Photography

Mar 05, 2008

Photography has matured leaps and bounds since its conception. It's no longer just a hobby for the rich or considered a cop out for those not willing to paint. Just imagine what it must have been like when the first portable mass produced camera came out. Picture taking was made accessible. People could record anything they wanted to.
With all of this history in mind, I'm wondering more and more what photography means to me. Our society has become inundated with images from the internet, television and billboards, I'm hardpressed to say that a single photograph can make a difference in today's world. The more I think about it, I realize that photography no longer has the effect it once had. There are easier ways to access culture. This same concept applies to the newspaper and books. Why read when the t.v. is blaring in the den? At this moment, the telvision is supplying my background noise.
So, photography may not have the ability to change the world. This doesn't mean photographs have lost their ability to inspire. I know I learned to appreciate all forms of beauty in all forms of cultures the more photographs I looked at and studied. You don't have to use photography to change the world, but you can use it to change your mindset. You can use it to influence what you produce in your community. Let photography give the world inside your head and the world around you a voice. Let photography bring those two worlds together.
I am learning what I want to say and what I hope to gain through my pictures. I am still a work in progress. I hope that my voice will be able to extend beyond my world and into the minds of others. If I can give anything back, I will treasure that more than any other success.