This is another image that leads into a discussion of optical dynamics and lens performance. After growing weary of lugging around my 300mm f/2.8 lens on yet another trip to Costa Rica, I left the lens in my hotel and grabbed a 200mm f/4 macro lens instead. Generally speaking, macro lenses project a flat field and are not suitable for telephoto uses. Well aware of this phenomenon, I packed the less cumbersome lens as I headed to the La Marina Zoo near La Fortuna. The radioactive-blur to the right of this lion, is cause for bokeh-bandits to cringe.

Taking a moment to pontificate a bit, I have a great deal of disdain for those who scrutinize bokeh – a Japanese term that describes the appeal of the area surrounding a subject that is not in focus. Originally, this was an expression and tool used by a laudable, yet overlooked art movement in Japan, where photographers strove to incorporate the blurred background into the overall composition, sometimes taking over the subject. Presently, the term has become fodder for online photography forums, esoteric obsessives, and talentless camera geeks. Nonsensical terms like “good bokeh” are as universally useless as “photo quality” – another phrase bandied about by the ignorant, or those who pander to the ignorant.

Returning to this image, the macro lens I used that day exhibited some odd artifacts when racked out to its infinity focus limit as seen in the photograph above. Here, the nervous blur is distracting and does not fit in the context of the rendered scene. I was quickly able to use this flaw to my advantage as can be seen in the following photo where the harsh blur is utilized successfully.

I’ve recently returned to the sport of kayaking with a Feathercraft folding kayak. New York City has a extensive network of water trails, so there really is no need to practice the art of commando kayaking. On the other hand, I still retain a lot of that anti-authoritative mischievousness from my younger days and have no qualms with hopping over a fence or two with my backpack-able kayak, in order to access some pristine waterscape. As the waters around NYC slowly recover from their heavily polluted and dredged past, certain populations have exploded, becoming pests rather than points of pride. Unmanicured impromptu boat launches are often peppered with these shellfish which can cut right through the skin of my kayak like a thousand little serrated blades.

The Bribri, an indigenous tribe scattered about the border of Panama and Costa Rica, are forced to rely on the jungle flora like this for survival in a manner that we would refer to as ‘holistic medicine.’ For them it is simply poor man’s penicillin.

Volcanoes in the tropics often produce black sand beaches right next to white sand ones. Through the brute force of the waves, the sand sometimes blends in patches like this one.

Hiking along the beach in Cahuita National Park in Costa Rica, I reached forward to pick up this seemingly innocuous piece of trash, a small film-canister sized plastic bottle. Then I saw legs peeking out of the bottom and realized that a crab had made this bit of refuse into its home.

The better image from this moment resides on my hard drive, but the concept still stands here. This symbolizes Costa Rica to a ‘t.’ The Ticos have claimed what most of us have thrown away – unspoilt nature. Through large-scale nature reservations and support of eco-tourist ventures, the nation of Costa Rica has preserved large tracts of park land, which like this plastic bottle to the crab, is highly functional, protective, rewarding, and ultimately quite homey.