Day 35

Day 35: Capture the Moment

Saturday April 2 2011

As a tourist, everything is photoworthy…food, sunsets, salesperson, public transportation, and storefronts.  People excuse your “odd” behavior of taking photos of ordinary things because you are a tourist.  Everything is new to you.   You are allowed to take photos to calm your curiosity.  But somehow we lose that sense of wonder.   Everyday occurrences no longer are picture worthy.  Our cameras tend to only come out in social gatherings, and possibly the holiday season.   People with young children or animals are the exception, they want to capture the growth and wonder in their muse’s eyes.   But why must photography only spared for vacationers or holidays?

Today I went to the fish auction, the largest one between Maine and Japan.  As I stepped out of the car at 5:30 am, my dslr camera snapped the fisherman ending their shift and cleaning their boat.  I stepped into the entrance way, before dipping my sneakers in water to cleanse them.  My friend who wore flip flops was pointed in the direction of a separate room, where she borrowed used rain boots before entering.

As my hands pushed through the plastic curtains, I could not believe my eyes.  My camera worked in overload for 30 minutes capturing this one room.   Hundreds of freshly caught fish lay before us…Ahi, Opah, Tuna, Snapper. I have never seen fish of this size staring back at me in one place.  Two small tour groups also joined us in the room.  We kept a slight distance from the auctioneer and the customers, who came from local grocery stores and restaurants buying products for their day.  This occurs 6 days a week, an ordinary occurrence for many there, but not me. The wonder remained, as I tried to capture the size, the vastness, the awe of this experience.  I did feel a sad pull for these fish, but their beauty remained.  I imagined what it would be like if I only saw them while snorkeling in the water, how would I react.

An important point I tried to learn throughout the years is balancing capturing the moment and being in the moment.  Sometimes we are so entrenched behind the camera, that we lose sight of our heart and awe.  I tried to soak it in and linger in that room.

Breakfast was served at a nearby local restaurant with fish freshly purchased from the auction.  It opened at 6:30am.  Thirty minutes to spare, and so I continued to take photographs of the boats hanging out early morning, sun rising behind the downtown buildings.  Despite the industrialized setting that surrounded me, it felt peaceful being juxtaposed to the water.

As I ate the food, I was filled with gratitude and awe.  Knowing where my food came from, capturing it, and sharing that experience with others via digital photos.