A photograph can touch us as no words ever can. That instant captured forever, that fleeting "decisive moment" snatched from the rushing onslaught of an ever-changing society can reach into our very soul.

Ever since photography emerged as a prominent art form and a powerful communications tool, it has been helping to define the way we think about the world around us. It has shaped how we think about ourselves. We believe that photography can and should continue to do this.

"Why is it that from the time we are little, listening to stories told by parents at bedtime, to the time we are grown, recounting stories of our own, the art of storytelling carries a wave of continuity and meaning that we instinctively return to?"

- The Power of Story by Jan Stoltman in Journale

Despite the great advances in technology, there is little being done today in photography that was not first done by the great photographers of yesteryear - the giants who really who really moved this medium into social relevance. Taking great photographs involves far more than purchasing the latest automatic do-everything digital camera. It takes foresight and perception on the part of the photographer. It takes patience. It takes precision, paying attention to the smallest detail where possible. It usually takes dedication and involvement or knowledge of the subject matter. And more than anything, we believe, the photographer has to care about what he or she is shooting.

The technical aspects of photography are easily learned. But to pursue the art of photography requires an uncommon passion for making a difference, whether that difference is editorial, artistic or commercial.