“There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.” ~Ansel Adams
Just before BlogHer I purchased an Epiphanie camera bag to house my SLR. It had been living a dusty, change-filled life at the bottom of my handbag du jour. And when I wasn’t acting like money grows on trees and I could buy myself another one if I happened to ruin my (very) expensive camera; I kept it in a little sleeve thing. I’m not sure of the exact name except that the sales guy at B&H once told me that it’s the equivalent of keeping my camera in a sock. Very helpful.
I had been at the Mom 2.0 summit where people like Karen Walrond (seen here) were carrying one of these most lovely bags around and I kept following her like a puppy begging to touch it and then she’d shoot daggers out of her eyes every time I breathed on the thing. And then it was BlogHer where the only thing I ever really needed with me at all times was my camera and two lenses. So! What the hell? I had an Epiphanie.
Have you all seen these bags? That photo above is of my friend Isabel with the red Lola. Doesn’t that bag make her shine? Look. I’m hard to please. I have very specific criteria on my needs and wants and I research the crap out of everything because I look for function along with style. I have to own accessories that will compliment the rest of the outfit and give me that last bit of oomph. These bags do that in more. Actually it’s gotten to the point where I often carry my Epiphanie around with me sans camera. Or if I do have my camera people are all, “Great bag! Where’d you get it?” and then I’m all wait until you see what’s inside! And then my 300 mm lense jumps out and yells SURPRISE! Like that.
I ended up meeting creator Maile Wilson during BlogHer when she saw me with my Lola in black and asked if she could take a photo of me with it. Then I wanted to hug her and tell her how much I adore her and she’s so gracious and smart and pretty and shiny. Actually that conversation happened later after several glasses of champagne when I kept thanking her for my bag and begged her to do a giveaway.
She said yes.
And now we’re here.
It’s my birthday. I’m 27 to be exact. And I really enjoy you guys, writing in this space and those of you who have followed me over to Poliogue. I figured that today was a great day to have a giveaway so that one of you lucky people can win an Epiphanie bag of your own. Even better, just yesterday Maile & Co. completed the new site and previewed her newest creations. Oh! You guys! I’m debating between Clover (named after the too adorable for words daughter of the lovely Rachel Devine) and Paris which, CUTE! It’s my birthday and Christmas will be here soon. We all deserve a little something awesome, don’t you think?
Here’s the deal: In the comments you must respond to this question: Why do you love photography? You get one comment. Comments will close at 8AM EST on Friday, October 29th. The winner will get to go over to the brand! new! Epiphanie site (they’re also on Facebook and Twitter, of course) and pick out the camera bag of her (or his) choice.
Sound good? I’ll start. I am not a photographer but I love to take photos in order to capture brief moments like that photo of Isabel above. She’s gorgeous, I know but what matters is that I captured her in her element, having a good time. I hate taking posed shots but instead I use my 50 mm to catch you being you. Getting you mid-sentence or laughing as if no one is watching is seeing you at your most authentic. I like seeing people when they’re real even if the moments are fleeting.
Now your turn. Good luck!
286 Comments
I absolutely LOVE photography!! I just started getting serious with it about 3-4 years ago. A little over 4 years ago my dad passed away very suddenly, and I just love going back and looking at photos from when I was a little girl growing up with him! I was definitely “daddy’s little girl” so having these photos to look back on is such a blessing to me! Then a little over 3 years ago I had my daughter. It was then that I realized even more just how special photos are because she has grown up sooooo fast!! I love being able to capture all kinds of things that she does. I am so happy to know that she will have tons of memories to go back and look on one day when we (her parents) are gone, because I know how special those memories are for me with my family!!
I love photography because it is a way to capture a moment in time forever. I love being able to look back at a photograph and draw on different memories from that moment in time!
Memories fade, but a PHOTOGRAPH remains – and reminds us of that particular moment and how it made us feel. That is why I love photography!
Photography is a creative, relaxing outlet for me. Along with being able to capture rare moments in time that may never happen again, being able to tell a story with one picture is a beautiful thing and all of these reasons and thousands more are why I L.O.V.E photography!!!
