Photos that transcend the moment

Earlier this week I added one of my favorite recent photographs to the Nature Gallery section. When I was taking photographs at this location along the Chester River, I knew that the afternoon light on the golden brown grass and the blue water was going to make a great picture. This photo has become much more than a chronical of my visit to Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge. The Photo has brought has become something new unto itself. I think it has become art.

I have realized that photography I like is art instead of photography as documentary or photojournalism. Photojournalism tries to tell a story and in that process, it interprets and imposes meaning for the viewer. It can frequently be exploitive and intrusive. I avoid taking pictures of people for many of these reasons. When I look at some of the Farm Security Administration pictures from Walker Evans and James Agee, I can't help but feel like an accomplice to exploitation. Many have criticized my photographs for lacking in a human element, but I feel that when a photo is composed and taken of a person, it quickly can become a lie. That bugs me. I want to take pictures of nature that will transcend the moment in which they were taken.