Who Do You Let Define Perfection for You?

Dawn in Avon, 2021

Years ago, I created an image that I loved. It was a sunrise similar to this, a big ball of blown highlight surrounded by sherbert colored sky. I was proud of the image, I thought it perfectly captured how the morning felt. I shared the photo and was promptly scolded for it's technical inaccuracies.

Photography has never been about technique for me. It's about moments in time, time that passes too quickly and is easily forgotten. It's about feelings and memories on a file or film or piece of paper to remind me.

A few weeks ago, conditions presented similarly to that morning in 2015. The waves were beautiful, the sky was colorful, and the sunlight filled my soul with warmth. I didn't hear the voices in my head critiquing my technical ability, I only heard my heart. I selected my exposure, waited for the wave to break, and recorded how I felt in that moment.

So often we create images that we hope are perfect. But who do we let define perfection?

Dawn in Avon, 2015