Why Do I Shoot What I Do?

The best answer to the above posed question is probably, "I don't know." I drive down the road looking all the time for things that invite me to take a picture. The reality must be that for everything that speaks to me there are hundreds of missed opportunities that, for whatever reason, didn't motivate me to get out of the car with the camera. One thing I clearly like is big skies. When I take pictures the camera is frequently tilted up as high as possible to include maximum "skyage." Why is that? I don't know, but there must be some reason. Maybe the sheer size of the sky is a type of sorts representing unlimited opportunities and possibilities. Perhaps the sky represents heaven and that God is in his heaven. By including terrestrial subjects with as much sky as possible the message could be that there is a connection between God and man, inseparable as earth and sky at the horizon. There may also be something about the fact that things fly in the sky; birds, airplanes, gliders. Flight is probably the ultimate symbol of freedom and freedom, in one way or another, is what all mankind is seeking. All those things are meaningful to me and anyone of them at any given moment could motivate me to include more sky in my pictures.
I like shapes and designs, viewing them from as many angles as possible and finding the one that best represents the majesty of any given object. I drove right under this bridge and didn't realize there was anything special about it until it was behind me. I've been "backing-up" a lot lately to return to what was just passed as a picture manifests in my mind of what could be. It's a good thing that life has come to a point where opportunities are not missed simply because they are passed. Sure, it's a pain to stop and back up (maybe even dangerous) but it's almost always worth it. It's been a good lesson for me. In previous times I was a bit like the dad in the movie "Beetoven" when the dog drooled on his pants and he complained, after his wife said, "just change your pants," that "I had a schedule and I'll never have that schedule again!" Going back would somehow interrupt some unknown schedule, which always could have been modified to include meaningful, beautiful, praiseworthy things. I'm starting to do that a little better now.

Once again I told Jeanne I'd be home at a certain time, but on the way, I passed this barn, the entire base of which was in the shadows but all the towers and spires were completely lit. It spoke to me. It seemed to speak to the fact that although we may be in the spotlight now, all that has gone before is what got us there and what holds us up. Ours is not to "bask" in the light but to use the light to build more foundation, strong foundation, for what will follow us. If our legacy is that we, through our achievements, can support someone else who wishes to be in the light, there is nothing better than that. So while the towers are the focus of the picture because of the light, the importance of the picture is foundation and sky. The light shines from the sky, the sky meets the roof, the roof holds up the towers and spires only because of the walls and ultimately the foundation of the barn. Sorry Jeanne, I was two minutes late, but you were very understanding. Thanks!