I Keep Coming Back To This Quote Because I Feel Guilty (Sometimes)

This quote keeps circling back to me when relaxing and watching a movie or reading the news or even perusing YouTube because it's very true (although, I try to not let it keep me from doing the work - this is equally important):

“You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” 

- Ansel Adams

Pentax with Cinestill. 2019. 

And while I have taken photos of pretty flowers... 

Oftentimes I feel terrible because I'm not going around everyday taking pretty pictures. You know, nicely framed and could easily be hung in one's living room; unobtrusive and blends easily right into the environment. And, I guess that's what I would capture if that was what my eyes saw everyday; if that's what I experienced each day...

...but, I'm not reading about fields of flowers and purring kittens. 

I'm American. 

This is a scary place to live, particularly if you don't have good medical care and/or have an aversion to guns and I happen to have both; that's just two of the issues here. I type this knowing full well there are worse places to live in this world, but this country (U.S.) could do so much better and it's choosing not to improve and it's feeding my lens. 

... this year feels like a Netflix version of 2016 all over again, but with terrible screenplay writers. Yet, I'll keep photographing because that's what I know. 

If I see gorgeous flowers - I'll photograph them. 

If I see the aftermath of injustices - I'll photograph that, too. 

Olympus AF-10 Super with Kodak TriX. 2022.