Stepping Away

Photography has always fascinated me. Capturing an image, especially in black and white, feels romantic to me. My own photos, usually taken while trying to corral three kids, are anything but romantic, more often than not taken out of focus and with a finger (mine) over the lens. It has only been recently, with the introduction of an iphone into my life, that I have discovered the real joy of taking photos that can be edited and manipulated and turned into something completely different, and more, than a simple snapshot.

There is something very satisfying in turning a full-color photo of a yellow rose into a black and white image and then teasing out the colorful detail and illuminating the dew drops that cling to the petals. Photography is the visual aspect of the words that run through my head while I am idly spinning stories and ideas, the distraction that allows my fingers to leave the keys and take up the brush. I think about subtle shading and am amazed at the colors that spring to life, even in the greys and blacks and whites that are muted or vibrant depending on the light and the angle and the time of day.

I know nothing about F stops or lenses and I don't want to know. I like that with the click of a button, I can change the tone and the feel and the vibrance of a point-and-shoot photo I've taken; I can delete the elements that appear as clutter in the background. I like that I can cut and crop and edit to my heart's content and still come up with something that has meaning for me. And all the while, my brain is clicking away, looking for the subtle shading of my next dark character.