I brought my camera along to our annual block party in Stanton Heights, partly so I would have something to do if I didn’t get involved in conversation, and partly to get more experience with my Velvet 56 lens from Lensbaby. The lens has a deliberate flaw, which makes for some light diffusion, especially at wider apertures. (The image may look out of focus or blurry, but it’s not, usually. In fact, it’s just the diffusion, which can look like a subtle glow. It’s an entirely manual lens, however, so focus can be a little off in some images. It turns out, however, that sharp focus is not that important when there are compensating virtues to an image.)

The party was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed talking with people and getting to know them. Edith wants me to print up the photos so she can give them to people as she walks the dog through the neighborhood. I’ll be less inclined to take my camera along to things if it means the work grows like Topsy. We’ll see.

I didn’t ask for releases from anyone. If your image appears here and you don’t want it to, please e-mail me with your phone number or call me (so I can confirm that you were there), and I’ll be happy to remove it. Otherwise, enjoy!