I love photography because it allows me to document moments, it’s like freezing time. I love photography because there is beauty everywhere, even in the most ugliest of moments, even when we don’t realize it right away. I love photography because it is so much better to be part of and witness events from behind a camera
Why do I love photography?.. this is going to be a long comment.
I love photography because its my way of breathing. As soon as I get that wordless image that expresses so many emotions, intrigues, dreams, visions and wishes, I feel like I’ve breathed for the first time in awhile.
I love photography because its my way of showing the world how I view something. What I see when I look at an object, a person; its best qualities, its frightening qualities, and its worst.
I love photography because all of my life I’ve striven to be original, but this is one thing that is not. There is nothing new under the sun, therefore it is only a way to show everyone my interpretation. Its a way for anyone with a camera to show what they see and how they see it. Its like a spider web; it connects us all together to one common passion, with so many different threads and angles.
I love photography because it comes natural to me. It comes natural to my hands when I have that camera in them to find SOMETHING to photograph. Again, its like breathing for me.
I love photography because I love to capture the little things that people regret leaving unnoticed. The way your spouse crinkles his nose while he is laughing. That gleam in your daughter’s eyes whenever she speaks about that certain someone. All the little things we wish and strive to notice on a regular basis.
I love photography because I can say a million things without opening my mouth. I like to talk, but I’ve never been much good at it, which is why I’ve always detoured to writing and art. It expresses what I’m feeling with me saying a thing, and I’ve always loved that.
I love photography because of the feeling I get whenever I see what I’ve taken. I’m surprised by what I see every time. I’ve never been much good at anything, so it startles me whenever I see something beautiful and I know that I shot that photo.
I love photography because of people’s reactions. I love that they take it to heart and are so grateful for something so SIMPLE. It really isn’t something GRAND that we photographers do: we play with the dial and the zoom, and then we push a button. Yet, the results of this simplicity are so marvelous that it moves people.
I love photography because of the effect it has on people. It can mix with someone’s emotions. It can make someone cry, someone happy, someone reminiscent or nostalgic. I think its magnificent the kind of affect a simple click of a button can have on people.
I love how one photo can have so many different interpretations. I love hearing what people think about my photos – not “Oh you’re so amazing!” – I love hearing what it makes them feel, or what they see. Its different with almost every answer, and its intriguing.
Okay, I think I’m done now. I just LOVE photography. Photography makes me happier than ALMOST anything. It gives me the power to capture things I’ll always want to remember, or that others will want to remember. It gives me the power to give something back to someone else, so when they’re not feeling too well, they can look at the photo, and maybe it’ll bring them a little joy. Maybe they’ll see something they didn’t notice before. Maybe they’ll learn something new because a photographer happened to notice something different and decided to photograph it.
I love photography for its simple complexity.
I love photography because it combines so many of my favorite things…creativity, design, color, beauty, capturing images of people I love, or things I think are lovely. But most of all, photography is way to remember all of the little moments you may not remember later. I can remember most of what happened on special occasions, but my images remind me of the little moments…the twinkle in the eye, the expressions that make up that little person I love, the fun of the every day, the beauty of the season. I love everything about it!
I love photography because I can capture moments that will last forever, because photographs bring back memories that might have been long forgotten, and because photographs last.a.lifetime!
I love photography for the intense feeling of success when I show a subject their photo… That wide eyed smile and happy giggle. I am new to photography, just got my first Nikon SLR and am having a blast capturing my daughters water polo team. It warms my heart when the girls tell me how cool their photos are :>)
I love photography because it captures a moment in time. I have a physical reaction when I look at pictures and can remember the smell of that day or the sound of my son’s two year old voice.
I love photography because it is a way for me to express myself. I love capturing the candid shots of others having a great time, just being themselves. There is so much emotion in people and I love capturing it for the rest of the world to see !
I love photography because I’m a scrapbooker, and it’s an awesome circle of creativity. Taking great photos inspire me to create great scrapbook pages to preserve those photos, and making great pages inspire me to go out and take great photos. I love to capture the moment and be able to look back and remember how great it was!
