About
I am a Northern Ontario secondary school teacher (25+ years) with a background and teaching experience in English, Special Education, and Media Literacy. I tend to think in a global structure and find the trends in media technology and its impact on culture, education, and social structure fascinating.
This photography blog is a place for me to display my photographs, both digital and pinhole, as well as any digital art pieces that I have created. Hopefully, by sharing my efforts and what I have learned I will increase my own understanding and skills in the process.
I’ll also use the blog to look at related photography issues that don’t fall under the media literacy and eduction topics ( See: Dark Pines Media ) .
You also find me on the web at Art&Media Literacy Teacher Site .


Thanks for visiting my website! (I clicked on your “like” Gravatar.) I’m blown away by the resources on your 3 websites!
John Robinson — http://thedailygraff.com/
June 14, 2011 at 9:03 am
P.S. As a teacher you might like the post “First Day of School”: http://thedailygraff.com/2010/11/05/first-day-of-school/
June 14, 2011 at 9:08 am
Thanks very much. Puns and word play help teachers stay a bit saner. You don’t have to be crazy to teach, but it helps.
June 14, 2011 at 1:13 pm
I visited here after your kind comments on my blog. Great images! I am new to semi-serious photography (a retirement avocation) so I have a lot to learn. I especially like the image of the guitar/pond scene – as guitar is one of my other activities these days. I’ve subscribed to your blog hoping to learn some things…..thanks.
Scott
July 15, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Thank-you for dropping by and subscribing. Also check some of the photographers in the blogroll lists. You’ll see some wonderful creativity and examples of excellent compositional skills.
July 15, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Elmediat, *
I just visited your wonderful “Art&Media Literacy Teacher Site.” I follow a Toronto photographer you might find interesting–Daily Dose Of Imagery: http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/
From his extensive ” Archives” I recommend his “Little Planet Series” (example: http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/09/05/28/ )
John [Photoblog: http://thedailygraff.com/ ]
* As much as we trade comments, I’ve searched ALL your sites for your first name but couldn’t find it.
August 6, 2011 at 5:43 pm
Thanks for the tip. Interesting site.
August 6, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Hello elmediat – I thought I was subscribed to your blog but have just realised that your photo blog is completely separate from your media blog – how wonderful to see a whole new aspect of your talent – I have some catching up to do
August 18, 2011 at 7:02 pm
Thanks for the support and joining in. I have been putting more energy into the photo-blog because of the creative and more personal expression. The media literacy blog is in part an extension of my work as a media -literacy teacher. Unfortunately the Media Studies course in Ontario schools is optional. The assumption is that more media literacy will be apart of all courses – you know what happens when “you assume”. I still have material that I plan on posting, especially as I get into the teacher mindset in the fall. Thanks again.
August 18, 2011 at 7:37 pm
hello!
great photo blog! looking forward to seeing more of your work.
Thank you for the tutorial…very helpful!!
cheers.
December 3, 2011 at 12:13 am
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hey darkpinesphoto, i nominated your blog for the versatile blogger award.
cheers,
bruno
December 19, 2011 at 11:21 pm
Thanks for the support, most appreciated.
December 19, 2011 at 11:50 pm
Thank you Elmediat for nominating my blog this year for Versatile Blogger! Happy 2012!
December 30, 2011 at 12:03 pm
You are most welcome and deserving of the award. Best wishes for the coming year.
January 2, 2012 at 12:49 am
“Elmediat”–
I like to address all of my blogger friends by their first names (rather than a Nom de Blog when I respond to their comments on my blog, but after combing through your blog several times, all I can find is that Nia refers to you as “Joseph.” Is that your name (and how would Nia have known that)?
January 26, 2012 at 12:11 am
If you don’t mind telling me, but want to maintain a degree of anonymity, respond to me at robinsoj@ohio.edu and then delete my question above and this follow-up. After posing the above question, I realized that to answer me here, in a permanent comment on your About page, would be to “blow your cover.” –J
January 26, 2012 at 7:58 am
Thanks for visiting my blog and from what I have seen from Today’s post I will definitely be enjoying yours for a great long while.
Cheers!
