in the making

© kjm

Marilu and I attended a party a few nights ago, in a lovely old St. Louis home. There was wonderful food, lots of new (to us) interesting people, and a performance of live music. Three musicians, two of whom play with the Chicago Symphony, performed a Mozart piece to a crowd of about 50 - it was quite a treat.

While we listened and watched the musicians, it made me think about artistic creation - the act of making. The music we heard wasn't being recorded, but was joyfully being made for those of us gathered that night. As photographers, what we make will ultimately be consumed/viewed on a piece of paper or as a digital image on a screen. But what about the joy in the process? I make hundreds of pictures each week, but is there a joy in creation each time I push the button? Obviously not, but there are still frequent moments when I know all the elements are coming together, and I'm about to make a really nice picture. My heart beats a little faster.

That feeling used to happen more often - perhaps more often than not, in my earliest days of taking pictures, when I knew less about the craft. Here's to still understanding the end product of what we create, but to not overlook the pleasure of actually pushing the button.