Love and Photography

Hello friend! Today I want to write about something that all photographs should have, and that’s a genuine love for the subject matter. Every great photograph was made out of love, not hate. It’s my love for other human beings that keeps me motivated to make photographs.

Learning to Love

All of life is learning how to love despite the obstacles in our way. Our world is never going to be the pillar of justice that we want it to be, and our neighbors are never going to provide that perfect community that we desire 100% of the time. We have just enough imagination to hope for perfection, and the universe denies us. Despite all of this we can still love one another, we can still enjoy each other’s company regardless of our imperfections. I think one of the most important things that we learn in school is to be around one another and to learn to work together. The subjects are almost irrelevant, it’s learning to be a part of community, and learning to cooperate well that matters.

Love Connects Great Works of Art

I think love is the connecting thread between all great works of art. Love is intrinsic to great art. Art is an instrument to lessen the gap between people. In order to get into the viewer’s heart, or get them to have an emotional reaction to what they’re interacting with, the artist needs to be completely, unabashedly in love with the subject matter. Like Martin Luther King or Ghandi we need preach love in order to get other people to get behind our ideas.

I Love Newfoundland

I love Newfoundland, I love corner Brook, I love other people despite their imperfections. Even though the city may be a bit small, and even though people sometimes annoys me, I still love them because they’re able to provide me with everything that I do need. A place to stay, a friendly atmosphere, a community that I can be a part of, I honestly don’t think I need anything else. I want more, but I’ll always adjust my expectations towards something higher than what I have already. I may feel as though my life will be better with more money, more respect, more power, but all of that is transitory, all of that is just the products of highly evolved apes that are going to die soon anyway. I’m extremely grateful for the comforts that I’ve been lucky enough to have, and I’m glad I can work towards becoming a greater artist, but even that’s unnecessary. All I really need is food, family, and community.