M
February 14, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Thanks for visiting and commenting. Glad you enjoyed the recent post..
February 14, 2012 at 9:57 pm
I’m glad you stopped-by my blog today, Elmediat. I’m still at the beginning of my journey into photography, and your commentary inspired me to look a bit further. I appreciate the feedback you left on my post…as well as the information you have on your blog about the technical aspects of photography, tips on taking the photos, etc. Your three sites will be wonderful resources…and your photography is compelling. Thank you for sharing it all.
February 16, 2012 at 10:52 pm
Thanks for visiting and commenting. Hope you find the various resources useful. The Reading A Photograph page on the Media Literacy blog has a couple of useful PDF documents on the codes and conventions of photography that you may find of value. Keep taking photographs and blogging; I and many others will be watching.
February 17, 2012 at 11:09 pm
You’re welcome…and I did see the PDF documents you mentioned…thank you for the encouragement.
February 18, 2012 at 2:03 am
Thank you for calling into my Space today my friend
and I will be returning here whenever I get the opportunity…
Have a most excellent weekend…
Androgoth
February 18, 2012 at 6:09 pm
Hope your weekend has been enjoyable. Thanks for dropping by.
February 19, 2012 at 9:23 pm
Wow. Beautiful blog. Thanks for checking out mine.
February 19, 2012 at 6:26 pm
Most welcome. Thanks for visiting.
February 19, 2012 at 9:21 pm
! what a fascinating chronotope you have here
thank you for taking the time to actually look at my work – one of these days i’ll be back to explore yours
February 22, 2012 at 4:31 am
Thanks for dropping by and commenting. Also thanks for the new word. I had to look up chronotype, even with my background in English Literature, Philosophy, and Linguistics & Mass Media, I had not come across the term. it certainly applies to many of my posts and themes. It has given me food for thought.
February 22, 2012 at 11:05 pm
Psst, it says chronotope, not -type, but hey, I sense that’s just a … typo.
Btw: in my ignorance I once thought I had invented the word, only later on I learned where and how it already existed – I was perfectly happy with that.
February 23, 2012 at 3:55 am
Ooopsie. Thanks. Well we now have two extra words, before I Tyed-OH, I was going to write Chronotrope.
Chronotype and Chronotrope are both medical terms. Considering the words archetype and literary tropes, I think I will need to extended definitions. Must not delay, after all time is passing. 
I have added your blog to my Blogroll list (Art & Design, European Photographers).
February 23, 2012 at 8:34 am
thank-you elmediat
February 23, 2012 at 11:47 am
Thank you so very much for liking my post! Awesome photography!
March 14, 2012 at 5:14 pm
Thanks for dropping by Becca.
March 26, 2012 at 11:29 pm
Hello, one of my ‘fan’ Mike Reverb, mentionned me in his post ‘Versatile Blog Award’ , from what I do understand it is a nice way to bring bloggers to discover new blogs…unfortunately no big checks are coming with it…:)), but on the bright side, no threats either, like something terrible will happen if you don’t follow….:)), because there is a few things it is suggested to do…., like mentionning seven things about you that are unknown to your blog’s reader, and adding a list of about 15 blogs that you like by putting their addresses, I took the liberty of adding your’s to mine, to know more about this please go to http://jmrart.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/the-versatile-blogger-award/
March 26, 2012 at 11:20 pm
Thanks very much !
March 26, 2012 at 11:29 pm
You are welcome!
March 26, 2012 at 11:42 pm
You have some very interesting images here. Like it.
April 2, 2012 at 10:15 am
Thanks for dropping by and commenting.
April 5, 2012 at 12:54 pm
Thanks for visiting and the like. Interesting posts you have here.
April 5, 2012 at 10:19 am
Thanks for visiting and commenting.
April 5, 2012 at 12:54 pm
Thanks for liking my recent photo post “Broad Creek at Dawn”. You have such a rich and diverse blog, and I look forward to seeing more of your posts. You also use the same theme for your blog, which has helped me to see how I might improve mine. Thanks again.
May 2, 2012 at 5:33 pm
Thanks for visiting and commenting. Glad to share ideas & methods.
May 2, 2012 at 10:23 pm