I love photography, but I am still a complete amateur at understanding it as an art form. I took a bunch of pictures at my great uncle's very old farm in Minnesota that seem similar to Christenberry's work. (the texture of the wood in the half-fallen down buildings was gorgeous). Can someone explain what makes these images so special? I also went to DC and took pictures of the non-tourist areas (particularly on my daily walk to Howard U), with the same idea of capturing the real place rather than the romanticized version. But I was entirely unsatisfied with the images. Perhaps it is in part what Evans said--Christenberry's lens is an extension of his eye.