Why photography? I get asked the question all the time. It just seems something that is common to me now every time I explain my majors [the other is German, yes yes, a weird combination]. And my explanation to those asking always seems to be fairly close to the same thing each time: "I like taking pictures," "I want to take photographs for the rest of my life," "I want to travel," and the list goes on... But I've never had the time to truly explain, why photography?
There have been, and still are, tribes around the world that don't allow anyone to take photographs of them. They believe that a camera can capture someone's soul, literally imprisoning the person's being within the little light box. And in some ways, I agree. A camera can capture a single moment in time, just by opening for some degree of a second to let a little light inside. That one moment, no matter how simple or complex, overwhelmingly joyous or heart-wrenchingly sad, it's now available to share to the rest of the world. And with that photograph tears are shed. Smiles are brought to life. Memories are cherished. Love is rekindled. Wars are started. Peace is restored. One single moment in time, captured by that little light box, can release a whole new hurricane of emotions in an instant. It's that beauty and that possibility that draws me so strongly to photography.
Art is meant to make people think. That has been it's purpose since anyone can remember. Behind any piece of work, there is some idea, and that idea always comes from some reasoning wanting people to think differently or in a new light about the subject. But art... drawings, paintings, sculpture, etc... as much of an artist's heart and soul is placed in them, they are creations the artist made themselves. Yet, with photography, the subject is there, already created, just in need of being captured. The subject is the heart and soul of the picture, the photographer just needs to be good enough to capture that emotion, whether it's people, animals, nature, or a still-life. A photographer takes what is there, pushes it to the limit until it reaches ultimate beauty, and then shares that moment with the world.
That little box that captures moments, that captures light, is able, with the right photographer, to reveal that moment with others and let a little more light shine on this place with call Earth.
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