SUN 12/15/13 Goodbye Peter O'Toole

In the mid 1970s my good friend Steve Peaslee moved to the Twin Cities to attend the University of MN. Steve was the guy who fostered my interest in photography and was pretty blunt about telling me what of my work really sucked.  He was also a film buff and started talking incessantly about Lawrence of Arabia and ultimately entered some sort of film program at the U.

Steve died unexpectedly at about age forty-five and I've thought of him often.  A few years ago I followed up on his recommendation of LOA and I've now watched it at least four times which is three more viewings than any other film in my life.  With the passing of Peter O'Toole, a wonderful actor, unfortunately dying probably because of years of self-abuse I thought again of Steve.  As I drove down our road I looked out over the beaver pond, saw the moon rising and took a quick shot out the window.  Steve would have appreciated the thoughts on Peter O'Toole but he would have been critical certainly of the exposure of the attached image and perhaps the composition and would have suggested capturing something broader, more reflective of the windswept, cold north land in which I found myself today.  I thought about wrapping myself against the blowing sand and prodding my camel into the windswept desert.