One of the most magical times in my life was walking through Ueno Koen with the cherry trees in full bloom. The fluttering petals fill the soft breeze with oscillating color. It is almost like a blizzard as you walk by the dozen (hundreds?) of soft pink trees.

The thing about tattoos is that before I was into photography I was not a fan. I'm not sure why, perhaps I had known too many kids that seemed to do it out of a sense of rebellion. But, as time has gone on I have met more people that view it as a living form of art on their bodies.

There is a generational divide when it comes to tattoos and there are cultural differences as well. There is a real danger associated with tattoos in Japan. It has become hip, but when I was in high school I saw firsthand the association of tattoos, organized crime, and intimidation. It was not a laughing matter.

Women in Japan, at least when I lived there, wouldn't wear these colors. But, to me they are quite beautiful.

It was great to be out in the woods again. Two days in a row got some camera time in. Something just clicked when I was out there shooting. It has been quite some time since I was out and everything was just in sync. Now, the challenge is that with the great vibes also comes a false sense of success while shooting.

Kill your babies; that is the editing mantra. If it doesn't hold up to the abstract bar of "good" then don't bother putting it out there. But, today I am not so precious. I like the kid in the photo. I haven't captured him as I want to, but this is a step closer. I could have cropped it so it wouldn't awkwardly cut off his arms, but I am so far behind posting I am not going to bother. In the future I may re-crop it.

As I walked to toward the bouldering area I was wondering if I still had the interest in shooting boulderers. I have a tendency to get bored with things after a while. Shooting the same place over and over again pretty much goes against the popular concept of action photography - going to the new and exciting.

But, as a photographic process it is a matter of working the angles and the subject over and over. Learning what can be done. By limiting the number of new variables I push myself. If the photos are boring it is because I am boring. Not because of a lack of familiarity with the locale.

So, year 2 or 3 of this project. Onward and upward.