Remembering

While many of you will be remembering America's independence from the blokes this weekend--with too much beer, a smorgasbord of burgers 'n franks char-broiled on grease-fueled, fiery, bar-b-que grills, parades, fireworks, or a get-outa-town mini-vacation that might or might not include all of the aforementioned--times of remembrance can also include some self-focusing.

Personally, I'll be engaging in or witnessing all of the things I mentioned above except for, I'm guessing, a parade-- unless there's a parade on the beach. But before we go into holiday weekend mode, maybe we could take a few minutes to remember why we do this thing we do. Why we are photographers.

Linked below is a short, simple video that, pretty much, says it all, i.e., in terms of why we are photographers. It's a bit sappy but it's still worth the view. Special thanks to photographer, Ariston Collander, for Tweeting a heads-up on this video.

Hoping everyone has a safe and fun-filled 4th! I know I'll be doing the same. But before you get all festive and all, check out this nicely put-together vid, titled, "I Am a Photographer."

And while you're at it, assuming you have a few more minutes to spend, you might also take a look at photographer Zack Arias's most-excellent video, which I wrote about (and linked) some time ago. Maybe you've already seen it, maybe not. Regardless, it's an evergreen, good-for-the-soul, video for photographers. Here's Zack's video.

The pretty girl at the top is the Goddess of Glam herself, Playboy, Penthouse, FHM, High Times (and so many mags more) cover girl, Ms. Tera Patrick, snapped a year or so ago in front of her humble abode and her hubbie's Jesse James/West Coast Choppers-built scooter.