Dear World, Say "Cheese" 📸

In which I try to answer the question, why take *this* picture?

There are really only two types of moments: those we record and those we don’t.¹ When I moved to California three years ago, I suddenly had the urge to document everything. I was 24 years old and felt like my life was changing rapidly. I didn’t want to miss a beat. I met a guy in a parking lot in Venice who sold me a Canon A-1 and gave me a short lesson on shooting film. I’ve been lugging it around ever since.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about why I pick up my camera. What are the neuropathways that guide me from just looking at a thing to wanting (no, needing) to photograph it? To answer this question, I took a little journey through my camera roll to try to find themes and patterns. Four “types” of pictures jumped out at me.

Pictures for the Sake of Beauty

Sometimes my intention with taking a picture is really just: I see something beautiful. I want to capture it.

Pictures for Finding the Beauty

Other times the purpose of picking up the camera is to find the beauty in a place that, otherwise, I might pass off as ‘ugly.’