"When I'm ready to make a photograph, I think I quite obviously see in my mind's eye something that is not literally there in the true meaning of the word. I'm interested in something which is built up from within, rather than just extracted from without."
~Ansel Adams~
This quote from Ansel Adams reflects quite well my personal experience of photography — it is something I "live," not simply something I "do." When I am most pleased with my images, it is because they reflect the sense of wonder and appreciation I experienced in the moment.
Photography is about subject matter. But often it is equally about context -- the physical, emotional and/or spiritual environment in which the subject exists. For that reason, what I hear, feel, smell, or taste, and my personal interpretation of that informatin is as important to the final product as what I'm seeing through the viewfinder.
For me, the true challenge has always been to communicate this kind of multi-sensory, emotional, intellectual experience in a two dimensional medium. Fortunately, computer and software tools have made this possible.