Jambo!

Yesterday our school had a visit from some Massai warriors.  Today I read an article about the commodification of their crafts in National Geographic.  Today I was on a field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium where I did some serious relaxing in the deep ocean tank.  I did a lot of thinking about pictures and how important I think they are.  This came about as I was watching the deep sea fish swim around and reminiscing about my snorkeling on the great barrier reef and wishing that I had a better visual to supplement my fading memory of that experience.  Even the emotional memory fades so much with time.  Then I thought about my childhood and how I remember only bits and pieces and how I wished that I remembered more.  What I do remember is basically the stuff there is photographic evidence of--holidays, swimming, family stuff.  The stuff that I am more easily reminded of--what if I had no pictures?  It would basically be a blur of made-up stories, I think.  I understand the revulsion that some people have at photographing everything, but I feel like taking pictures actually helps me understand the experience better. It makes me pay more attention to everything that's happening in order to figure out it's essence.  I guess that's why I like real cameras so much more than cell phones--it's the deliberation in the act of taking a photo, and a different and more mindful approach to the picture than the cell phone (that takes no deliberation or forethought). 

 Some people like their jellyfish to be symmetrical, I prefer the chaos of the egg yolk jelly.

 Standard MBA shot.

 This guy was out, about and magnificent.

 And this guy is in prime play-ready position.