Why do people wear 20 pound cameras around their necks?

We were walking in 110 degree heat in New York, two days ago, my Big Mama camera chafing at my sweating neck. My shoulders aching from the weight of camera and bag? Steaming heat hitting the black camera, magnifying its intensity. Is it really worth all the effort I asked myself, mopping my brow.

Despite my moaning and groaning I knew the answer was "Yes."

Every time I take my camera out of its bag, I know there is something I want to try, to learn, to experience, to acknowledge, to honor or to just have fun being goofy.

There are moments I just want to get up close and see how spectacular the the tiny details in life can be.

I love ethnic food. There isn't much I haven't tried...well liver, spiders and snakes are definitely excluded. A photo reminds me of what I savored, how it looked and tasted, and can I possibly duplicate it at home.

 Have you ever seen a child whose face wasn't beautiful? The innocence, the openness, the curiosity, the sorrow, the fear, the joy, the surprise....a child's face can express it all. I want my lens to capture the emotions.

 We can't all live by the beach watching sunsets tag after sunrises. We can't all listen to the seagulls whine for tidbits, nor see the hermit crabs scatter in a sideways skitter. But when we are at the beach, most everyone, including me, pulls out a camera and hopes to capture the moment and take it and a seashell home for remembrance.