Wow, you never know how hard these things are to write until it's time to write it! I am an artist first and a photographer second. It's hard to explain, but as much as the camera is essential to the photograph, it's still just another (albeit expensive) tool no different than a paintbrush or pencil. Behind the shutter, a whole world opens up and allows me to capture that instant in an image that will (hopefully) outlive me. The possibilities are endless, the opportunities are there, and the only limiting factor is presence.
Photography is not just about beautiful pictures; it's about capturing a moment. Creatively showcasing a sliver of time for this and future generations to take in. Going even further to show this scene from the unique view of the man behind the camera. My view.
It's easy to do something you love, something you're passionate about. Yet it's not just about the click, it's about the process: Going out and finding a subject, thinking about how you want to convey it, looking at the way the light hits it and framing it in a way pleasing to the eye. Then comes the processing: editing a single image, sometimes for hours, checking colors, highlights and shadows, removing this and adding a bit of that. then at the end, if it's worthy, comes the print.
Then comes pride. Not vanity, but the feeling that what is created reflects the hard work put into it. The belief that if a person isn't going to create their best, then it's not a work worth making.