There's a dividing line in photography today.  The majority of professional photographers work with Photoshop, Lightroom or any of the other editing software programs after taking a picture with their camera.  The minority of professional photographers present their work "As Is", without overt digitized manipulation or creativity.

For me, it's in no way a contest between the two schools of thought.  I respect everyone who's actively looking at the world through a lens.  Seeing a unique moment and holding it still for further, future reflection is a beautiful way to experience (and share and embrace) life.  But I do believe in a more natural photograph -- one that hasn't been additionally processed.

I'm sure it's tied together with my love for natural places, as opposed to urban environments.  I find a deep beauty in natural scenes, with all the accompanying flaws, highlights and nuances, regardless the sometimes-technically-less-than-perfect outcome of the image.  It's, to me, more beautiful to see a raw honest moment than it is to see digitized perfection.

Somewhere inside me, probably not too far from the surface, at all, is a kid grinning ear-to-ear while running through a cornfield as a shortcut to the nearest fishing stream.  That's where my photography lives.