Photography. My Why.

So this being my absolute first blog…ever…I've to admit it’s a little unsettling. Trying to find a topic to write about, honestly writing in general, isn’t really my strong suit. I think that’s why photography fit me like a missing puzzle piece. Photography doesn’t always need words to tell a story.

Let’s start with the definition of the word photography. According to the online dictionary Merriam-Webster, it is “the art or process of producing images by the action of radiant energy and especially light on a sensitive surface (such as film or an optical sensor).” This definition is very literal. It’s more about the act of versus the more artful aspect of the word. Photography is documenting moments in time…I’ve no doubt you’ve heard that statement plenty before, but it’s literally what the art of photography is. Fleeting moments that will never be replicated again regardless if it’s from a majestic landscape, a wedding or just a backyard cookout. The art of photography is documenting special moments and those moments captured tell stories.

This artful side of photography is why I love it so. The idea of capturing dancing light or a fleeting moment in the landscape is the driving force in my photography. How else honestly do we document? Writers have an imagination that can take you to another realm, space and/or time. Photography can do the same, but in a more visual manner. Experiencing an incredible sunset as the example above, I've no doubt a gifted writer could easily describe it fully and as romantically as if they were there themselves, but for me that would be somewhat of a challenge. Photography has given me a way to express what I’ve seen and given me a way to communicate if you will. I’m able to articulate through an image just how visibly exquisite a scene is when I would’ve been at a loss for words otherwise.

The artistic side of photography is up for debate. There are a plethora of images where photographers have manipulated images and that is neither right nor wrong. An image made by the photographer is their own to do with as they choose. Over the short years I’ve been with my camera, I too have played around with heavy editing of my images but within the past few years my photography “style” has changed. What I personally focus on is capturing the landscape naturally with little, if any, manipulation. Seeing the landscape for what it is, the conditions that Mother Nature has given and trying to tell a story with a well composed and well lit scene is a integral aspect in my photography.

I suppose in the end, it comes down to the essence of photography, which for me is to capture that unique irreplaceable moment in time. With that said though, it sometimes is just as rewarding to witness those moments in real time. To be in awe and in the moment; feeling small in a place so big and vast.