My first introduction to photography was with my father. As a kid, I would accompany him while he photographed subjects for his paintings. He always kept a shooting journal with him, filling it with observations about his subjects and surroundings. I sometimes wonder what he would have made of today’s DLRs that capture almost every aspect of each image. I feel he would have loved it as much as I do.
One statement about photography I am particularly fond of is that it stands at the intersection of science and art. I like this statement because it captures two essential facets of the art form: photography can be numerically understood and set like ISO, f-stop, exposure, etc., and yet it also carries an artistic and creative aspect that requires knowing the right moment to catch the perfect sunset, or when the fog is just right. This skill has no numerical setting. It simply becomes instinctual.
To take a great image that can instill in others the emotion and experience of standing on the beach at dusk, or looking into the eyes of a child in Africa, requires an intimate knowledge of the camera’s settings and capabilities, as well as a creative eye to find and capture that moment and feeling. That’s the intersection I seek.