Beautiful Bill...:-)

Beautifully said, Bill, and so very, very true! Thanks for the reminder and a very Happy New Year!!

Wise words, my friend... Many thanks indeed...:-) Rob

What you are saying obviously makes sense to me... and it is so very true Bill. It is just such a great pity that some like to complicate the living daylights out of something beautiful... You will know what I'm talking about!!! Wonderful images to illustrate your point! Happy 2010 my dear friend!:)

Nice work and thoughts Bill ! So often we can take a vieww of the world through rose tinted glasses!!

Excellent work, thoughts and capture! Happy New Year!!! :)

Wonderful. Happy New Year!!!

Fabulous thoughts, Bill! An excellent philosophy. I wish a Healthy and contented 2010, my friend!

Awe Bill, what lovely thoughts. Lovely rose too.

wonderful shots and post work

So very true, Bill, and may you have a healthy, creative and Happy New Year to gether with your family...smile By the way, you look great in the plane on the new shot on your homepage!

Lovely words Bill so true we filter so much.. Have a great new years my friend.. Beautiful rose to best with no filters..

Thanks for a year of wonderful images, Bill.

great words!!! great rose!

Great words and image(s) as others have said. You put your finger on one of the major conundrums of life; behavioral scientists often state that perception of the world through filters is a survival mechanism, and I agree with that, but I think that particular mechanism has been taken a wee bit too far. Filters and conditions are NOT necessary. They're nice, but they (like fiction) are a lie. How intriguing that lying is bad, but writing fiction is good! I love that paradox, however. What I really like about what you wrote is the fact that it's unadorned and unfiltered. You've placed no conditions upon things; nothing's been tweaked. I personally like filters because they can distill a thing to its essential nature. I dislike filters because they often render a thing into an ideal; they're like fetishes in a sense, a way of rendering a distasteful thing palatable. (And yes, cherry flavoring in cough syrup is a form of fetishization. Why can't cough syrup taste like cough syrup? Why does cod liver oil have to taste like something that isn't oil from a cod's liver? Ah...don't answer that one...cod liver oil IS distasteful [literally] despite its benefits.) But what you've written really resonates with me, because it also highlights something I've been thinking about as both a writer and a photographer. It's something I learned while studying Japanese. There was (and is) a debate among Japanese dramatists that questions the presentation of violence in drama. The question raised is a question of filters. Should violence be depicted raw, or should it be filtered, or even ignored all together. Does a warrior on stage have to commit "stage carnage" or does he merely have to caress the hilt of his sword? And you also bring up an interesting puzzle. Does the image of a rose without filters 'smell' as sweet? I think the answer is yes, and you've illustrated that perfectly. I can go on for an exhaustive (or even nauseating amount of time) on this topic, but I won't. Suffice it to say, I love what you've written, and what you've shown! It's always an enriching experience to visit your gallery, and even though you weren't in Chicago when the Renderosity Ninjas converged on the winded...um...I mean Windy city, you are a part of the group...not like being a member of a group is important. When we all meet again, I'm sure you (and others) will be there. I hope that 2010 is an excellent year for you, and I hope, as well, that 2009 has given you pleasant memories.

Wow, check out Chipka's book on the subject! Being pressed for time, I read only a couple of his sentences. Anyway, I don't have the wherewithal at the moment to get into the philosophy of what you have brought to light in your discourse above, but it makes sense, and I agree with most of it. Oh, you can also add "it's only a flesh wound," "that's okay, we all mistakes," "don't take it personally" and "why would I look at another woman when I have you" to the list. Incidentally, nice filtering of the red rose, Bill. In fact, as you know, I like filters.

very true Bill and outstanding work.happy new year

Excellent use of the filters ! love the outcome but the original picture is nice too :-) Happy New Year to You and Yours!

wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COOOOOL :)

There is alot of truth in what you say here and the rose is lovely :-) I wish you a happy and healthy New Year.

I have so much to say about this that I hardly know where to begin. Perhaps I'll just tell you how much I like it ... images and poem ... and trust that you'll understand ...

W O N D E R F U L CREATION !!! AND FASCINATING MUSINGS.....

Very nice. Interesting what filters do. Great words of wisdom.

Very "cool" work. Have a good year, you and your's.

Awesome words and filter play.

Super poem Bill! Like 'em both. The art of nature vs the art of man. It is so wonderful to have the actual photo AND/OR the tools to create something new. Life is so good. Dana

Nice message!

Great words Bill - food for my mind today... All the best for 2010, Clive

Lovely words and so right, and as your picture shows you get a wonderful result.