this world is in trouble (and that’s putting aside all of humanity’s problems). Solar eclipses, solar flares, winds, fires, flooding, and global warming predicted at +2.5 degrees celsius. Add to that AI that can’t be explained but is going to be used everywhere anyway. I think they may have got it wrong in the Stanley Kubrick 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, it looks like it could all come down around 2050.

Enjoy it while you can.

(Image above: Courtesy of MGM)

STREETLIFE SERENADER

“Streetlife Serenader” is one the best Billy Joel songs but it doesn’t make most lists. Why? Because it’s too good. Probably best heard on the live album Songs In the Attic.