Crocodile Rock by Bodhi Smith

Jul 16, 2021

"crocodile rock" a brand new impression and blog from me...
 
"i know of a place, that is the place for me. out in the wilderness under the beautiful canopy of the milky way stretching across the entire sky. its silence speaks to me, telling me with all certainty this is my place where i need to be, my favorite place, when the darkness is so dark, that the stars light up everything dark inside me and out, illuminating everything all around with their collective energies, singing their happy tune into my soul" ― bodhinku, my happy place  
   
“i don't know much of anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream” ― vincent van gogh  
 
"oh please just let me sit here under the stars, on the threshold of two worlds. lost in the eloquence of silence" ― jalaluddin rumi, hush don't say anything to god    
 
"he was there alone with himself, collected, tranquil, adoring, comparing the serenity of his heart with the serenity of the night sky, moved in the darkness by the visible splendors of the constellations, opening his soul to the thoughts which fall from the unknown...he felt something depart from him, and something descend upon him, mysterious interchanges of the depths of his soul with the depths of the universe" ― victor hugo, les miserables   
 
"the starry sky is the truest friend in life...when you first become acquainted, it is ever there. it gives ever peace, ever reminds you that your restlessness, your doubt, your pains are passing trivialities. the universe is, and will remain unshaken" ― fridtjof nansen 
 
"on a starry night like this,
i want to be trapped inside your bliss.
lay your sweet lips on mine,
as our bodies entangled and freeze in time" ― shane morgan, the right song  
     
"you can feel the stars and the infinity of the sky...since life, in spite of everything, is like a fairytale.” ― vincent van gogh 
 
this song is so upbeat and happy, filled with lyrics both up and down, with the realization that sometimes memories can be just as good as the real thing...its named that same as my impression today, and with its rhythm and melody, it is the perfect song to accompany my photograph and blog today "crocodile rock" by elton john ... (just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....

"i remember when rock was young, me and suzie had so much fun. holding hands and skimming stones, had an old gold chevy, and a place of my own. but the biggest kick i ever got, was doing a thing called the crocodile rock. while the other kids were rocking 'round the clock, we were hopping and bopping to the crocodile rock...well, crocodile rocking is something shocking when your feet just can't keep still. i never knew me a better time, and i guess i never will...oh, lordy mama, those friday nights when suzie wore her dresses tight and the crocodile rocking was out of sight...but the years went by and the rock just died. suzie went and left me for some foreign guy. long nights crying by the record machine dreaming of my chevy and old blue jeans. but they'll never kill the thrills we've got, burning up to the crocodile rock. learning fast as the weeks went past, we really thought the crocodile rock would last...well, crocodile rocking is something shocking when your feet just can't keep still. i never knew me a better time, and i guess, i never will. oh, lawdy mama those friday nights when suzie wore her dresses tight. crocodile rocking was out of sight...i remember when rock was young, me and suzie had so much fun holding hands and skimming stones, had an old gold chevy, and place of my own. but the biggest kick i ever got, was doing a thing called the crocodile rock. while the other kids were rocking 'round the clock, we were hopping and bopping to the crocodile rock, well crocodile rocking is something shocking when your feet just can't keep still. i never knew me a better time and i guess, i never will. oh, lawdy mama those friday nights when suzie wore her dresses tight, crocodile rocking was out of sight..." ― elton john, crocodile rock 
 
"at present, i absolutely want to paint a starry sky. it often seems to me that night is still more richly colored than the day; having hues of the most intense violets, blues and greens. if only you pay attention to it you will see that certain stars are lemon-yellow, others pink or a green, blue and forget-me-not brilliance. and without my expatiating on this theme, it's obvious that putting little white dots on the blue-black is not enough to paint a starry sky" ― vincent van gogh, dear theo
 
"realistically, i'm an endlessly flawed person...i'm the stubborn creek with many rocks that doesn't flow easily, a clear blue sky filled chatty blackbirds. i have way too many shortcomings to count. i'm the rainbow that’s not long enough, a starry night cluttered with clouds, a sunrise in the dense fog...but alas, i'm grateful for the lady in my life who accepts me just this way. and i can only deeply appreciate all the people in my life who look past my stubborn rocks, love the blue sky with too many chatty blackbirds, remain patient with a rainbow that isn’t long enough, knowing with certainty the stars will come out from behind the clouds and the dense fog will burn off...and because of this, i am taught love. because of this, i love my lady, my family, my friends. i love these people with all my heart" ― bodhinku, a starry night with clouds
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MEANING
"sigh...throughout my life, the one thing most inspiring is all the stars in the night sky. i have always looked up there for inspiration, and i have never been let down...witnessing celestial bodies glowing in silent beauty as they dance with the zodiac all night long, filling the voids inside me with rapture wrapped in a sigh" ― bodhinku, my night sky
 
this is a fun image, full of life and color, in my happy place in this world: under the stars at night out in the middle of nowhere, my heart filling with their happy song...plus a very strangely cool hoodoo resembling that of a crocodile out in the middle of the high desert of northwestern new mexico under starry skies and the arch of the milky way...and the song, "crocodile rock" goes along so swimmingly perfect in meaning and accompaniment...
 
