Welcome to Music Macros

www.youtube.com/kenmazurmusic   guitar improviztions to macro photo slide shows


For years I have admired the beauty of the local flora here in Topanga, CA.  Recently, I began casually to take macro shots of the small and often overlooked flowers of the chaparral.  It has been a very gentle, extended and relatively wet season.  Many unusual flowers have appeared, the colors have been vibrant, surprising and constantly evolving.  Having not reviewed my photos over a week or so, I decided to have a look using i photo.  I dropped a small group of photos from day one into a slide show and sat back for a look.  The program automatically displayed the photos with the "Ken Burns" effect and to my delight and surprise, the results motivated me to want to do some improv guitar work to the slide show.  I am a professional composer and studio guitarist so the desire to play was not a surprise.  What impressed me wasthe amount of detail and the emotional impact that the photos elicited.  It is incredible to discover such treasure under your nose and an amazing feeling to want to create an artistic creation from this discovery.The result for me is my Macro series on my youtube channel.                www.youtube.com/kenmazurmusic
This series of short videos tracks the evolution of the foliage in Edelman Park, Topanga, 2011 from late April through the summer(ongoing).  Each video is a discrete day's shoot.  They are numbered chronologically, thus when finished, the series will be be a sort of time lapse musical impression of the
evolution of the this years foliage.  This is a very subjective view.  I am not attempting to create a comprehensive botanical catalogue.  I photograph that which attracts me, beautiful lighting and color, insects,  obvious changes from day to day.  This is a personal view--my joyous encounter with a beauty
I had missed.  All the photos are taken on a consumer hand held digital camera--a Canon S900 or S1000.
I do not use a tripod.  There are no changeable lenses. Some of the photos are pretty good--some not as good--but my intent is emotional impact--deliberate blurring, movement etc.  In full resolution, many of the photos stand up pretty well.  Compressed on youtube, they can lose some of their sharpness.
I am developing these shots using i photo--generally to increase contrast and gently color to re-create my
impression of how it impacts the eye in the real world.

As you will find, the Macros are accompanied with a short write up, usually explaining a little about the
process and what guitar I chose etc.  The music is being done as I feel it, therefor there are still gaps in the sequence.  The music is even more subjective than the photos--it is my emotional response to the
experience.  There are no overdubs(except on Macro 5).  All these pieces are improvs--usually I fiddle around a bit with a motif and get a feel for the length, then I hit record and play. I have edited a few
of these for length--I want to keep them all under 2:30--preferring about 1:40.

It is a joy to do this.  To share this.  The digital age makes this possible.
Look for beauty around you--you may be surprised.  I certainly am every day.

Cheers.
Ken Mazur