Don Tracy Photographer

Vermeer and the Girl With The Pearl Earing

Thu, 02 Mar 2006 21:16:28 -0500

Cornelia#1

With apologies to Vermeer and the Girl With The Pearl Earing.

My wife and I love that painting and the recent film staring Peter Firth.

She wanted to pose for her own version of it.

Hosemaster portrait

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 21:27:52 -0500

evan1

This is a test portrait I did of my son Evan, using a hosemaster for lighting.

A hosemaster is a lighting system developed by Aaron Jones. It uses a fiber optic light source and an external shutter on the camera.

You photographer your subject in a darkened room. Open the shutter on the camera. Then open the external shutter while "painting" the light on your subject.

Whether to decline from evil and to do good are parts of justice?

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 20:05:49 -0500

Whether to decline from evil and to do good are parts of justice?

Photo illustration for St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica > Second Part of the Second Part > Question 79 > Article 1

Objection 1. It would seem that to decline from evil and to do good are not parts of justice. For it belongs to every virtue to perform a good deed and to avoid an evil one. But parts do not exceed the whole. Therefore to decline from evil and to do good should not be reckoned parts of justice, which is a special kind of virtue.

Objection 2. Further, a gloss on Ps. 33:15, "Turn away from evil and do good," says: "The former," i.e. to turn away from evil, "avoids sin, the latter," i.e. to do good, "deserves the life and the palm." But any part of a virtue deserves the life and the palm. Therefore to decline from evil is not a part of justice.

Objection 3. Further, things that are so related that one implies the other, are not mutually distinct as parts of a whole. Now declining from evil is implied in doing good: since no one does evil and good at the same time. Therefore declining from evil and doing good are not parts of justice.

Whether the pleasures of touch are greater than the pleasures afforded by the other senses?

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 20:38:46 -0500

Whether the pleasures of touch are greater than the pleasures afforded by the other senses?

Photo illustration for St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica > First Part of the Second Part > Question 31 > Article 6
Objection 1. It would seem that the pleasures of touch are not greater than the pleasures afforded by the other senses. Because the greatest pleasure seems to be that without which all joy is at an end. But such is the pleasure afforded by the sight, according to the words of Tobias 5:12: "What manner of joy shall be to me, who sit in darkness, and see not the light of heaven?" Therefore the pleasure afforded by the sight is the greatest of sensible pleasures.

Objection 2. Further, "every one finds treasure in what he loves," as the Philosopher says (Rhet. i, 11). But "of all the senses the sight is loved most" [Metaph. i, 1. Therefore the greatest pleasure seems to be afforded by sight.

Objection 3. Further, the beginning of friendship which is for the sake of the pleasant is principally sight. But pleasure is the cause of such friendship. Therefore the greatest pleasure seems to be afforded by sight.

Whether a man ought to love himself out of charity?

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 21:10:11 -0500

Whether a man ought to love himself out of charity?

A photographic illustration for the Summa Theologica > Second Part of the Second Part > Question 25 > Article 4

Objection 1. It would seem that a man is not bound to love himself out of charity. For Gregory says in a homily (In Evang. xvii) that there "can be no charity between less than two." Therefore no man has charity towards himself.

Objection 2. Further, friendship, by its very nature, implies mutual love and equality (Ethic. viii, 2,7), which cannot be of one man towards himself.

But charity is a kind of friendship, as stated above (23, 1). Therefore a man cannot have charity towards himself.

Simon, Transitions

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 20:22:17 -0500

Simon, Transitions

This image was used in MTV's Real World season in Philadelphia.

Cornelia With Lights

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 14:34:53 -0500

Cornelia

This is my wife, Cornelia.

She is light in a sometimes dark world.

Kitchen's Lane And Forbidden Drive

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 15:16:48 -0500

Arrival, Transitions

This photograph is titled Arrival, from the group Transitions.

It was made at the Kitchen's Lane Bridge. The bridge crosses the Wissahickon river and is an entry to Forbidden Drive.

Stumble, Transitions

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 02:25:30 -0500

Stumble, Transitions

This was made in the Wissahickon Gorge in Philadelphia

Mt. Everest Basecamp Trek

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 19:50:31 -0500

Basecamp #1

This photograph is from a trek to Mt. Everest base camp in 2001.

This image is from base camp.

John Paul II Jubilee Year

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 21:53:39 -0500

Pope #1

This photograph is of Pope John Paul II, made on Palm Sunday of the Jubilee Year 2000.

It was taken during the procession through St. Peter's Square.

It is best viewed as a 42" wide print.

St. Peter's Basilica

Sun, 13 Nov 2005 19:30:48 -0500

St. Peter's #1

This is from St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. I made this image during the Jubilee pilgrimage in 2000.

Backpacking Sleeping Off the Ground

Tue, 07 Sep 2004 16:48:30 -0500

This photograph is from the first backpacking trip I did with my son in the Adirondacks. Nothing adds more comfort than sleeping off the ground on a good camping pad.

For Evan, it was a little too big.

Mom On The Beach

Thu, 23 Oct 2003 16:44:43 -0500

It’s starting to get cold here in Philadelphia.

Here’s a shot showing the warm days of summer and the promises of spring all rolled into one.

Family Portrait Ideas

Wed, 15 Oct 2003 16:42:01 -0500

If I’m traveling alone and I want to include my family in a shot at some site, I’ll include a family portrait that I carry. This one may be a little extreme, but here I am with my family, minus our baby Lucas who was not yet born, overlooking Mount Everest. The Mount Everest peak is to the left of my head.

For more family portrait ideas check out Kansas City photographer Mike Regnier.