Japanese Bunka
spring 2025
The Lady Iustitia
“Berner Iustitia” (1656 x 2662) by user Mael vreich in Wikimedia Commons and is licensed under the Public Domain. Derivative (700 x 420) by Breanna Butler for the Public Domain. Text from the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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Photo of “Berner Iustitia” (1656 x 2662) found in Wikimedia Commons and is licensed under the Public Domain. Photo edited in Cyberlink’s PhotoDirector by Breanna Butler, who releases the derivative to the Public Domain. Article 10 found in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Sunbird in Flight
Original image found on Wikimedia Commons: “Palestine sunbird (Cinnyris osea osea) male in flight” by Charles J. Sharp. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Derivative has been created using Befunky. Image has been cropped, resized, and a text box with text has been added.
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Orinoco Flows
“Sail away, sail away, sail away…”. If you did not immediately understand the reference, it is from Enya’s song, Orinoco Flow (Sail Away). Do you hear it now too while looking at “Orinoco Flows”? Using my Macbook’s Apple Photos App, I cropped my original photo and changed the photo filter to create “Orinoco Flows”. It creates a completely new story separate from the original photo, which evokes a sense of travel and exploration to me. I use the rule of thirds to create negative space on the left of the image to emphasize the boat sailing away towards the right end of the image. I also set the horizon on the bottom horizontal line grid, which is best used when shooting sunset photos. I placed the Sun as a point of interest in the power point where the upper horizontal line grid and right vertical line grid intersect. Lastly, I changed the photo filter to “Dramatic Warm” to enhance the shadows from the ocean ripples and add an overall yellow tint to infer the sunset just before dusk.
After looking through hundreds of recent digital photos in my iPhoto library, the sail boat in the background of a babymoon photo caught my eye. The intent of my original photo was to capture my beautiful wife with the sunset behind her while we were enjoying our sunset cruise out in the ocean in Key Largo. I don’t even recall seeing that particular sail boat while taking this picture. I’m really amazed at how a simple cropping and photo filter tweak can create a completely new story from within the same photo. Now, is it just me or do you also still hear Enya’s song in your head? Sorry, not sorry.
Rural Sunset
Sunset, Before the Storm by Breanna Butler
Sunset, Before the Storm by Breanna Butler CC BY-NC 4.0
I took this photo in September, 2022, before Hurricane Ian made landfall. My husband and I were enjoying the nice weather outside before the oncoming storm arrived. Because of where we were located, we did not need to evacuate. But, it was my first time riding out hurricane level winds. This photo was taken from my front porch, and I cropped it so that the sky, with its windblown clouds and sweeping colors, is the feature instead of the asphalt driveway and white fence.
The cropped image is not as busy compared to the full image. The trees give a nice border of contrast and highlight the gradient created by the colors. The crop removes the “blandness” of a man-made manicured lawn and focuses directly on the drama of nature. The only editing done was the crop. This photo was taken with my Google Pixel phone instead of my trusty DSLR, but it got the job done.
She says a lot with her eyes.
Licensed by CC0 1.0 Universal
I chose this image because I’m curious about these people. The original photograph was taken with a large format camera and a glass plate. This same photograph could be taken today with the same camera and be just as haunting, but we wouldn’t have the same stories to share. I think there’s something special about all of the space in the original photograph; the people seem more distant, almost intangible. The first crop brings them closer, the attention drawn to the Man in White. The image is weighted, the people rooted and more tangible. It’s a more formal portrait, maybe? I chose to edit out some of the missing spots from the negative using the “heal” tool in Pixlr.
The second crop isolates the woman. I think she appeared a little removed from the scene to begin with. Now, she is surrounded by space above, her eyes pointed up, the viewer follows her eyes. Is she rolling eyes? Deep in thought? Saying a prayer? She could be looking at anything; thinking about anything. The viewer could also follow her pointed finger but this is more uncomfortable because there is nowhere to look, or perhaps a shorter distance to wonder. I used the heal tool to edit out those black spots again. The eraser tool and heal tool removed the rest of the Man in White from the bottom left corner. A deeper vignette was added to bring depth to the image.
