I've already sung of raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, but that hardly diminishes the supply of favorite things.

Some years ago, after looking over my collection of favorites on deviantArt, I wrote,

So what catches my eye? An eye to see beauty in the unusual or, even more, in the ordinary things of life. A portrait that reveals something unique or special of the one portrayed -- or of the artist (self-portraits in particular fascinate me), or of joy, grief, and hope of life. A gaze into the eyes of the one gazing at the artist. The sheer joy of creation. A delight in the ridiculous that resides in all of us. Gracefulness of form and motion.

That is, of course, from the perspective of looking at the work of other artists. But it sums up pretty well how I choose where to point my camera and what to write.

If you look at the About my photography page on pearwoodPhoto.com you will see these words,

Many have commented on the peace I capture in my images. To seek and see the beauty of all things and all people is not to deny the evil and ugliness in the world and people - including myself - but to see evil for what it is and combat it by seeing through it and beyond it.

There are others whose skill and task and art it is to open eyes to the ugliness and evil that exist. Such is a high art and a noble task, for not to see evil is to be defeated by it. Yet my skill and task and art is to open eyes to hope and the reality of the beauty and wholeness that can be.

I tell my friends (who wonder why I would want to take their picture) that my job is to sneak around and catch ordinary people being beautiful. Catching beautiful people being ordinary makes for good photography, too.

You could say, I suppose, that my photography is all about my favorite things, images of light and life.

"May I take your picture?"

"Why would you want to take my picture?"

"Because I like taking pictures of beautiful women."

Her daughter breaks into a smile and says, "Yes, Mom."


Union Station, Chicago, 2011
Yashica-D
Ilford HP5 400 / D76