Today's Scene

I saw a picture once that was taken from the fourth or fifth row at a concert in Japan. Everyone in the shot was intently focused on the screens of their camera phones and trying to either video or take a pictures of the band. They were substituting the real thing which was only just feet away for small digital picture versions. You really have to laugh at this because think of the money these concert goers spent to get seats so close but they weren't fully experiencing it because they were too busy taking pictures. And it is obvious that they are oblivious to what is going on around them too.

Today's scene is a picture very similar to the one above. I ask that you use your imagination because this is how I envision the world to come when we all have camera phones. The picture is of a shoot-out in front of a busy bank between the police and three bank robbers. Guns are pointed in all directions and are being fired as indicated by the smoke. There is a small crowd of people either leaving or entering the bank as the drama breaks out in their mist. The irony in this picture is the relative calm of the passer-byers and the fact that the entire crowd have their camera phones out and poised to capture the fire fight for prosperity even as they are in harms' way. That's today's scene and the future affects of camera phones in our society.