Friday, September 16, 2011

We Interrupt Everything Else You May Be Doing.........


...........to go wild and crazy for the next 6 weeks as New Zealand hosts the Rugby World Cup.  There are flags, banners and crazy people with painted faces, and tons of partying and drinking to celebrate this event that seems to be everyone's priority here......  except for the one guy who put up this billboard:


In our missionary blog I mentioned that we covered several rugby games a few weeks ago,  (another new experience......being a sports photographer.  See story & photos HERE).  Of course, we could not figure out what the rules are, but came away thinking that American football players are wimps when we saw the beating these guys take without wearing protective equipment.  Anyway, we watched the World Cup opening ceremonies on TV, which were outstanding, and then saw the fireworks from the balcony of our flat.    

As I have said before, photography is art, and a photo is the artist's interpretation of what he sees or doesn't see, just as a painting is an interpretation of what the painter sees....how to compose, what to leave in or out of the scene, the coloring, the mood, etc. etc.  I don't think photographers are required to say or justify what they do to produce their work,  but I'm going to with this photo because I've altered this scene so much.  The fireworks are real, but the reflections are added.  The black part is actually the top of an office building that is in front of our balcony, but we still can see the Auckland skyline over the top.