Hello everyone!

I really wanted to write a full length post today - there is something on my mind that will impact each and every one of us but it is not the kind of conversation that can be rushed. And this week, literally everything that I am doing is having to be rushed. This is one of those perfect storm weeks - a competition to judge, a video to record, two interviews to record and edit, a pair of livestreams to write and research, a picnic to prepare for, a grant application to write, a portfolio to update, and a blog post to write. I don’t like being quite this busy because it feels like nothing is getting all the attention it deserves. But stressing out about it definitely doesn’t help. I will write the article a little later and post it when it is ready, so this will be a very brief post, mostly just details, links, and notices about upcoming events.

Starting with the competition for August, which was judged by Amy Ferman and your’s truly on Sunday with the results video recorded and edited late last night. You can watch it by following this link - https://youtu.be/b_SHIRfdOz0. Congratulations to our winners! This was a tough contest!

This week is not a Pzoom week, but it is the channel’s first official picnic get together, which starts on Friday when we are all sitting down to dinner at a local restaurant. We will be spending Saturday at one of the nicer parks in the area where we will have a field macro workshop followed by a macro nature ramble, which I am really looking forward to. We will record both of these events and they will become a YouTube video, so that you can see what you missed and make plans not to miss the next one!). After that we will visit the new “studio” before heading to the actual picnic at Peoria’s premiere macro picnic location, Jimmy’s Irish Pub! I can’t wait to finally meet all of you who are coming - travel safe and I’ll see you on Friday!

After giving it a ton of thought, I think it is best if we cancel this week’s AfterStack. The reasons are mostly practical as it would require a lot of organization to with the hosting over to Bud and I really don’t want to leave him to do all that alone. If that changes in any way, I’ll let you know at the livestream.

I know this is an older cover for the AfterStack show, but I love the colors and I am only using the cover art to tell you it is cancelled. We get back into it in two weeks on September 21st, at which time it will have a proper cover of its own. NO AFTERSTACK THIS WEEKEND.

Talking about livestreams, there are two this week, as usual. The first is today and it is one I am really looking forward to as it is on a subject I find particularly fascinating. It is an update on the rapidly evolving coexistence of art and artificial intelligence.

When I wrote this episode I was initially concerned that it was too soon since I last mentioned the subject, but by the time I was done with my research I was concerned that I may have left it too long. The rate of change is accelerating and I want to talk to you about what that means both for us as artists and also for us as humans. It is sobering stuff. Here is a link to the first stream:

https://youtube.com/live/yNapQYm9wU8?feature=share

On Thursday at MacroTalk Too I am going to add to my growing list of macro misunderstandings - a collection of ideas, “facts”, concepts, etc. that we seem to have a hard time getting right.

You may already know most of this, but it is the kind of discussion where a single correction could make a big difference in how you do something. It should be fun! Here is the link - https://youtube.com/live/G4NhpjakK0E?feature=share

A couple of other things I need to remind you about - the video from my first interview with Lester Lefkowitz will be released at 9AM on Tuesday September 10th, a week from today. If you are keeping track of this kind of thing, the second interview will be coming out in the first week of December.

Which reminds me - you will be delighted to hear that this year’s guest judge for the December Wild Card macro photography competition will be none other than Lester Lefkowitz himself! Don’t ask me how I got him to agree to this, but it was probably either my irresistible charm or my incessant begging. Either way, I have it on tape. Now I will start working on a signed set of Lefkowitz books for  the winner!

And on the topic of the Competition - I have not yet posted the theme for September because I have not yet remembered what Angi told me it was going to be. It will be flowers, that much I know, but I can’t remember what the other part off the theme was. I post it as soon as I talk to Angi.

So this is all I have for you this week - but please try to make it to the livestream tonight as I want to talk about something important and you just may want to hear it.

Building something that needs the best aluminum extrusion that money can buy, but at a great price - go over to OpenBuilds, using this link, and there you will find it! Here is the link… https://openbuildspartstore.com/v-slot-linear-rail-10-pack/?ref=fdnefjhr

Or use one of the B&H links on this blog page to buy a new camera.

You get the idea, use my links - it is a win, win, win thing!

Have a great week ahead! Best wishes, Allan