MemDay530

I totally did not expect this event to be anywhere near reflective, figuratively speaking. There's something about the gathering and the lanterns and the high emotional presentation of this event that made it enlightening. Maybe it was the stunning visual spread which the event created that plucked a cord somewhere. The lights were glistening and organically forming random non-patterns - it moved me. I started thinking about my grandma at first, the one I knew well...then I thought about my other grandma even though I can't remember her...and then it just kept rolling onto my two grandfathers, one I never got to meet and the other I never got to know well. Never have I experienced Memorial Day this way, really the way it is meant to be observed.










I flicker searched lantern ceremony today and befriended folks who posted photos from the event...one of which found a photo of her floating lantern on my photostream. Hundreds and maybe thousands of floating lanterns, and hers happened to be one of the very few that I had photographed. Purely kismet connection made, kinda put a happy tingle on my day.

I was sorta intimidated at first. So many profesh photogs all steaked out in three feet of water and there I was in the middle of it with my good 'ol nikkormat. But then really when the whole experience of shooting takes over it doesn't  matter because I lost myself in the frame. Endless number of compositions created looking through that viewfinder since the getgo and I was as comfortable as anyone out there. In fact, I think I might've been the only bad ass one who shot in full manual and unwinded and reloaded a film while being halfway submerged in the sea....and my Nikkormat takes wonderful photos.

This pic to the left was taken right at sunset shortly before the lanterns floated...Don't let me be misunderstood though, I still want fancy camera with a fancy lens, much fancier than the D3000 I currently own, whose light meter is doing all sorts of discombobulated metering. If you feel like looking at more check out the rest of my MemDay530 photos here, some of which are taken by my Pentax waterproof cam, too.