Photos

Tonight I compiled a photo album; a real one - not one on snapfish.

To be honest, I am resistent to digital cameras on a few grounds. My main beef is that the instant gratification of having a picture turn out immediately leads people to take and erase pictures over and over again until they get the perfect picture. As a result, people become more obsessed with getting a good picture than they are with engaging in their surroundings. Oftentimes before people take in the scene (or in lieu of it) they are snapping away.

Another beef is based on my experience tonight. I have had many pictures of my dad (from his wife), laying around loosely, getting bent out of shape. So, I did what I haven't done since I got back from South Africa and bought a real life album - the kind with an adhesive back and a thin plastic veil. It was so therapeutic and rewarding to arrange an album and memorialize my dad -- and our relationship -- in such a tangible way. It will be so much better to share with people when they come to my place. Especially seeing the old black and whites and polaroid pictures, was a very moving experience.

Remarkably, some of my favorites of these pictures are candids that are not the most attractive images of me or my family members; definitely pictures I (or they) would have erased were I (or they) to have had the "luxury" of an instant retake. I guess sometimes the past isn't pretty... until the future. Or something.

Caveat: OK, I admit that this blog wouldn't be nearly as relevant without the attached pictures. So, digi cameras can't be all bad.