I live in a small town in Northeastern New York State. I am learning photography in my old age, and started posting my photos on February 26, 2022. I joined Flickr back in 2007, way before I had any photographic ambitions.

After doing photography for a while, I have come to think of photos in three categories: artistic, referential and high proficiency. An artistic photo intends to make a statement or tell a story which is greater than the sum of its parts; it is not merely a picture of those things or that scene, and it may not even be a representation of a thing. A referential photo is a representation of a person, thing or scene; it is a functional reference. A high proficiency photo goes beyond mere representation and attempts to capture the greatest detail, the highest speed, the best color or the most fleeting moment possible. (Of course there is plenty of overlap between the categories). The easiest, I think, is the referential photo. Artistic is next because it can be done without reference to clarity or proficiency -- but you need an idea or a concept. Highly proficient photos, like macro, high speed or time lapse (e.g. astro-photography) require skill and equipment. I have been trying all three of these photo categories. Turns out, the artistic ones win.

Here's my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@neddanison9202/videos