The Starting Point

We've all got to start somewhere, guess I'm starting here...

The Starting Point

"If you've read my "About Me" page, you already have a general idea of why I started messing around with photography. The "strong people" who inspire me with their work also motivate me to create my own. Ironically my work primarily focuses on just trying to capture those moments where these "strong people" are at their best."

"I might not be able to affect change, but I'm going to try my hardest to show you the people who are."

"I am NOT a writer, so bare with me..."

"When I was in college, something always frustrated me when we received a new assignment. Either they were well thought out goals to accomplish and we couldn't deviate from the rules OR they were open assignments that literally gave us the freedom to do whatever we wanted. Well... actually I loved those assignments HOWEVER, there was an element to the "free to do as you choose" assignments that drove me insane. During photo critiques, we always had to justify why you picked up the camera.

"Why did you make this image?" It took me nearly 10 years to figure out why that irritated me. I thought it was because I didn't have an answer. Or maybe because they couldn't see the beauty that I saw in that moment. "It was a gut shot!" I said with humor to distract from the honest truth, I had no idea why I made it. It just felt right."

"Recently, I discovered the answer when talking to a photographer friend of mine. I realized the reason I was so frustrated was because I couldn't understand why I was being asked this question to begin with!"

"The whole reason I photograph is because I'm desperately trying to see from another view point. I'm fascinated with perspectives other then my own and if I pick up my camera, that means I saw something! I saw something I instinctually wanted to pause."

So here is where I start...

"I'm going to use this "blog" to go through all my photography (or at least the ones I feel are significant to me) and try to build a framework around them. Try to do the thing I hated trying to do in college. Express myself with words."

-AY