6/365: Follow the Leader

Why take pictures? Well, on one hand, I have a whole lot to document. I’ve got six (soon to be seven) kids — they kinda grow up fast and my husband and I would like to remember something of their childhood. Especially things like: who looked like who at which age, that really bad haircut, that really cute haircut, that first toothless grin, that adorable outfit, etc. I don’t scrapbook but I do have gigs of pictures of the kids (as well as several shoe boxes that pre-date digital!) So that’s the easy reason about why I love photography.

311/365: My Ball & Chain

On the other hand, why do I love taking pictures of things that aren’t my kids? That’s a little harder to pin down and something I’m sure my husband wishes he could figure out too! (See yesterday’s 365 shot of the vacuum cleaner…)

The picture above is from my film days — even pre-SLR days. It was taken with a very nice 35mm camera that let me pick aperture or shutter priority — it was the tool that led me to check out EVERY SINGLE photography book (and video) in the library. It was the start of the learning curve and with film that curve was a bit steeper and much slower — no instant histogram feedback.

But as I was pondering why I take photographs, this one popped in my mind. The subject is sentimental — it’s the dirt road that ran in front of our very first home and the framed 8×10 has been on my dresser for thirteen years. But it’s more than the sentimental subject that attracts me.

108/365: Evening Light Fading

It’s the light. It’s all about the light. That’s what the books always say — and I have to agree. For me the thrill in photography lays in catching the light doing something remarkable — whether it’s making the late evening autumn leaves glow, or creating mysterious shadows or simply adding warmth to the scene.

274/365: Cantaloupe in the Morning

It’s the light that makes the photo interesting, it’s the light that shows the audience where to look, it’s the light that adds drama, mystery, meaning.