Obscura

I've discovered a few things about my talents as a photographer. 1) Im pretty decent at black and white. 2) Im even better at it when I'm outdoors taking the photographs in natural light, and 3) I have no clue how to work with fast film or in poorly lit places. I guess this means I need to tackle lighting. I'm also pretty proud of some of my candid portrait work-most of which you will never see here strictly because, well, its others peoples faces and I believe I dont have the right to display that stuff too often. Its also easiest for me when I know my subject intimately or vise versa. I find I can manage, with my subjects patience, to click off pictures that grab the looks I love to see on their faces- the looks I know them for and feel most connected with. There's this one picture of someone I used to know that I cannot take credit for, but that I love for its ability to capture this persons face so naturally and honestly. I think its by far my favorite picture of him-though to be fair I havent seen many. On his face its just this look of vulnerability, gentleness, patience and mild humor- its great and its so completely the way I remember him. It also makes me sad in a way though when I see it.Its strange though, because as sad as this picture makes me, its also why I love photography. There is so much in this world that is to me amazing and funny and sad and scary that goes on around us each day- photographs can capture that in a way that I dont see any other art form working and even if we are too busy to notice things in the day to day as they are happening, photographs can make us stop and notice and have an emotional reaction.Emotions and our ability to express them in a variety of ways is whats makes us human- I think, and so to create a piece of art that causes another to have an emotional reaction is just so intimate and human- its the only thing I can think of that comes close to affecting me in the same way a close relationship might. It draws you into the image or the feeling the other wants to invoke, shakes you up a bit and then lets you sit with it in your own way and come to your own conclusions about it- its just amazing.Anyway, enough of my prattle, just thought I'd share. I'm going to bed.