Green Lantern revisited

This can't be good for my eyesight
London, ON, October 2010
[Please click here to share your own favorite photos of the year]

Remember this picture? Well, that wasn't the only green laser pic I grabbed that night. I'm not entirely certain why I kept coming back to the brilliant lights, but I tend to do that when I think I have even the most remote chance of capturing something unique. Call me rabid. I don't mind.

In the end, this night served up some neat results. The big one up top is one I can't quite explain - that texture between the two edges must have something to do with the smoke machine. Then again, there is no overriding rule that says every photo must come with a scientific explanation of how the optics came to be. Sometimes, it's simply enough to call it a pretty picture and leave it at that.

The squiggly-lined photo, on the other hand, is a little easier to understand. The light show included a green (no, I'm not sure why everything was green that night) laser that repeatedly swept the dance floor. This pic is the end result of my Hail Mary-ish attempt to capture it in some bizarro-artsy way. My technique was decidedly amateurish as I hadn't brought my tripod with me: I pointed the camera down, held my breath and stood as still as I possibly could while waiting out the long exposure. Yes, I got stares. No, I didn't pay much attention to my anti-fans.

I admit I get a lot of selfish joy from the process of taking edge-of-the-bell-curve pictures. When it's just me, my equipment and a story to tell, I enjoy the Zen-like feeling I get from immersing myself in the process. Nothing else matters, which is a nice way to keep the world at bay, even if it's only for a few minutes.

Your turn: Does photography relax you? How?