Why don't you take a picture--it'll last longer!

So I love photographs, but lately I find myself being hypercritical/cynical of them. As I walk through museums, etc. and look at a vast array of them, they just scream CONTRIVED! POSED!! TRITE!! PRETENTIOUS! But mostly contrived. I get the Seattle Times online--just the local news, and then movies on the weekends, and came across this--a selection of photos taken by just normal locals in Seattle. I just thought I'd scan over it really quickly and lose interest after a couple of pictures. BUT WOW! The vast majority of these just seem so serendipitous--the photographer was just in the right place at the right time, and captured the beauty of an instant. I ended up taking my time looking through each of them, tickled at the descriptions of how gleeful these people were. They were so excited! And so was I to see their work. The images were so natural and genuine. Nothing was posed or arranged. Now that's what I CALL a composition.

And best of all, they're all pictures taken in Washington. CAN YOU SEE why I pang for it everyday?!