More.

Dale Chihuly:

I’m amazed at what people find in my work, and I don’t like to limit what you see with a title. For me titles are very difficult, and I don’t usually even think in terms of a theme when I’m creating a sculpture. Once it’s finished I’ll come up with a title, but one person might see flowers, another something from the sea or something from a dream. Bellagio was inspired by the hotel on Lake Como, and I wanted to use the lake in the title – it’s so romantic. I used the word fiori (flowers), but everybody sees something different.

Before departing for East Africa, I purchased a Nikon D90. I had wanted to experiment with a digital SLR for a long, long time, and the trip was the tipping point for me. I only had a few weeks to learn the basics (how to focus, the different shooting modes), and I still had almost no idea how to use the thing when I arrived in Kenya. Nevertheless, after 30 days I had taken some 3000 photos. Most were crap, or alternate exposures, different compositions, etc. When it’s all said and done, after editing and deleting the bad ones, I’ve got about 1500 photos from the trip. They won’t win any awards, or even come close to what a real photographer would produce, but I think they do a good job of documenting the experience.

I cannot say enough good things about the D90. It’s a wonderful camera, and very, very easy to learn the ins-and-outs of it. Today I purchased a 50mm lens for use around town. The 18 – 200mm zoom lens I used in Tanzania was great for safari and touring the countryside, but it’s a bit heavy and bulky for everyday walking around. Also essential was the Nikon lens pen, and the Zing case (hat tip to Craig for that one).

Flickr sets:

• Visiting Mary in Mombasa – my pre-CSC travels to Mombasa to visit my friend Mary.
• Safari – the team took a three day safari in Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire Park.
• Team photos and sights around Arusha and the Institute
• Visit to Arusha Primary School – the team visted the school and talked to the students one morning
• Around the IAA campus – photos I took to help them with some marketing materials, and to document the campus
• Trip into the Mangola bush – Abarani, Bakiri, me, and other took a day trip to visit a bush village near Mangola.
• Zanzibar – After I left Arusha, I spent three days by myself on Zanzibar, an island off the coast in the Indian Ocean. I explored Stone Town, Nungwi Beach, and a local spice plantation.
• Visit to Karim Childrens Centre – the team visited an orphanage in Arusha to meet and play with the 11 children there. They stole our hearts.
• Trip to Dar Es Salaam with IAA – the IT staff of the Institute of Accountancy Arusha took a three-day field trip to Dar Es Salaam. I tagged along for the fun.

And a slideshow of the highlights: