I took this of lovely Nicole (my roomate) on her birthday. I love this picture- for the color and the composition...but mostly for the feeling. Those, to me, are the best sorts of pictures. Ones that speak to you on a level deeper than your eyes. I like pictures that invoke a feeling or an emotion, or just capture it in its moment of existence, however fleeting. I enjoy photos that make you stop, pause a second, and look at a snippet of life a little closer. I appreciate the purely aesthetic photos too-photos that make you see ordinary life and commonplace objects in an artful manner. I always prefer art over crisp documentation.
That is the beauty found in photography. Not so much what is does for other people, but what is does for the photographer. Maybe it is a selfish art- but then maybe all art is selfish in some respects. The eyes of a photographer can see objects, places, and moments in ways that no one else can. Whatever the viewer gains from the photo may be similar, seeing that viewing other photos always gives me inspiration, but it is always a graded, secondary response.
I remember back when I was in my photography class, ALL I saw was framed in pictures. Driving home on 21, everything around me was a landscape worth saving, and it was all I could do not to sweep my eyes along the scenery instead of fixing them on the road. (Mom, don't worry- I am past that phase.) I haven't had a chance to take pictures for the sake of mere art lately, and I think some of that has faded in me a bit (along with all my other creativity). My love for it is still there, and hopefully I will reignite it over the summer. I will stifle its effects while driving, though.