Photos

“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”  -Ansel Adams

 

The world looks different when I have my camera in hand. I try not to dwell too much on whether this change takes me out of the fullness of the present; if by walking and looking specifically for beauty, I am cherry-picking memories. It’s just a different approach. It is essentially a story teller’s perspective, where I seek out the visuals that will remind me of the experience and help me share it with others.

I still take more photos of things than of people, by a long shot.  I know there is a graceful way to capture people’s images without interfering with their lives, without differentiating yourself from them, without it becoming a transactional moment. But I’m still working on finding that way, so there are some things I’ve seen that are held only in my memory. Perhaps that’s just the growth of a traveler, and photographer.

“I wish I had taken a picture of that pile of goat heads at the market in Niger.”  But I didn’t, so when I think of it, the act of remembering softens the edges and blurs the details ever so slightly.

In contrast, the photo galleries here (and the pictures embedded with my travel stories) stay consistent right down to the pixel. I hope you enjoy them.