Flowers?!? All you got is FLOWERS?!?

Photo by www.thesnapclap.com

Last Summer I got my hands on a Tamron 28 – 75mm 2.8 lens.  I figured I try out its limited macro capabilities at the national Botanical Gardens here in DC.  At the time I was living close to H street in north east DC and I decided to walk from my crib to the Botanical Gardens.  Needless to say I arrived at the botanical gardens 25 minutes before they closed and drenched with sweat (it was pretty hot that day.)

The Botanical gardens was pretty ill, they all types of exotic vegetation and what not, it was pretty dope.  So, I’m busy shooting flowers and plants, just getting into the zone, you know?  I’m all about the pictures.  Next thing I knew, it was closing time.  After walking all damned day, and taking pics and carrying around my camera bag, I was parched.  I headed over to Capital Brewery across form Union Station and ordered some sweet potato fries and a Capitol Kolsh beer!

As I sat at the bar, I began to look over the pictures I had taken.  So I got my camera out, I’m futzing with my camera, looking at different settings and what not, etc.  A few of the bartenders were like, “OH, you’re a photographer, lets see what you got?”  I proudly turned my camera’s screen to them and displayed the flora I had recently photographed.  One guy looked at me, looked me up and down and said, “flowers?!? All you got is FLOWERS?!?  What type of photographer are you? You just got flowers.”

Sort of like puzzled and confused, I explained to him that I had a thing for Macro photography; it was something that I wanted to explore, but I don’t think he got it.  Then I realized, I probably ruined this guy’s whole perception of like black masculinity, you know?  That day I was wearing something like, timberland boots, green camouflage army fatigues with a matching hat and do-rag and an oversized Akademks shirt or something, you know?  Basically, I was “super-black-hip-hop-stereotype-guy” that day.  I see it now from the bartender’s perspective; its like here I come strollin’ in, a big, black, bald, superblack, sweaty, hip hop guy; with pictures of flowers.  They weren’t expecting no macro shots of flowers and exotic shrubbery!  They wanted like, rappers and blunts and women with pum-pum shorts or something, you know?  

I mean, they were so disappointed, it was kinda funny.  Well, I make no apolgies for what I photograph.  I happen to like Macro photography and shooting flowers and stuff.  A black man can’t even take pictures of girly flowers in America without his masculinity being questioned!  This is an atrocity!  I’m young, gifted and black!  I tkae pictures of whatever I want to!  WHAT!!  LOL! 

I’m just playing.  But for real, they were confused.  I don’t know why; maybe it was clothing, maybe it was the subject matter?  I don’t know?  I can’t be becasue of bad pictures, becasue these pictures are awesome, right!  Well, what do you think?