and here is another version of the song crocodile rock, from the best scene in the movie "rocketman" sung and performed masterfully by taron egerton...i feel he should have won an academy award in 2018 for his portrayal of elton john, but he was up against another brilliant performance by rami malek that won the best actor oscar that same year for his role as queen's freddie mercury in "bohemian rhapsody"....here is the clip from the movie "crocodile rock " by taron egerton (elton john cover from the movie "rocketman") ... (just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the song)...  
 
plus you might not have know or heard that the beach boys also did a cover of this song...it's all in their unique style, and wonderfully done remaining true to their own sound as they pay tribute to the biggest musical star and best songwriter of our lifetime, elton john...it's simply a great cover done by the beach boys of crocodile rock: the beach boys: crocodile rock (elton john cover)  
 
"i remember when rock was young, me and suzie had so much fun. holding hands and skimming stones, had an old gold chevy, and a place of my own. but the biggest kick i ever got, was doing a thing called the crocodile rock. while the other kids were rocking 'round the clock, we were hopping and bopping to the crocodile rock...well, crocodile rocking is something shocking when your feet just can't keep still. i never knew me a better time, and i guess i never will...oh, lordy mama, those friday nights when suzie wore her dresses tight and the crocodile rocking was out of sight...but the years went by and the rock just died. suzie went and left me for some foreign guy. long nights crying by the record machine dreaming of my chevy and old blue jeans. but they'll never kill the thrills we've got, burning up to the crocodile rock. learning fast as the weeks went past, we really thought the crocodile rock would last...well, crocodile rocking is something shocking when your feet just can't keep still. i never knew me a better time, and i guess, i never will. oh, lawdy mama those friday nights when suzie wore her dresses tight. crocodile rocking was out of sight...i remember when rock was young, me and suzie had so much fun holding hands and skimming stones, had an old gold chevy, and place of my own. but the biggest kick i ever got, was doing a thing called the crocodile rock. while the other kids were rocking 'round the clock, we were hopping and bopping to the crocodile rock, well crocodile rocking is something shocking when your feet just can't keep still. i never knew me a better time and i guess, i never will. oh, lawdy mama those friday nights when suzie wore her dresses tight, crocodile rocking was out of sight..." ― the beach boys, crocodile rock (elton john cover)  
 
"when i first saw
your eyes
i knew you already
from gazing upward
at all the stars

i'd been looking into
your eyes
for so long already
across the universe
my whole entire life

if stars would become
your eyes
they'd truly know already
their exact name
was always yours" ― bodhinku, eyes of the universe
 
"by no means do i think of myself ever as someone's sunshine...honestly, i think i can be personified as like that of a starry night...mostly darkness with some bright light shining through here and there" ― bodhinku, like a starry night  
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MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
"one of the most beautiful things to do is to paint darkness, paint the void which nevertheless has light in it, just like the starry night" ― vincent van gogh, dear theo
 
"do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate on the present moment...like the stars, come out from behind the clouds! shine" ― siddhartha gautama buddha, the dhammapada
 
"i don't know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves. therefore, it is important to discover daily what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness" ― dalai lama xiv, the art of happiness  

"you're my star, a stargazer too, and i wish that i were heaven, with a billion eyes to look at you!" ― plato, phaedrus    
 
"find me under the milky way, soul bare and heart open. let me swim in your spirit past the sentry of time and space that stands in the way and let me love you... planting 1000 kisses upon your naked heart in worship and in awe of your existence in this universe, i am replete with joy. if a million stars fell from the skies whispering their wishful promises into my open ear, not a single one would i entreat to change a single layer of you. let us stretch our fingers towards eternity together wrapped around dreams and laughter, souls bare and hearts open under the starry night" ― c. ara campbell, soul bare and heart open      
 
"night air, good conversation, and a sky full of stars can heal almost any wound" ― beau taplin, remedy  
 
"some nights i wonder if the stars watch us the same way we watch them, other nights i think of you and i'm sure of it" ― beau taplin, playing with fire 
 
"the night is starry and the stars are blue and shiver in the distance. the night wind revolves in the sky and sings..." ― pablo neruda   
 
