This post contains some poorly exposed and composed shots, so it's
going behind a cut. (I was under the influence of cold medicine, so
give me a break.) It also contains an accident photo. So, if you don't
want to see that, don't click.
I was headed back to Trenton for Finnegan's (Mer's dog) birthday party.
He was turning 3, which in doggie years is 21, so I absolutely couldn't
miss the celebration. Doggie cake, doggie ice cream and doggies ...
what more could a kid ask for? I hit a pocket of stopped traffic on
I-94, so I got off on Haggarty and took Huron River to Eureka.
Everything was going smoothly until I hit Beech Daly, then I was once
again in a traffic jam. I rolled down the windows, lit up a cigarette,
and decided there was nothing else to do but wait it out. After about a
half an hour, I reached Telegraph. There was a huge scene at the
intersection of Telegraph and Eureka, so I pulled over at the gas
station and got out with my camera. From the looks of it, a Blazer had
rolled over and there was one man dead, whom fire fighters were
removing from the vehicle at the moment. Now, maybe I lack respect or
something, but I snapped a few pictures from a safe distance ... after
all, I wasn't the only photographer on the scene. A police officer
crossed Telegraph to talk to me. "Why are you taking pictures?" he
asked in a perturbed tone, as if to tell me to put my camera away.
I gave my typical nervous but matter-of-fact reply, "Just 'cause ... it
really makes you realize the futility of life." Not exactly the words I
was looking for, but not the exactly what he wanted to hear either. He
just snook his head and walked back to the accident. Meanwhile, a few
of the gawkers decided to make some rude remarks in my direction.
Hypocrites.
When people ask me why I take pictures -- pictures of anything and
everything with little regard for the situation, I always am at a loss
for what to say. I just like to capture what I see -- the events I come
across in my otherwise mundane life. I don't take pictures at scenes
like these to glorify death. Quite the contrary, I take pictures to
remind myself that life is fleeting and needs to be enjoyed. Death is a
part of life. It just happens to come at the end and that scares people
to the point where it becomes taboo. But, we can't always look the
other way. We need to be reminded that accidents happen, for you never
know when it could be you.
I made it to the dog party in one piece. It was really great to see Mer
and Jared once again. I wasn't sure how things were going to be between
all of us. I said some things last week that I probably shouldn't have.
But, all in all, things were great. It was definitely one of the best
times I've had in quite a while.
"The amazing translucent microwave door"
"Bon Appetite - Dog Cake"
"Happy Boy!"