"If you go as far as you can see, you will then see enough to go even farther."~John Wooden

I've always been inspired by the timeless and subtle beauty of black and white photography. I was a teenager when I was first introduced to Ansel Adams work and I've been in love with it ever since.

"The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer." ~Edward R. Murrow

What is it that makes a piece of art beautiful and something that everyone loves to look at? What exactly is it that makes one painting, sculpture or photograph a real standout? I know that each of our own perceptions of art are incredibly intimate and personal, but I also truly believe that there's a common thread that we all share when it comes to defining what we see and perceive as beautiful.

A fantastic website for photographers of all levels and abilities is Flickr. It's a great tool for studying real time photographers as well as to get some genuine feedback on the photos you post yourself. What I've learned the most from that site, aside from learning how to give and take constructive criticism like a pro, is a bit more about that common thread I was talking about. The photographs that are the most popular or get the most awards and recognition are also the most simplistic in their beauty; wonderfully captured and perfectly composed.

For me, it's a certain angle of light and the amazing attention to detail that it highlights so perfectly... but I don't want to start sounding too cliche when I talk about photography, or even art for that matter. It doesn't matter if you're a professional or an amateur photographer or even a famous artist represented in a gallery, the ability to create something beautiful is in every single one of us. It simply takes the desire to see it, and the drive to create it.

"I know I'm not seeing things as they are, I'm seeing things as I am."~Laurel Lee

I was at Linnell Landing during another spectacular sunset on Cape Cod Bay in Brewster last night. My fuzzy winter hat was pulled snugly on my head with my purple scarf tied as tightly as it could possibly get around my neck without choking me to death. I'm barely able to breathe but I can still see my breath like smoke with every exhale through the yarn. Every once in a while it's nice to have those visual reminders that we're really still alive. The cold never bothers me when I have my camera in my hands but I often think to myself that if anyone were to ever see me wandering around on the beach in that weather, they'd probably think I was some kind of a lunatic or something...and that makes me laugh.

I'm still trying to define my own photographic style and take every opportunity I can get to test out new compositions and different light. I love it when I try something new and it actually works. That's when I get the most satisfaction from photography. I can now honestly say that my camera has become a part of me, and the way I see the world is forever altered. I'm sure that every photographer will say the same thing and I'm not trying to sound like everybody else. I've always loved taking pictures, but before I realized how to truly see in the way the camera sees, I was clueless. Now...I'm obsessed!

I want this blog to document, through images, the way that I see the world through the lens of a camera. I like the way Henry David Thoreau put it-

"It is only necessary to behold the least fact or phenomenon, however familiar, from a point a hair's breadth aside from our habitual path or routine, to be overcome, enchanted by its beauty and significance ... To perceive freshly, with fresh senses is to be inspired."

My thoughts exactly!