Eureka!

One of the things that struck me as I was finding a photo for my last post was how the photos I take illustrate my life. What would be nothing but a pretty sky to someone else wasn't just a pretty sky to me - it represented my relationship with my mom.

When I was first starting out with this photography thing, I felt as if I was cheating when people praised my work. It wasn't really mine - if it was a photo of a toy, it belonged to the manufacturer, if it was a photo of a flower, it belonged to the florist, and so on. I still can't and don't take complete credit for any of my photos; and moreso, will never take credit for my gift of photography: that belongs to God alone. But I've finally figured out what it means to be a photographer.

Your experience makes a photo yours. You are related in a way to whatever your subject is. Even if your subject is a blank wall -- you are related to that blank wall. Maybe it's a wall in your house that has seen countless family moments. Maybe it's the wall that closes you off from your brother's room where he sits secluded all day so you don't have a chance to talk to him. Maybe you've never seen the wall before but it reminds you of your blank mind during math class. It doesn't matter. You are related to that wall, and you're not photographing the wall itself -- you're photographing that relationship. That's why two peoples' photographic renderings of the same subject never look alike.

Eyes are windows to the soul -- so often, people comment on portraits, saying, "I can read their whole life in their eyes." Photos are almost like eyes - you can look straight into the heart through them.

Love, Oksana