Why I love going to a Tea Party.

I'm not the political type. I write about politics, but in an idiosyncratic way. I wouldn't go to a political rally to personally rally, but to see what it looks and feels like. And to take some photographs.



And what I learned...



... is that the social convention at a thing like this....



... is that people are there to be seen....



... so you can go right up to them, point a camera, and shoot.

As a photographer, I love that.

If you wonder why I take so many pictures of buildings and flowers and trees, it's because in normal life, you can't just point a camera at somebody. It's not the norm.

At the rally, I was — finally — free.