Photography is not a profession. It is not a hobby. It is a way of looking at the world. Walking downtown, I see the texture of the chippy paint and the colors of the aged brick and I begin to decide on the angle and the light the photo will need….and I don’t even have my camera. It becomes a way of life. I see interesting people and want to approach them and ask if I could do a photo shoot sometime but then the rational part of my brain kicks in and I realize it sounds creepy and crosses all kinds of lines….
When I go to nature preserves or state parks, many photographers are crowded around a rare species of birds while I can barely tell a cardinal from a blue jay. I can be found laying down in the middle of a path photographing a weed because I also see photos as stories or word pictures. People will often come by and stop to see where I am looking and I often say quietly, “It is really just a weed.” That gets a lot of nods and perplexed looks and a whole lot of silence. Then I go on my merry way to the next fungus or tree bark…..
Photography is complex and yet simple. It is deep and it is basic. It is all in how you look at it.
