aaron schwab

on my way home from work today, i was stopped by a police officer at a green light in front of Wilfrid Laurier University so that hundreds of Iranian peace protesters could cross the street at the lights as part of their protest march. i silently cursed the fact that i didn’t have my camera at my side, but i thought quick and got out my dinky cell phone camera:

i’d heard about the civil unrest in Iran over crooked election results and police beatings against protesters, but the flyer that one of today’s marchers handed me through my open van window helped to explain a little bit about why they were on the streets this afternoon.

while stopped at the lights watching the protesters chant as they passed by, my mind dwelled moreso on the process of the protest march than the actual cause of it. though i’m sure i should brush up on the conflict in the area, i couldn’t help but think that if these people who marched today had done so in the streets of Iran, Iranian government officials would have been likely to fatally attack them. even though some motorists who were held up by today’s marchers likely cursed the delay, we’re incredibly fortunate to live in a country where peaceful assembly is completely legal, which is a right worth valuing and defending, if need be. freedom of speech and peaceful expression is something so basic, yet so denied to too many of the world’s citizens, and it’s something we shouldn’t take for granted — even if it makes us ten extra minutes late getting home at night, we should marvel at the fact that we’re privelaged enough to be held up because of it.

also, in lens-related news, i did a little shooting tonight with the macro lenses that Brandon and Joe lent me; not the amount of shooting i’d maybe hoped to do, but enough to come to a conclusion about them. if i can step back into my fantasy budget mindset for a moment, i think i’ll likely end up buying the 60/2.8 at some point, if either. it focuses faster, feels more solid in the hands (even though both feel like — and are — solid hunks of professionally-crafted metal), and macro functions just feel better at a normal focal length as opposed to a telephoto. what makes this conclusion extra sweet is the $400 i’d save if i were to buy the 60/2.8 instead of the 105/2.8 VR.