Although photography is one of my only real hobbies, I personally feel that photography is not art. To me art is something that comes from the soul and is expressed in a physical form - it is something unseen which comes from the artist's mind. Photography is more like expressionism - one can only photograph what exists in real life but the perspective that the photographer gives it is his/her own. It's much like playing the piano well - the music is already written on the sheet, but it is up to the pianist to determine how it will sound to others. I had a lot of pride in my photos so I used to take offense when people would tell me that my photos looked like postcards. The vision in my head was that my photos would be sitting in a 10 for $1 pile in some grungy New York tourist trap gathering dust. I felt that my photos should have been exploring the limits of what is possible with photography; that they needed to have a deeper purpose or meaning. It was the myspace sensation Colbie Caillat that completely obliterated this conception of mine. She stated in regards to her music that "It's meant to make you feel good and everybody can relate to it." It's such a simple statement, but sometimes in the middle of dealing with cameras, lenses, filters, remote controls, etc. I have a tendency to forget why I got into photography in the first place. I started off taking photos so that I could share experiences, perspectives and memories with those close to me. Come to think of it, that's the same reason why people buy postcards.