I highly recommend that you visit her blog; you can also read her tweets via @bransonlee, visit her on Facebook, browse her photos on flickr, or buy some of her beautiful prints on etsy.
Sometimes I forget just how powerful photography can be. It always amazes me how a single photo can create such emotion, and stir up feelings that have been long hidden. Sure, it is easy to become attached to, and engaged in, event photography or portraits, but can a landscape or still life photo be equally powerful?
I was going through some photos the other day for a blog post where I wanted to include some shots from my "archives". After all, my love for photography wasn't born at the same time as this blog. In fact, I spent a good deal of time studying and shooting a few years back. I had an old photoblog where I met some of the most amazing people. They pushed me, and encouraged me, and brought my passion to life. Now, looking back, I realize how very much they were a part of my daily life.
When I look back at photos from that time, I am almost paralyzed as the memories come flooding back. I remember when it was all about the photos. When every day I was excited just to post the beauty I had captured. I looked forward to the encouragement and inspiration from my fellow photographers, and I let that motivate me to get out and search for shots I wouldn't normally take. I explored, I grew, I lived in the moment with my camera in hand.
I realize now how much I miss those friends who initially created that excietement and passion for what was once just a random hobby. The site we all used is mostly abandoned now, at least by our little group. After my prolonged absence from the world of photography I have lost touch with most of them. However, when I look at this photo, I feel connected to that time and those people. I feel a sense of freedom, as I remember breathing in the fresh Missouri air. I feel homesick for the place where I really "grew up" and the friends I wish I could visit more often. I feel inspired by God's creation, and reminded of just how diverse and amazing the works of His hand are! The common element in all of this? I feel...
I think too often lately I get caught up in wanting to create a beautiful photo. What this photo reminds me is that the true beauty of photography does not lie in the technical execution or the number of views a photoblog post gets. Instead, it lies in the ability to create an image that captures a moment in time that will never be repeated, and all of the emotion that goes along with that. Sure, some viewers may see a landscape. I see that, and so much more...
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