As a self-taugh photographer, I often look to online tutorials for lessons on the ins and outs of digital photography. But once you learn to use the camera, it comes down to sheer talent and vision. My friend Kyle often has friends tell him, "Your camera takes awesome photos!" To which he replies, "Yeah? Your guitar plays awesome music, too." He has a point. A camera can only do part of the work, while the beauty of photos is created by the person behind it.

Edouard Boubat was a self-taught photographer, but with every photo of his that I see, he teaches me more about photography than I ever could have imagined existed. The composition of a photo is important, and each of his is executed quite masterfully, but a photograph is more than its visual content. Wouldn't you agree that these images convey a deeper meaning of love, beauty, humor, and sentiment?

Boubat captured simple, every day moments and experiences, and elevated them to something that deeply moves a viewer. Mannequins in a window? They're dancing in their underwear, and one might even wonder if they might come alive when the store windows are darkened and the outside streets are empty. The lack of a human element almost gives these figures their own quality of life. What a fun way to view a mannequin!

"Because I know war? because I know the horror, I don?t want to add to it.?  After the war, we felt the need to celebrate life, and for me photography was the means to achieve this."

-Edouard Boubat

Looking through Boubat's photographs offers an experience of escapism. Had a rough day? Weighed down by current events? Sometimes photography can bring you closer to the feeling of impending doom, but Boubat's photos remind us of the beautiful things in life that are always there if you look for them.

photos via Everyday I Show (warning: nudity) | information via Duncan Miller Gallery

War is an ugly, awful thing. I just don't understand how our soldiers can do it, but I'm certainly glad they did. I particularly admire the female and male military members of the second great war. And am proud to call my grandfather a hero of that war.

Today Phil and I will be spending time with our families, playing volleyball, swimming in the pool, and eating lots of food. But we will remember. And I'm already bracing myself for the emotions that this day brings.

Image: Historiful

My mind wandered back in time when I first saw these Kodachrome photographs taken by Charles Cushman in the 1940s. Oh what I wouldn't give for one summer in the mid twentieth century, with adorable swimsuits for my costume, pretty knit blankets for lounging on the rocky Chicago lakeshore, hope in knowing that the war is over and that Fall is still off in the distance somewhere. Indiana University's archives host an impressive collection of Cushman's amateur work spanning a few decades in the twentieth century. Here are some of my favorites.

In addition to the carefree style of the ladies in this series, I was particularly smitten with the era's film of choice: Kodachrome. Too bad they don't produce Kodachrome film any more, because these gorgeous colors are enough to cause me to venture into the territory of film photography. In the meantime, I would really love to experiment with digital photography and see what kind of Kodachrome looks I can conjure up with some Photoshop magic.