Reply #51: To Capture a Memory [View All]

[Mrs. Venation]

Each time I press the shutter release I am preserving something that is meaningful to me at that particular moment. Photography is also the creative outlet I enjoy the most.

I've been a hobby photographer since I was 8 years old and I got a Kodak Brownie Starflash camera for Christmas. I'm 56 years old now, so that's a lot of peeks through a lot of viewfinders!

I think I see the world differently because of my hobby. I think I am mentally framing my environment even when I don't have a camera in my hands. I think photography lets me see the world in dimensions that others might miss, because the ordinary can become extraordinary from a different angle, magnification or distance.

One of my favorite subjects is the view from my home office window. I try to get shots of seasonal changes each year. It's interesting to see the nuances of color and light from season to season, and from year to year.

I think of photography as music with images instead of audible tones. Composition is the essence of both, and the outcome can be sublime, hideous or both, depending on the preferences and tastes of the patron.