The original image is part the Frederick Hill Reserve Collection at the Smithsonian.
To learn more about glass plate collodion negatives, I visited this PBS site.
Boop Oop a Doop
*Image Title is Konica Minolta Digital Camera but from the tags it is also named the Rosa ‘Betty Boop’ and is licensed under CC-BY-SA-4.0
I had the “Boop Oop a Doop” song stuck in my head for a few days – the one from Betty Boop. I’ve only seen the cartoon a few times, but it is certainly catchy. There is this one version on YouTube, and then I thought it would be a fun bit of audio for this assignment. Helen Kane sang the linked YouTube version, but I noticed many comments referred to an “Esther Jones.” I didn’t think too much of it then and continued my search for a song for the assignment. The search Betty Boop on Internet Archive guided my journey, and I found the results “Mae Questel, the voice of Betty Boop” and then the track “Don’t Take my Boop Oop E Doop Away.” This was the song. After retrieving the song, I thought, huh, that’s strange – Mae Questel is another name. My history teacher senses tingled, and it had been a while since I did a Wiki deep dive, so I searched for Betty Boop on Wikipedia, and sure enough – Mae Questel was a Jewish actress who played Betty Boop and Olive Oyl. So that was one name down – Who, then, was Helen Kane?
The Betty Boop Wiki explained who the other voice actresses were, and further scrolling led me to a reference about the Helen Kane Lawsuit. Helen Kane sued Fleischer Studios and Paramount in 1932 for allegedly copying her distinctive “baby” singing style to create Betty Boop. Another handy, dandy Wikipedia search later for “Baby Esther” led me to the page of Esther Lee Jones – the same Esther Jones of the YouTube comments from earlier. Baby Esther was an African American child singer and entertainer in the late 1920s known for using a distinctive “baby” or “boop-oop-a-doop” vocal style. During Helen Kane’s infringement lawsuit against Fleischer Studios over Betty Boop, evidence showed that Baby Esther had performed this style earlier and, in fact, was the inspiration for both Fleischer’s Betty Boop and Kane’s flapper persona, weakening Kane’s claim that she originated it. This testimony helped lead to the dismissal of Kane’s case in 1934.
There is little known about Esther Jones; unfortunately, there are no recordings of her songs or voice. What a piece of history that would have been—the first Betty Boop on record. But alas, we live in this timeline. And there was my little wormhole, peaking back through history over an unfamiliar topic. As for the rose pictured, Betty Boop has her own flower as well, a floribunda rose, to be specific, which was produced by rose grower Tom Carruth.
References:
Baby Esther. (2025, January 9). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Esther
Betty Boop. (2025, January 19). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Boop
Helen Kane. (2025, January 12). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Kane
Mae Questel. (2024, December 27). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_Questel
Rosa ‘Betty Boop’. (2024, January 22). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_%27Betty_Boop%27
Light Among The Storm
Rainbow over the Missouri by Shelby L. Bell is licensed under ATTRIBUTION 2.0 GENERIC (CC BY 2.0)
The Dark Side of Tranquility by Pitx is licensed under ATTRIBUTION – NONCOMMERCIAL 3.0 UNPORTED (CC BY-NC 3.0)
Worry, anxiety, and distress are normal emotions to have in life. Worry, anxiety, and distress, however, are not the end of the story. For me personally, you can bridle these thoughts and emotions by seeking professional support, confiding in a trusted group of friends, or by confiding in someone you trust and love. I chose the image Rainbow over the Missouri because, as someone that has and manages anxiety, I believe that in the midst of times of darkness, there is peace, hope, and beauty always present. Some folks need a little light to make it evident and others hold onto faith when there is no light. Others may need a reminder of hope from a familiar and trusting voice. Although the beautiful green landscape and waters are shadowed by darkness in the image, I love that the rainbow is present with just the right amount of sunlight to make it appear. To supplement the emotions this image evokes to me, I chose Pitx’s Dark Side of Tranquility. The use of acoustic guitar is calming for me while the 120 beats per minute express the uptick anxiety can have on someone like me. Anxiety no longer keeps me down as long as I seek support or just have that someone I love and trust to lend a listening ear.
