I wanted to post a short entry about my feelings concerning photography as art. I can't say much, honestly, because I don't consider myself an "artist" in the traditional sense. I can't draw very well and I certainly can't paint anything (unless it's a house or a set for a theatrical production). My musical talent is limited at best and I can't sing or dance worth a flip.
I have found, however, that I can take somewhat decent photographs.
The photograph above isn't meant to be an example of what might be called "art" in photography. I don't know if it is art or not according to other people's idea of what constitutes art. However, it is a photo I happen to like. It says something to me. It was one of those opportunistic moments where the image struck my eye in a way that I couldn't ignore; The perfect (to me), the angles of the tools, the lines in contrast with the large circle made by the wire trapped underneath and obscured by them, and the contrast between plastic and metal, which probably symbolizes a human struggle of some sort or another for some who look at the photograph, all worked together to make it necessary for me to take the photograph. I couldn't walk away from it until I had the photograph I needed.
Most of the time, I don't even know for sure what a particular photograph means to me. I just know it means something. It's usually something I can't put into words, and thus can't explain to others, so I let the photo do the talking. Some people will listen and understand, some will listen but not understand, and others will refuse to listen at all. In the end, all I can do is continue to tell whatever stories, make whatever statements, and record whatever nanoseconds in time there are worth remembering because, sometimes, we don't know they are worth it until they are gone forever.
