We were supposed to get all manner of crazy wind and lots of rain last night, but the “storm” was little more than a blip in the area and some areas did see serious weather. But sometimes we do get awesome, crazy weather. It’s a relatively rare event here in mild-weather Washington, D.C., so I have to cherish it then. I’m sure if I lived in tornado alley or blizzard-friendly Chicago, I’d be well sick of thunderstorms, hail and nasty weather. And I’m not unaware that harsh weather brings a lot of suffering to a lot of people every year.
This past Saturday, I was a model instead of being the photographer. I could be all coy and say it’s not something I enjoy, but that’s a lie. I take too many self-portraits to even pull off the suggestion that I don’t like being in front of the lens. It was just a quick promo shoot for Burke & Herbert Bank’s 2011 calendar. I submitted a photo and it got honorable mention! I’m not big on landscapes and such (the majority of photos chosen), so this was a pretty cool little accolade. It would have been awesome to get my own month, but I take my small victories where I can get them.
One of the things I love about photography is its ability to turn something ugly into something beautiful. Better said, perhaps, is that photography can isolate beauty in a subject. I don’t remember who said it or if I’m even paraphrasing correctly, but some photographer said that there is always a spectacular photo within 20 steps – you just have to find it. I love that an image of something that might be considered ugly can become “art”. This is most obvious in photographs of “urban decay” (we photographers love this stuff) but also something as simple as weeds.