I make a photograph as a result of an encounter with a situation that has unexpectedly, for reasons not immediately clear to me, caught my attention in such a way that I feel pulled, or even perhaps compelled to identify, isolate and capture what in front of me generated my reaction to what I was seeing. My reaction is visceral, and usually occurs unexpectedly and suddenly. It is a reaction to the existing light, the objects or scene, and the interplay among those elements. Light is everything. It is nature's paint brush. It is the quality of the light embracing the scene, the scene elements, that in combination, create a unique moment in time that has caused me to pause, and consider what is before me in more detail.
My first reaction to a situation is intuitive and very quick. It isn't until I have paused awhile and done a little visual analysis that I may understand what it was among all that was in my view that touched me. Consider the countless instances of visual delight we may never get to experience because we were not aware.
The moment of image capture is just the beginning of the creative journey. The interpretation of the raw image may undergo several processes on the journey to the finished image.The objective is not a literal representation of the scene but an attempt to interpret what I remember experiencing at the time. Sometimes it has taken years for a fully satisfying interpretation to reach fruition. But of course there are also images that once given life are never changed again.
We all see our environment differently. Sharing a vision, an image with others is a way of enriching viewers with what they may not have been able to personally experience.