A "good" photograph is like a "good" poem; it satisfies the eye, nourishes the heart, and provokes thought. Behind every photo, there is a story the meaning of which is left to the "reader's" perception. Like a poem, too, a "good" photograph can be multilayered. Many photographs carry more than one level of meaning. Not only do photographs tell something about their subjects, but they also tell something about the photographer who made them as well. In either case, "good" photography, like our childhood's fairy tales, ignites the imagination.

A "good" photographer is an artist, and an artist cannot be a pirate. Many photographers are brilliant technically, but when they decontextualize the photos they take, they rank themselves with pirates, not with artists. The camera in the hand of a pirate becomes a dangerous weapon used for destruction, not construction, used to burn, not build, bridges. Although it is their choice to do so, it is equally the legitimate option of the artist/viewer to question such photos. ('Artist' in this context refers to anyone with honest appreciation for the "truth," regardless of the size of that "truth.")

A good artist does not carry any ('worldly' or 'divine') dogmas because dogmas blind the eye and dull the heart; dogmas (whether dogmatists know it or not) sully their adherents and disrespect the human spirit.

Is such a statement idealistic? Maybe! But it is worth every moment to push it forward because it is an idea that contributes to making us better human beings; it helps us question ourselves before questioning "others"-- regardless of who the "others" are. By questioning ourselves, we are able to unveil the weaknesses we carry, modify them, fix them, transform them into strengths, promote them, and then move forward to embrace new beginnings and new relationships.

Helmut Gernsheim once eloquently said: "Photography is the only 'language' understood in all parts of the world, and bridging all nations and cultures; it links the family of man. Independent of political influence—where people are free—it reflects truthfully life and events, allows us to share in the hopes and despairs of others, and illuminated political and social conditions. We become the eyewitnesses of the humanity and [sadly] inhumanity of mankind…."

Like thousands of image lovers, making photographs is a hobby that I've favoured since my teen years. I've learned it first from my brother, then through my own failures and successes, and eventually through studying and analyzing the photos made by others. Those continue to teach me; every time I explore an image their lenses captured, I learn something new. To those 'teachers' I can only say: Thank You. [If you're reading this page, you're probably one of those 'teachers;" thank you for visiting it.]