image by Aline Smithson

I’m sitting here thinking about who to feature on Lenscratch today and more importantly, tomorrow, and I’m just feeling too tired to explore someone new at the moment. The joyful part of the holidays: children coming home, guests from out of town, the tree and the trimmings and the endless grocery and gift shopping, all converge into something less than joyful when combined and piled up, and it doesn’t help that my nephew has been crashing in my office confounding me with the possibility that a human being can sleep for 20 hours straight, in the daytime, no less. I’m not complaining here, just setting the scene. And by the way, I haven’t even had the chance to take my holiday card photo yet. So Happy Holidays to everyone.

On this eve, I want to say that I have a lot of hope for this world of photography that we engage in. I’ve seen so much fantastic work, and connected with so many wonderful photographers, that if nothing else, it all seems worth the effort. To continue to look at our world and make decisions about what we want to express seems like an important task, and actually, even a privilege. I sometimes worry that we are not expressing enough about the time we live in; I worry that this is a slightly rarefied community with not enough voices from a broader spectrum of viewpoints. But at the same time, I can’t speak enough about how generous this community is. I think about the editors who have given us wonderful exposure and opportunities, the galleries that have hung in during this economy, the directors and curators that provide platforms for exposure, and most importantly my fellow photographers that celebrate and support each other. It’s a family that I’m really proud to be a part of.

On that note, I hope your holidays are filled with love and laughter, family and friends, and I hope for all good things for you in the coming year. I’d also like to invite anyone who reads this blog, to send me their favorite 2009 photograph (taken by you), just one, with a title and location and I’ll post them on New Year’s Day….Ho, ho, ho!