Or posing. That's something else I try to avoid as much as I can. When I shoot a subject, I want to see ALL of that subject. Not the person's "best" side or most practiced "I'm-ready-okay-shoot" stance - a stance that he or she would never really take unless posing for a photo. And I don't care to see people's forced smiles. In fact, I'd rather hear their laughter, see their frowns, revel in their emotions, and catch them in their purest of moments. Those precious, intimate type of moments when they think no one else is looking.
Why? Because... That's. Who. They. Really. Are. And I like to see people as they really, truly are.
I'm interested - as I've always been - in the truth. And, to me, photography is a way of capturing the truth. Er, well, at least the truth as I see it. To preserve a memory is the greatest privilege. It's not something I take for granted. I appreciate each image I'm able to capture, each fleeting moment I'm able to immortalize with my camera.
The absolute beauty of life is that it isn't perfect. We as human beings aren't perfect. What actually makes the world so appealing, so raw and fascinating, is the contrast. Pitching the not-so-beautiful against the beautiful. So when you come to me for photographs, my goal isn't to make you look like a different person. My ultimate and only goal is to make you look like you. To bring to the surface who you really are, and allow you to see for yourself what a gorgeous Being you've become - imperfections, goofy faces, and all.
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"A Ming vase can be well-designed and well-made and is beautiful for that reason alone. I don't think this can be true for photography. Unless there is something a little incomplete and a little strange, it will simply look like a copy of something pretty. We won't take an interest in it."
-- John Loengard, "Pictures Under Discussion"
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