“My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph.” ~Richard Avedon.

When we photograph people, we usually (though often unintentionally) photograph them the way we want to remember them, with the places and objects we associate with them. It's about us and controlling our memories. When we are casually taking photos, it's usually for our own purposes and not always for the people we are photographing.

For example, recently I took some pictures of my mom at the gardens where she works. She's smiling and doing something she loves. I wouldn't want a photo of my mom frowning or crying or in a place that looks completely uncomfortable... because looking at those photos would make me and anyone else who looked at them uncomfortable, and it would completely clash with what I remember about my mom. I'd much rather remember her best moments, and I think that's something we all can relate to.