“Everyone has a point of view. Some people call it style, but what we’re really talking about is the guts of a photograph. When you trust your point of view, that’s when you start taking pictures.”

Annie Liebovitz

I spent some time staring out the window trying to figure out why I really like this quote. I’ve already talked about wishing I would have brought my good camera. It’s #1 on the “I wish I would have” list. One of the purposes of the list was to help me reflect on the “why?” of things. Why would having a different camera have made a difference? What would it have changed? In an earlier post I talked about how my Canon really helps me to see more clearly and from different perspectives. It captures moments in time, the beauty of the ordinary, a fleeing feeling. Annie Liebovitz calls it the “guts of a photograph.” I realized that it was the combination of these two words that felt bold. It takes guts to trust your point of view.

I wondered about the idea of guts in relationship to a photograph. The guts are the entrails of someone or something. You have to dig deep to get to the guts, and I can imagine that it is a messy process. So the “guts of a phototgraph” would be its innards, the stuff that isn’t visible from the outside. Maybe that is why I felt awkward when Craig’s camera was pointed at me. Being exposed is uncomfortable. Yet, when I am behind the lens, it is exactly what I try to do: zero in on the core essence of the subject.

I went back through my photos to see if I could tell the difference between taking a picture vs. capturing its core. Yves Saint Laurent said,”I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it.” I wanted to see if the same can be said for a picture- more important than the camera is the photographer who is using it. If this is true, than it wouldn’t matter if I was using a an old Brownie, Grampa’s Minolta, my Canon, or my iPhone. I should be able to capture moments in time, the beauty of the ordinary, and a fleeing feeling with any of them. I’ve included some photos below. The catch is I’m not going to tell you whether I think it is lifeless or has style. But I will tell you what camera I used. Can you tell when I trusted my point of view? You’ll have to to with your gut reaction. It’s okay if you don’t pass the “quiz,” though, since beauty is personal and sits in the gut of the beholder!