I love photography because it’s like the elusive end of the rainbow — you can see it, admire it, cherish it, but fully capturing the perfection of it (and the pot of gold) is always slightly out of reach… So you must continue to work and learn and practice, but along the way you find a magical lephrechaun or two.
Eyes are the windows to your soul. I love to capture the soul of each person I photograph. All of God’s blessings can be found if you just look….so why not take a photograph to enjoy on a day that you may not feel well or share it with a friend/family member and pass on the blessings. During the past 4 years or so I have expanded my camera and lens family……now they need a beautiful place to be stored while I am traveling. Nothing would be better than an “Epiphanie Camera Bags.”
I love photography for capturing candid moments. Often times the less perfect the photo, the better it is.
I love photography because it serves as a preservative of the world around me. I like to document my journey through life in pieces here and there, randomly but frequently. Then, when i find an image that I had forgotten about, I am immediately transported back to the moment, and all of the emotions that I felt, at the time I captured it. Photography is magic and I love it!
I love photography because it enables me to be creative everyday, to learn new things all the time and also save all those little memories and moments that would otherwise be lost.
I love photography for many reasons, one being a form of artistic expression. I love to see what I am able to create!
I love photography b/c I am always learning, better ways to take photos, work with clients, learning more and more about what I like, what I want to capture and how to translate that into my photos.
I’ve loved photography since my first photography class where we learned how to develop our own film and photos (yes ages ago). Now that I have a family I understand the importance of being able to capture our memories and share them as time goes by.
I love photography because I love the fact that I can capture a moment in time to cherish for years to come. It’s also a creative outlet for me. I’m never w/o my camera.
I love photography because it is a beautiful way to capture memories of events, people and places. it reminds me to smile and remember all the great things I have done. Photography captures the beauty of the earth.
I love photography in order to capture memories of my precious 2 year old miracle,my son Ace. We were blessed by his presence after 6 Ivfs when I was 44! Precious memories, indeed!
I love photography because each and every time the shutter clicks, a memory is captured.
I LOVE being a photographer because I capture real emotion, and tender moments between people who love each other!
Why do I love photography? For a million great reasons. But if I have to choose the most profound reason of them all… I have to say that there are countless things that exist in our world, from people to animals to plants to mountains, etc, and each one of these is a gift. We often get so caught up in our day to day lives that we forget to stop and appreciate all of the greatness that makes up our surroundings. Photography allows me to focus in on the individual elements around me and showcase their own personal beauty. It is my way of saying to the universe “Hey, I see you and I see your perfection and I love and cherish every single bit of it”.
I like photography because I like sharing what I see and hopefully what I feel. And because I don’t want to forget.
I love photography because it has opened my eyes. I see things so differently now, even when I don’t have camera in hand. I can’t imagine how much I missed before I started really seeing.
I love photography because I love capturing the beauty that God created in this world, whether it be people or landscapes or anything else. There’s nothing like capturing that one special moment, that one special place, that one special person and having a photograph to remind you of it/them forever.
I remember my father had these amazing cameras when I was little. One was a SLR with these huge lenses. The other was this fancy yellow camera that could be taken underwater. He used to let me use this one. He took me to the local botanical gardens to teach me how to compose a photo. The first camera that was mine was a Konica Tomato. This bright red 35mm. I still have it. In college I took photography classes towards my art degree, and that was when I inherited my Grandpa’s Canon A-1 camera and all his lenses. I love that camera. I just recently got a macro lens for it. Someday I would love to have a digital SLR, because I do love my little digital camera, but there is something special about film. Knowing that once the shutter is snapped, there is no going back. I can’t just delete the frame and try again. I have to load more film, and see how they look when they develop. Shooting roll after roll of my best friend’s daughter’s 2nd birthday party, taking photos of my friend and his fiance for their engagement announcement, hiking thru the woods with my sweetheart capturing pieces of nature frozen in time; photography has always been a love of mine.