"we are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. life is eternal. we have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. this is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity" ― paulo coelho, the alchemist   
 
"a certain darkness is needed to see the stars" ― osho, the secret of secrets    
 
"look at the stars, and let that silence penetrate you. or look at the starry night and let that velvety darkness surround you, envelop you, dissolve you. this is the way of the simple heart" ― osho, the book of nothing
 
"and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart...i carry your heart [i carry it in my heart]" ― e. e. cummings, 100 selected poems
 
"if hers are the stars in the nighttime sky, mine are the haunted empty spaces in between" ― nicholas sparks, dear john
 
"the starlight, i will be chasing a starlight until the end of my life...hold you in my arms, i just wanted to hold you in my arms...my life, you electrify my life. let's conspire to ignite all the souls that would die just to feel alive. now i'll never let you go, if you promised not to fade away, never fade away..." ― matthew bellamy (muse lead singer-songwriter), starlight    
 
"sometimes i would look up at the stars and wonder if you were ever looking at them at the same time...and when i looked up at the stars, i saw us. you were the stars, and i was the dark sky behind you" ― jenn bennett, starry eyes  
 
"let me die
from having being drunk on
indigo skies, my liver...
overflowing with stars" ― sanober khan, turquoise silence
 
"the universe and the light of the stars come through you, into me" ― jalaluddin rumi, in the arms of the beloved    
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ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"i really need to be illuminated daily by the starry night that so inspires me, helping me glow from my deepest depths...illuminating my inner shadows, those hidden dark parts of me, personal secrets that make me who i am, even if i am not proud of them" ― bodhinku, illuminated  
   
this impression was captured under the stars amidst thousands of unique hoodoos in the bisti badlands wilderness of northwestern new mexico under the stars at 11:11pm and also 11 mins after sunset at 9:09pm, both on june 30th, 2021...this composition is comprised of one long exposure of the hoodoo (f/11@24mm for 111 secs, iso-64) merged with a star exposure (f'/1.4@24mm for 13 secs, iso-2000)... 
 
in my photography, i always use filters to create longer exposure effects, saturate colors naturally, and balance the light in my composition in-camera...i often use as many as four filters at time, and i always use at least one filter in my completed impressions...
 
and to get the effects and balance i was looking for in the seascape exposure of this composition (f/11@24mm for 111 secs, iso-64), i used two progreyusa filters...
 
first, a 3.0 nd progrey antarctica filter to bring the light in the image down 10 stops and permit for the long 1 minute and 51 second exposure which in turn naturally saturating all the blues, yellows, and reds in the image...
 
combined with the second filter, a 0.9 reverse gnd progrey aurora filter to help balance in-camera overall the image the way i envisioned it...in this case, to stop down the much brighter light in the sky, the post-dusk light, at the horizon level of the image an extra three stops and help permit details in the shadows amongst all the rocks in the foreground to come out better in the exposure... 
 
i also used the progrey g-120z magnetic holder to hold the filters and secure the filters to my nikon d850 with a nikon nikkor 24mm f/1.4 prime lens ... 
 
for the separate exposure of the stars (f/1.4@24mm for 13secs, iso-2000), no filters were necessary in the star exposure, so none were used...
 
i wish to openly thank my sponsors who have always supported me through both the good and bad times...for truly this long exposure impression would not be possible without the use of my faithful induro phq3 series 5-way panhead with tripod, in combination with the progreyusa filters which i use with every photo i take...
 
"if nothing else...if i open my eyes, if i cry, if i think, if i sigh, if i giggle, if i dance, if i love, if i breathe, then i have lived a full days worth of life...nothing is wasted, nothing" ― bodhinku, if nothing else
 
"i do not want you to just be into my photography, instead, i'd much rather you take a journey into my pictures, and feel the impression i have created, feel it with all your senses" ― bodhinku, into my photography
 
"contemplate without thinking. be certain only in your uncertainty. stop the world. slow down everything. let it all be. shut off the noise. relax. seize this moment. reconnect. feel and sense what surrounds you. listen to all the colors of light whisper as they envelope you. see the melody and harmony that float about unnoticed. taste the solitude of all this wonderment. smell the beautiful silence. now discover your peaceful serenity. then, reach out and touch your faith with all your senses. this is my world. awaken!" ― bodhinku, my world
 
"my photography is my way of keeping a diary" ― bodhinku, my diary 
 
i leave you today wishing that bright joy 
and spiritual peace fill your life...
imploring you to make every moment count, 
no matter what, always and forever, 
for that is the only thing that truly matters... 
  
and above all else,
i hope this message and impression find you well.
 
namaste,
bodhi
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