I think I have a bit of a man-crush on Jay Maisel. Seems everything that comes from him is golden – I’m like a schoolgirl with a crush, hanging on his every word.

Stop thinking that, you perv. Totally out of professional respect (or, as the kids say, “no homo”).

He’s in the news these days for beating up a poor guy who accidentally borrowed one of his images (turn on you sarcasm detector, dude. Best summary: read TOP – I side with Ctein on this ‘un). But as this brouhaha builds up, he posts a beautiful retrospective of his daughter.

Something that caught my eye early on was a comment of his daughter’s from when she was 17:

These photos are not cropped, retouched, or altered. None are artificially lit or set up. At this point, I am more concerned with observation than with creation. This series is an attempt to show how the act of looking can totally redefine objects and moments in everyday life.

What a mature point of view!  This is a perspective that takes self confidence and wisdom.  Shoot, I’m not even close to that point yet, much less most photographers I’ve met.

Be sure to check out his images of his daughter as she grew up. This is exactly why I got into photography in the first place.