I believe that, graphically speaking, a good photograph comprises definite elements that can be identified and their contribution to the photograph can be summarized.  I also know that any technically excellent photograph will not have the same impact on all people.  Certain styles will appeal to some people, while others will have no desire for them at all.  I readily recognize that my style of photography is not for everyone.  Particularly, many other photographers dislike the contrasty and over-saturated look of many of my pictures.  Still, I shoot for myself, so I continue to do things the way I enjoy.

There are times, however, when someone else will see something in one of my photos they like that I either missed or don't have much affection for.  Conversely, when something that I think is great is generally not well received, I try to take a step back, look at the photo more objectively, and determine if my opinion of the photo is too much tied to my experiences rather than what the photograph actually communicates.

After a photo shoot, I always enjoy running the potential keepers by my wife, Cristy.  She's usually an objective judge (at least she has led me to believe she is) and helps me separate the wheat from the chaff.  Most frequently her function is to identify the chaff.  But, sometimes, she sees one she loves that I thought was just mediocre.

I went to Calais in the summer of 2007 primarily to take pictures of these wooden posts on the beach.  I generally like wide view type pictures where you have a clearly recognizable object that is presented as the main subject in a broader context.  But, the pattern of these old decrepit posts and the texture and pattern of the sand looked interesting, and I know that patterns themselves can sometimes be the subject of a picture.  I gave it a shot and when I got home and was able to process the pictures, I thought it was mildly pleasing, but not spectacular.  Cristy, though, loved it.  It was her favorite of the batch.  So, I spent a couple hours adjusting and tweaking until it was as good as I could get it.  Turned out to be a pretty good one - though I personally still prefer others from the same day.

I have complained a time or two about the difficulty I have had finding things to photograph near my home.  Cristy has complained a time or two about how I am ignoring the beauty of Flanders in my photographs.  One weekend I decided to force myself to go out and find some pictures.  I live in a somewhat rural area (as rural as it gets here) and so I just got on my bike and rode around looking for something interesting.  Nothing really jumped out at me, but I stopped to see if I could make something out of a country road with a few wild-flowers growing in it.

I actually liked a few of the pictures from that batch, but my favorite was a portrait orientation of the road with the sunset glowing above it.  Cristy insisted that the same picture but in landscape version was clearly better.  It took me a while to see the light, but I now agree with her.  I'll post them both here for you to make a judgment.  Send me an email if you disagree.

Sometimes Cristy wants me to take a picture of something for her.  She is always very apologetic about it, but I don't mind because I know she is just asking me to do her a favor rather than telling me how I should be practicing my hobby.  Sometimes, though, her requests end up as pretty good pictures.

One of her favorite places in Paris is the Alexander III Bridge over the Seine.  There is a good view of the Eiffel Tower  She has said several times that she wishes I would take some pictures of it.  When Justin and I were there in December of 2007, we were waiting for twilight to get some pictures of the Arc De Triomphe from the Champs Elysses.  We had a couple of hours to kill, so I suggested we walk over to Cristy's bridge.  The light was decent and I nabbed these pictures.  As chance would have it, I like them quite a bit better than any I got of the Arc. from there, and the place epitomizes her romantic view of the city.

One of the popular touristy things to do in Brugges (Brugge) is to take a boat ride on the canals.  There is a dog that often sits in the window and watches the boats go by.  One of the boat guides says that he keeps the dog on his payroll to pose for pictures for all the tourists.  On a cloudy day when the types of pictures I normally enjoy were not possible, Cristy saw the dog and asked me to take a picture of it.  I hurried to mount my (old crappy) telephoto lens and get in position before the dog could move.  I was able to fire just a couple off before the dog went back inside.  This was the best one.