some self-portraits to go with some introspective thoughts + this made me cry...

"this" being this.

i don't know... i guess i'm a little weepy today. but the video in the link above was so touching to me. and it made me think a lot about photography. i mean, even though the images seen in that film are of movement, they were still very much like photography and what we do with our still-life images... slices of life.

it's why i want to take pictures. these are the very things i want to captivate... those moments that captivate me. i think one of the first images in the film was a baby, and of course, that just got me. then tears welled up through the rest of the film. it made me think of two of my favorite photography quotes... both of which are in my sidebar:

"we photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing, and when they have vanished, there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again. we cannot develop and print a memory."

~ photographer, henri cartier bresson

"time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life."

~ photographer, brian andreas

anyway, i've also been thinking a lot about other photography blogs out there. if you are like me, you visit several blogs, each with very distinct styles or signatures that are uniquely their own. each with their own gifts to offer. some short on words, but tall on thought-provoking imagery. some humorous. some serious. some where writing is the main art and the photos are merely a complement to that writing.

some give glimpses into intriguing city life, while others offer views of the quiet everyday occurrences inside the home. some are all things floral and frilly, while others are all things street- or travel-related. some are all about people. others are about the beauty that can be found even in inanimate objects. the list could go on and on. and many are a unique blend of all of the above.

it's why my blog roll grows constantly. i'm so interested in so many things that others see. it's a way for us to live outside our own little world. a chance to travel and "see the world". a chance to learn or relate. a chance to appreciate things we would not otherwise get to.

and it got me wondering... "why do people come here? what is it that they hope to or have come to expect to see." what is it that draws you here? i'm curious, because i truly don't know. i photograph and write the only way i know how. and both of those things are always evolving, and hopefully growing in a better direction. same for blogging. i blog the only way i know how to... from the heart. i'm sure that is how the majority of bloggers blog. don't get me wrong, i visit so many blogs and think, "oh, i love their work, or their style. i'd love to have such a recognizable signature like that." i go through blog envy all the time!

and if i wanted to, i could emulate what i see... in fact, every once in a while, i do, but never sacrificing what is utterly me and my heart. i couldn't do it, if i did it that way. i can honestly say that my blog is 100 percent me with dashes of inspiration and motivation mixed in. and i am glad about that. but like i said, it is always changing. sometimes subtly. sometimes obviously. sometimes cyclically. sometimes with abandon.

but i never want to lose the things that draw you here. and so i ask you, what is it that keeps you coming back to look at my photos or read my words? i'd really like to know. {please don't take this as me fishing for compliments. i'm more interested in hearing how people see my blog as opposed to knowing if people like, love or even hate it.}

i can tell you all the reasons i visit the blogs i do... the things i receive. peaceful thoughts and images. clever and creative or thoughtful writing. color. excitement. realness and honesty. helpful tips on becoming a better photographer. the way you make me laugh out loud. escape. ideas and inspiration galore. friendship. sheer artistry. a chance to discover things like the video i linked to above. so very many photographs of so very many different things! a chance to learn about the world. a tear from time to time. knowing others think the way i do or are going through similar things. connection. words. a different perspective. i could go on an on.

i don't visit a single blog that embodies every single attribute i listed above. so, i would never expect to be able to offer them all myself. but i hope at least a few of them are in there. to be quite honest, i often sit and think, "what in the world am i doing here? why do i blog?" i start to compare my blog to other blogs, which can often lead me to feeling inadequate as a writer or photographer. {perhaps you do this, too.} but then i'll always return to what i think more often than not... "i am passionate about this space, no matter where it happens to be on my blogging journey. no matter how it compares to other blogs out there."

i'm interested to know how you see it... my blog and yours as well {if you have one }. like i said in my "about this blog" page, whatever the reason you visit, i'm really very glad that you do. always. but lately i've been curious as to what those reasons are.