Night Insults My Intelligence

You may remember that I’ve already written two posts (about London and Stockholm) on how low-light conditions can contribute to greater pleasure as a tourist.  Today, I’m shifting gears to explain how sunlight can provide new and profoundly accurate dimensions to what you see.  For instance, take this photograph:

Marvel as this beast stretches towards the sun. It’s the stuff of dreams.

What thoughts entered your mind when you saw that picture?  Don’t worry.  It’s okay that your mind didn’t move towards G-rated things like Thumper and Bambi and Bambi’s mom.  I took this shot in Amsterdam and the sunlight makes this structure look… uh…  well…

People go to Amsterdam to experience precisely this.  I think that explains it.

Other People’s Joy Insults My Intelligence

Joy is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel…

…and realizing that your fellow travelers didn’t leave you behind while you spent so much extra time in that most excellent cave.

People travelling with me should not expect much joy…

Technology Insults My Intelligence

With incandescent light bulbs having been eliminated (controversially) in the U.S. in favor of fluorescent bulbs, I’d like to remind people of a little history.  This photo was taken at the Tower of London:

An old source of light.

Defenders of incandescent bulbs proclaim the “natural light” they give off.  Compared to these candles, incandescent bulbs aren’t so natural.

Defenders of fluorescent bulbs proclaim their environmental friendliness.  Well, these candles use even less electricity and presumably were produced locally without the use of factories that pollute the surrounding countryside.

In conclusion, both sides of today’s debate are full of crap.

Aesthetics Insult My Intelligence

WordPress has been getting pretty bossy lately.

First they posted advice for bloggers who photograph food and they suggested certain ways of using light, staging formations, colors, and stuff like that.  And then they created a weekly photo challenge that doubles down on the whole light issue.

Blah blah blah blah blah.

It all seems so superficial to me.  Everything is better when you remove the intellectual component and capture life in its rawest form.

Therefore, I present to you a masterpiece of food photography:

Behold the magnificent ketchupbeest in its natural habitat!