I love photography for its ability to make a moment endure. An image captured can take me back to a place in time and unlock all of the characters, from the sounds and scents, to the temperature, emotion and layers that once were. It is, to this sentimental soul, the greatest love letter to living that there is.
Photography, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
I love photography because it allows me to show people how I see them, all the beauty and light I see in their faces, their emotions, their passion – a side glance, a different angle, a new perspective. I love taking photos of people that they love.
I love photography because it helps me capture moments, vignettes, sights, that jog, warm, and inspire my memory later. I also love the photos that show change over time – children growing up, or seasons in the “same” place.
And I love photography because it is a way for this introvert to be present for an event without having to be as social and mingle-y, because I’m not so good at that.
Wow. What a great question: I didn’t realise some of that was there. Thank you!
Photography is a form of art, a creative outlet. I love being able to express myself. Everything looks different from behind a camera lens, and with this new perspective comes the power to control the composition and visual elements of the photograph.
I love photography because it allows me to capture my children as they are today, look at the details in the world around me, and be creative (just to name a few!).
I love photography because it helps me remember.
As I am getting older, I’m finding this more and more important.
This analytical, structured, anal mind of mine NEEDS photography because it is creative, productive, full of purpose and allows me to escape and dream of what one individual moment can look like when my own life is swarming with kids, housework and a business.
I love photography … because it remembers when we don’t.
I have just (in the last year) gotten into photography and I enjoying sharing what I see around me and it’s always there for me to remember.
I love photography because it captures life how I see it. Photography gives me memories that I can share.
I don’t even know where to begin… I love photography for so many reasons. I love having images of every day life to remember the big accomplishments, and the small; to remember the hard times and how I managed to get through; to remember the good times, of course; and to pass down all of those snapshots of my life and my family’s life to future generations–especially to my children. I just love it. For too many reasons to count.
I love photography! Even as a little girl I always had my little pink le’click camera on me! To me pictures are more then just a way to capture the moment. I look back at pictures and can remember the good times, bad times, thoughts, smells, tastes, everything. It brings me right back to that moment. What a great treasure for those who come after us to leave a part of us and our story through photographs. I love documenting every part of my kids lives and watching the joy on their faces as they revisit those days as we look back at photographs. I love showing them pictures of me growing up as a kid and seeing their reactions. Photography is more than just a hobby for me it is an essential part of our lives even if I’m just a mom taking pictures of her kids hoping that they’ll look at the camera and smile. And actually loving the pictures where they don’t even know I’m there and just getting them being themselves.
I love taking pictures!
i love photography because it helps me to “see” the world around me – really see little details that i don’t want to forget. i love photography because it helps me to escape from the everyday doldrums & find beauty in the little things. i love photography because its not what you look at, it what you see
I love photography because it’s like capturing a beautiful thing in a jar and taking it with you wherever you go, no matter where you are, you can see that beautiful thing again.
I love photography because it has quite literally changed the way I see the world, for the better. Also it helped to save my life, I believe it.
I love taking pictures to capture the every day moments that I would forget about if I didn’t have a picture to help me remember.
I love photography because it gives you the ability to remember a place, a person, or a moment the way you want to remember it, but while thinking its showing you exactly how it actually was.
I try to capture moments of my childrens’ lives. They grow and change so fast, and I love photographing them to try to save every stage, giggle, revelation, and moment of awe. By looking at them through the eye of the lens, I am reminded to treasure every moment, but also to see the awe and beauty myself.
I love photography because it gives me the opportunities to capture memories, little moments in time and I like to look back at photos I’ve taken to reflect on that day or the mood. I’ve always been the family photographer as a hobbyist. Last year I bought my first DSLR and it has opened up a whole knew world into my passion. Photography is one of the greatest forms of self expression.
I love photography because it completes me. I am nothing without a camera in my hand. It gives me confidence, it makes me brave, it let’s me love everything unconditionally and it let’s me be me without question.
I love being able to show the world how *I* see the world – how *I* want to remember the moment. I might forget the details in my mind, but all I need to do is look at the image and it is recreated.
I love photography because I love to be reminded of those little moments. Like what my baby’s foot looked like, you know, back when he was still a baby.
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