Photography

This past year, I have been asked, all the time, "You really like taking pictures, huh?" I usually answer with yeah, I love it. Well, here is my thought out explanation. Usually those you love want to know why you love them. I know I love Sue because she is the mother of my daughter. She is the only person in the world I can never want to see again and can't live without all in the same day. She binds this non-traditional family together like industrial strength super glue. She would be there for me no matter what. She is warm, loving, and caring (most of the time :) ). She is the creator of the most important moments in my life.

We all have moments in our life. Some happen, pass, and we forget them forever. Some get branded into our memories. Some take a while to create while others happen in a split second. Very few I am able to capture with a camera. Whether it's my moment or someone elses doesn't matter to me. As long as the tool I used helps that moment last longer. And what about all the things going on around us all the time? Things we don't take the time to realize are there. Photography allows me to slow down and enjoy the little things in life. It allows me to create a moment where one may never have existed.

And over time, my thoughts may change on why I love photography. But, one constant is, I will always have these memories.

Having said that there is a major artistic point of view to photography that intrigues me. The multiple ways to compose a photo can all tell a different story with the same subject. This along with lighting, apertures, shutter speeds, ISOs, wides, zooms, macros, and editing software, all create the final product. Landscapes, stills, portraits, macros, etc, are all of interest. They are all moments captured at some point in time. Every shot is a learning experience. I am not a bare photographer and love digital manipulation. I hardly take the time to work on big projects but I find it very rewarding to create "art" from an image or images.

Is this a possible profession? Yes it is. But even if I never make a single penny doing it I hope to always be doing it to some degree. And that folks, is my current, up-to-date, reason why I do this.