Felipe

Meet Felipe.  He is a fish.  I have spent many hours gazing on as he traverses the waters of his bowl, observing how the ambient light illuminates his fins and reflects off of his scales, or instigating him to 'flare up' (the pose assumed by beta fish when they feel threatened).  Anyone who has spent time living with me or talking to me about photography knows that I have alloted a fair amount of time and energy trying to capture the essence of this beautiful member of the chordata phylum.  What makes Felipe so compelling to look at is his dynamic coloring.   The translucent azure and violet of his body fade into crimson fins.  While he drifts effortlessly through his domain his blooming tail trails behind him like a satin curtain in the wind.

This appearance of beauty and elegance is juxtaposed by the behavioral nature of his species.  He is a beta fish, otherwise known as the Japanese fighting fish.  Why does such a small fish have such an unusual name you ask?  Individuals of this species must be kept isolated in their own tanks or else they will kill one another within minutes.  That's why.  When this happens, it looks like the two foes are literally kissing one another to death, which just adds to the absurdness of these fascinatung creatures.

My time spent observing Felipe (an activity that may or may not be part of my expertise in procrastination) allows me time to think about the different identities belonging to everyone and everything around me.  No thing or person is static, unchanging, or rigid in their projections.  Among my many photos of Felipe, this is one of my favorites because it captures his delicate beauty but the backlighting also alludes to his dangerous side.