I think the most beautiful animal in the world is the tiger.   From Rudyard Kipling to the U.S. Military the striking orange color and black stripes has been an inspiration the world over for millennia.  It is in India where you can ride Elephants (the only thing a tiger doesn’t mess with) through the jungle in search of this elusive cat.  Elusive because the bounty on its head by illegal animal trafficking has brought the animal to the verge of extinction.  I found myself on top of an elephant in one of India’s “National” parks searching for this cat.  Unfortunately, I traveled many days and searched in vain coming up with only a handful of blurred orange, white, and black photos.  Needless to say I was pretty bummed to be leaving India without a decent tiger pic.   When I got home and started to edit all the other pictures I took, “…bored whilst waiting for tigers to wake up from afternoon naps…” I really felt awful.  I discovered that I wasted an entire trip to an exotic land ripe with natural wonder.  My pictures of birds, monkeys, sunrises, etc. all came out spectacular, but I had little appreciation at the time while I was taking them.   This picture of a peacock displaying is one of my wife’s favorite pictures and hangs in our bedroom (Yes 1/10 is taken again!).   I discovered that I was no better than the circuses, zoos, ultra-rich people with small penises, and crazy superstitious Chinese people whom all exploit the tiger.  I had completely ignored the journey because I was so focused on the destination.  Today, I’m better at taking what comes to my view finder, and I think my photography has gotten better because of it.  “Satisfaction lies in the effort, not the attainment.” – Gandhi.