# John Stanmeyer: The Timeless Sands of Saudi Arabia



## Meanderer (Jun 23, 2014)

John Stanmeyer's use of the iPhone app Hipstamatic, in the July issue of National Geographic:  
http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2014/06/13/john-stanmeyer-the-timeless-sands-of-saudi-arabia/

"It felt too straightforward only to photograph in color with a 35mm camera. I needed a means to distill this reality I was feeling—time seemed to barely exist in the Hejaz, a region of fading memory.

Reaching into my shirt pocket, there needed a compendium voice to the visual narrative of the story. Instinctually, I chose my favorite iPhone camera app, the Hipstamatic, a tool that by selecting a specific film and lens combination renders an image which is finalized once developed.

For these images in the July issue, I selected the Watts lens and Uchitel 20 film, a merger that creates a print as if turning calendar pages back to the 1920’s, washed by time, fading in memory, ensconced in the present.

What draws me to Hipstamatic is my absolute disdain for choosing filters or using endless slider options found in other camera apps. Hipstamatic allows a dance with another fading memory—film. Choose a lens/film and post brief processing, you get what you get. The next debate to surely ensue with bringing iPhone photographs into a story like this for _National Geographic_ will be that of manipulation".

Time Sensitive






A ghost forest of dead date palms in Yanbu Al-Nakhal, Saudi Arabia. Decades of stress on the water table in this part of Saudi Arabia has caused a massive loss of vegetation.


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## JustBonee (Jun 23, 2014)

Unbelievable picture.

..Closer to home,  worry about what is happening in the Arizona Desert these days.
An old article attached.  Things are getting worse ...

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/11/us/dying-saguaro-cactuses-are-bewildering-scientists.html


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## Meanderer (Jun 24, 2014)

Bonnie said:


> Unbelievable picture.
> 
> ..Closer to home,  worry about what is happening in the Arizona Desert these days.
> An old article attached.  Things are getting worse ...
> ...



That was a shock!   I never knew about that!  The only cacti I run into are in pots and cartoons.


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## Meanderer (Jun 29, 2014)

This is a cactus picture I drew with colored chalk on black construction paper with our Grand-daughter last Summer:
http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/2009/08/pastel-cactus-drawing.html

View attachment 8213


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## Ina (Jun 29, 2014)

Good work grandpa Meanderer, How old was your granddaughter?


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## Meanderer (Jun 29, 2014)

Ina said:


> Good work grandpa Meanderer, How old was your granddaughter?



She was ten years old. She enjoys crafts and has her own table and supplies.


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## Ina (Jun 29, 2014)

Great age Meanderer, I got my children, grandchildren, and now I have three great-grandchildren to do art and crafts every time they turned around. None pursued art after they grew up, they think, but all ended up in fields that show an artistic flare. It helps them see different angles and builds their imaginations. Way to go grandpa!


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## BlunderWoman (Jun 29, 2014)

I found the article very interesting. The top photo on the article page seemed to me to be from Petra in Jordan and I was surprised to see it was from Saudi Arabia. I've been to Saudi Arabia, just not through the desert. I will try to find an old photo I have from Petra that looks very similar to that one.  The carvings are uniquely Nabatean. I found that very interesting. Thanks for sharing. Here is one old photo I have from Petra, but not the one that looks like the one on the article page.
View attachment 8220

Another thing I learned when in Qatar is that some eat these unripened dates that are yellow. I will post a pic of them. I tried them and they suck up every bit of moisture in your mouth. It was weird. I didn't like that sensation.
View attachment 8221


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## BlunderWoman (Jun 29, 2014)

I love the colors she chose. Great picture 




Meanderer said:


> This is a cactus picture I drew with colored chalk on black construction paper with our Grand-daughter last Summer:
> http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/2009/08/pastel-cactus-drawing.html
> 
> View attachment 8213


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## BlunderWoman (Jun 29, 2014)

I wonder if any of that links to people riding recreational vehicles out there I wouldn't have a clue, I'm just wondering



Bonnie said:


> Unbelievable picture.
> 
> ..Closer to home,  worry about what is happening in the Arizona Desert these days.
> An old article attached.  Things are getting worse ...
> ...


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