The Best Photographer

Tuesday evening 10 pm, standing outside on a sidewalk on Penn Ave in front of Heinz Hall. A Herbie Hancock concert just let out, a concert that I wish I would of seen. Have you listened to the Joni Letters by Hancock? It's great, in a complete project sort of way. Complete bodies of work are becoming a lost art. In a world of mp3, facebook, googles (just wrote that to see if you were reading, you know who) blogs (like this) media-5-minute wars and the randomness that might hold our attention.

Completed work. Seems...well...too time consuming to consume. Why listen to 45 minutes of music when 3 minutes repeated will do? Why read a novel when 140 characters can say all that we need? Why write in complete sentences when a text will do?

Why? Because it is about the journey. Life is complex until it is simple. Truly. It is that simple. Past all the confusion lies only simplicity. Not simple, but simplicity; the ability to be slow with action, purpose, effort to move with meaning towards a journey.

Tonight on this sidewalk standing outside of a concert that is letting out I think I may have just met the best photographer I have ever. I have not even seen one of her photos. Well, I did see one photo; it was taken on her iPhone and it was better composed and with more emotion than I have taken in a long time…if ever. And I am a good photographer, that may be a subjective statement, but I understand my craft.

I desire to understand the passion of what moves a person. This photographer with her ability to ask questions to see what is in front of her, not to create but to see, had a conversation with me about photography, life, therapy and the ability to help improve life with the click of a shutter.

This conversation meant a lot to me more that I can ramble on about. But to her I think this was just a sidewalk conversation that is one in the many of a photographer who chooses to the see the world, daily. To show up to what may present itself to the muse that is standing next to all of us.