Project 52 - Week 2, Consider Your Vision

When I see something that I want to photograph, it's almost always because there is some subtle detail that I find interesting about the "scene." Not so much the scene itself, but some detail within that scene that makes it more alive and more interesting. We often hear, "You have to look at the big picture."  Ok, lets start with the big picture . . .

Photo by Cindy Cummins

This is a favorite photograph that a friend took of my family a few years back.  It's my boys all together in the same place, It's my boys looking at the camera. It's my boys posing for a picture that their mother wanted so they were happy to do it, (but it's not like they lost any sleep from being overly excited). This photo captured what my boys looked like at this particular time and I really like how it resembles an album cover of sorts.  ;O)

This next image was taken without them realizing the camera was still clicking.

I look at this picture and I don't just see what my boys looked like, but I remember (and smile at) the personalities plastered all over this image.  The middle one had just gotten back from Afghanistan and probably said something to his brothers to see if he could instigate something. His younger brother on the left looked at him and probably thought, "I can not believe you just said that . . . man, I wish I'd said it."  Then there's the one on the right who is playing it cool (like he always does when something shocking happens), like it was the most natural thing in the world . . . and, being that he plays trap he was always drumming on things as he is here.  This is the sort of image that speaks to me. The viewer sees interaction, expression, and gesture.  These things show personality and what's taking place in the picture more than a posed image of my 3 sons looking at the camera.

So, my vision in a nutshell . . . 

​When I pick up my camera
​I want the image to tell a story.

​Here is my image for this week's Project 52: CONSIDER YOUR VISION.  Hermes hears the fireplace come on as easily as he hears a chip hit the floor. He comes running from the other room and parks his little tooshie right in front of it. I often see him looking directly at the flames dancing around, enjoying the whole experience.

I thrive on photos that tell a story or evoke emotion. The image doesn't have to be perfectly composed or even in perfect focus for it to be my favorite.  In fact, sometimes the imperfections are part of the reason I love it.  It just has to speak to me. That image of my three boys in cahoots with each other . . . yeah, I have that canvas on my wall where I see it every single day.  ;O)

If you'd like to see what motivates other photographers who are participating in this project, continue on to Blue Amrich Studio in Boston, MA.  You can keep clicking the links at the end of each blog until you've come full circle.