Beauty
I originally got back into photography because I saw a lot of beauty around me and I wanted to capture it in photographs. I soon learned that photographs of beautiful places rarely capture the specialness of the place and I started to look at my surroundings more critically and deeply. I realized that for a work of art to stand on its own, it’s not enough for it to represent something that’s beautiful, the work of art has to have its own intrinsic beauty.
I don’t mean pretty. Pretty you can tire from relatively quickly. I mean a beauty that draws you in, takes you out of your present occupations and takes you on a little adventure, if only for a moment.
How does one achieve that? I don’t know, but I know it when I have achieved it and the more I take photographs, the more I’m somehow intrinsically drawn to making these kinds of photographs.
Most of my work is posted online these days, but I really like to appreciate photographs on a wall where I can spend some time and enjoy them. Sometimes, even just in passing, I can glimpse an image and it can give me joy.
These days, beauty for me has a lot to do with quiet. A beautiful work of art or a beautiful piece of music can take me out of my busy mind and lead me to feeling peaceful and expanded. I think we can all use a lot more beauty in our lives.