Missy and James

Sometimes I try to convince myself that I should be photographing more meaningful things, developing a personal style or conveying a message. To move beyond snapshots and into one of the "real" photographic genres like urban landscapes or street photography. But whenever I hear people who know talk about creating photogrphic works, the common piece of advise always seems to be to photograph what you know or what you have a passion for. So it would be an empty pursuit for me to photograph subjects I don't really care about just to participate in genres that other people deem worthwhile. And the more I think about my photographs, the more I realize that I already take pictures of what I care about, my friends and family. They may not be of interest to a very wide audience like other subjects would be, but they are of interest to me. And if pictures like the one above are the only ones that I end up making, then I will have a happy photographic career.

M & B

I recently got to visit my sister who lives out east. Laura and I had just gone on a cruise and our port of departure was Boston, so we decided to hang out couple extra days before flying back. It was fun to see Meg and Brian in their home and get a better idea of what their day-to-day is like. I got to see her research lab, the t-stop where they usually hop on the train for trips into the city, and even tag along on their Saturday morning run to Trader Joes. The most enjoyable part, though, was watching them together. They're just so cute. Always walking with their arms around each other whether it's down the busy Boston sidewalks or through Harvard's Museum of Natural History. Then Brian would make an observation about how the mineral on display looks like it might be a chunk from Superman's Fortress of Solitude, and Meg would laugh and shake her head. This photo was taken on the way back from one such outing. Classic M & B.

Laura

You might have noticed a particular blond haired girl showing up in about every other frame here. That's Laura. She's been exceedingly tolerant of me as I've delved into my new hobby. She usually just ignores me when I'm taking pictures of her (which is the way I prefer it) and only occasionally resorts to less subtle tactics of determent. I think I've already mentioned that I'm more interested in pictures with people in them and, well, Laura is usually the people I have available. I also rather like her and intend to spend the rest of my life with her. The combination of those two things means that I have lot's of photographs of Laura.

So why this one? I don't know. It's very clean, crisp. Her face stands out clearly from her black coat and umbrella. I also like the out of place pieces of hair. But mostly it's her expression of calm expectation. Just a girl waiting in the rain for her boy to put down his camera and kiss her.

Terrace

I have this theory, very lightly tested, that a good photograph must have at least one of the following; light, form, and gesture. The first two are rather obvious (and perhaps lacking from this example) but the third is more elusive. It usually pertains to pictures with people in them, but not necessarily, and refers to an action or movement or pose that conveys an emotional aspect of the subject. I took a couple pictures of the guests out on the terrace, but this one was the only one that I liked. The girl on the right, looking over her shoulder, that gesture, is enough to make it more than just a bunch of people standing around. I'm not really sure what she's looking at. Her shoe? Her companion is checking, too. It's an ambiguous gesture, but that just makes it more interesting. At least for me.

I don't know. Was a simple gesture enough to save this photograph?

Tourist

I'm such a woose. I would love to go outside and take pictures of people all day long. You know, making clever observations about our culture through the everyday actions of others. Landscapes are ok, but for whatever reason, I much prefer photographs with people in them. Some human element. And although Laura makes a lovely model, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I found some additional subjects. But whenever I'm out, about to lift the camera to my eye, I get these apprehensions about what they might be thinking. "Why is he taking a picture of me?" "I don't like my picture taken without a good reason." "Do I have a booger on my nose?" "I don't trust that guy." The modern association of man with camera and pervert doesn't really help matters either. So I usually chicken out and end up with a lot of pictures of people's backs, when they're not likely to notice me. Oh well. I still get some that I like.

And a bonus photo since this one fits the theme so well.