Terms of use “Light Among The Storm” by Jason Rosario is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)
I’m Okay, You’re Okay
CC0 1.0 UNIVERSAL
I chose the song first, picking “Everybody’s Crazy ’bout the Doggone Blues, but I’m Happy” because 1) it’s a fun tune and 2) it’s relatable in a if-I-keep-saying-it-to-myself-then-it-will-come-true kind of way. This weekend my brother came to visit me. It’s always nice to see him but I was already feeling overwhelmed by other responsibilities let alone having play host. This happens to all of us; the to-do’s pile up and seem to surpass the amount of time we have. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the things we have to do and lose sight of the many wonderful things we get to do. I told myself, “You’re okay. It’ll get done.” I put my to-do list aside and had a great time with my brother.
Images of garbage fires, giant stacks of paper, and tiny animals pushing things uphill all came to my mind. Then, I found this print of Vasilisa in the Forest; one of Bilibin’s prints illustrating the Russian folktale, “Vasilisa the Beautiful”. The TLDR is that Vasilisa is sent into the woods to get light from Baba Yaga; overcoming impossible tasks along the way. It’s fun to imagine her singing this song; swaying her hips to this early American ragtime tune as she and her doll outwit the infamous witch, Baba Yaga.
The meaning of the two combined is enhanced. I believe this new creation maintains its status as CC0 1.0 UNIVERSAL because both the image and the audio are public domain. The image was created around 1900 and the song was recorded in 1917. Regarding the spelling of “Visilisa”, there were many spelling inconsistencies between sources. I made the choice to use this spelling because it seemed most common.
From Guitar Strings to Baby Things: Kiani’s Big Year Ahead
Hey everyone! My name is Kiani, and I’m excited to share some big updates in my life you. Right now, I’m in the process of buying my first home in Morriston, FL. Not just any house, it’s a brand-spankin new single wide and our very own piece of land where my husband and I will start our family, basically my dream come true! I can’t wait to make a home our family, and I really can’t wait for my man to rent an excavator and get started on the dirt bike track in the backyard, haha!
During the day, I work as a Capability Analyst for United Health Care’s provider portal. My role is all about connecting the dots between technology and business, and I get to lead various initiatives in areas like Broker, Employer, and Provider Search Services. It’s a dynamic job that keeps me on my toes, and I genuinely enjoy being part of the team I am on I get to work with good people.
Outside of work, I’m diving into something I’ve always wanted to do: learning to play the guitar! My dad gifted me a guitar for my 15th birthday, and it’s been a dream of mine to really learn how to play. But honestly, the best gift he ever gave me was moving our family to Florida when I was just four years old. Growing up here has given me a deep appreciation for nature and the diverse cultures around me. I love spending time outdoors—hiking, camping, or just enjoying the fresh air with my feet in the dirt, and meeting new people.
I am the youngest of 3 children, a brother and a sister, my family is so proud of me for completing my degree and now my Master’s of Science in IT! My parents worked very hard to try to give us the best opportunities, it took me over 10 years to pick a major and stick to it, but I am now at a finish line of sorts and looking back where I started makes me so thankful for them. My last two classes will be the Fundamentals of Metadata Practice and Theory and Digital Media Production. I’m really looking forward to a class on digital media production. In today’s digital world, understanding copyright and how to build a successful digital library is essential, and I can’t wait to dive into these topics.
And here’s the exciting news: I’m expecting my first baby with the love of my life! We are hoping for a girl, but as my pops would have said, as long as the baby has 10 fingers, 10 toes, and health we are blessed. With the house closing just around the corner, graduation in May, and a little one on the way, 2025 is shaping up to be an incredible year for me.
Thanks for following along on this journey of homeownership, parenthood, and all the adventures that lie ahead!