A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words.

-Ansel Adams

I am an amateur photographer looking for the true photograph. I've never had any formal training and most of what I know is self-taught or made up. I shoot whatever strikes my fancy - nothing is exempt.

Earlier shots in my photo stream were taken with a Sony P93. It served me well until I stretched its limitations a bit too far and it broke (a nice way of saying I dropped it and the zoom got stuck permanently out). I am now the owner of a Nikon D70s.

I hate it when people tell me what a nice camera I have. I hate knowing that people perceive the camera doing all the work, and I just pressing the button. I don't believe that's true. Many shots could be taken with any number of cameras. If it happens that it's mine, and mine is perceived as fantastic (which it is, but that's beside the point), so what? If I took the same picture with a disposable camera, what then? Sometimes I take it as a backhanded compliment, even if the intent is well-meaning. But it drives me to do better - it drives me toward the true photograph, that will stand on its own and wow people for itself, rather than for the mechanics behind it.

Photography is a little bit magic.

Allison is a Creative Images 2007 finalist, a Boston Arts Festival 2007 participant, and was featured on Projekt30 in the January 2008 Exhibition.