Sometimes, maybe even most of the times, it's not about the equipment, it's about the moment. (Have you read Ken Rockwell on the topic? He has lots of good thoughts.)

But even though I don't think you have to lug around a DSLR all the time, or even keep your digital Elph in your pocket, I do believe you should always have SOMEthing with you to make an image if you want to. Yes, there are plenty of times when I wish I had something better with me, but I pretty much always have a phone, and it has a camera, and it'll do the job.

One of those times happened Sunday evening. We were at the Kabuki Theater (or Sundance Kabuki, if you prefer) for one of the many showings of Sex and the City. (And we love the Kabuki; decent eating and better drinking right on site, comfy chairs, and RESERVED SEATS, which means you don't have to line up and rush the place to avoid sitting in the first row.

And what a scene it was. Early evening golden light was streaming through the glass ceiling, which put a glow on everyone in the packed space.  You couldn't help but think that hey, this light is great. This is a great place for photos.

And people were  happy. And because it was the Kabuki, there were martinis and Cosmos to enhance the mood. And there was a powerful feeling of ... well, I guess sisterhood is the best word I can think of. Dressy sisterhood. Three quarters of the crowd was female. As one of the harried security people said jokingly  to a frustrated person waiting to get down the stairs, "Blame your sisters!"

There was a lot of style in evidence, but it wasn't all of a type. It wasn't all Marina people, or Mission people, or Fillmore people. But the thing most everyone had in common was a kind of chic-ness that made this feel like something special was happening.

So there we were, in the golden light and the happy mood and the celebratory feel, and all we had was the camera phone. So we made a couple of snappies, none of which were very good, technically or otherwise, but the occasion still demanded SOMEthing, so here it is:





Yes, I know. It's blah. Nothing special. But still, I'm guessing you know the feeling of wanting to take away a moment, without making a huge deal about it. So this is mine.

About the movie: If you're a fan of the show, you'll love the movie. It was like watching an entire season in one evening. Extremely satisfying in many ways. You found out immediately what had happened since we last saw Carrie et al  when the TV show ended. Each of the four women got a pretty well-developed storyline (though I think Samantha's was probably the weakest). I'm NOT a big Sex and the City guy, but I still liked the movie a lot. You can't really talk about the details  without giving away too much of the plot, so I'll just say there were plenty of authentic, funny moments to keep me happy. Is it a chick flick? No doubt.

But two things about that: One, not all chick flicks are created equal. Some, like this one, don't lard it up and make it all overemotional and faux weepy. Good! And the other thing is, if you're a guy and your women friends think enough of you to ask you to go to one of "their" movies, take it as a compliment and count your blessings.  Just go, boy-o, and be thankful.