Our community posts have always been my favorite. I love to see the images of the other women in this community. Their work inspires me again and again. Getting inspiration from the people we love is something I think we all do, whether it be in photography, what to read, or how to love this world better.

This month, the Viewfinder community is sharing the images of our loved ones. We have asked someone we love to share one of their favorite images and to tell us why they love it so much.

My daughter Hannah takes beautifully composed photographs and heartfelt portraits of her favorite people and her beloved dogs. Of this portrait she says: This is one of my favorite photographs that I’ve taken. My boyfriend (left) and I visited his best friend (right) for a weekend in January. He invited us over for coffee, and we brought bagels. I feel like this photo captures their simple and unconditional friendship. And that light! — lucy

My husband, Andy Kennelly, is a photographer that inspires me in life and in photography. From Andy- I love going to new places and exploring with my wife and camera. I also like going to locations that I’ve been to many times before. I usually go to these places by myself. I might have a few hours after work or some time between meetings that I can have some me time. My wife calls this time “practicing my practice.” I head to places around my city that I know well. I put my earbuds in, listen to some good tunes and look for moments that are special or unusual. It can be seasonal colors or a special moment. It might be a change in the weather or some amazing light. The moment  in this photo happened under the Santa Monica pier. I first noticed the rays of light catching the spray from the waves. Then I saw the guy playing in the waves under the pier. My toughest decision after clicking the photo was deciding if I would process the photo in color or black and white. ~Staci Lee

My husband Tom Standage, studied photojournalism back in the day. I continue to be inspired by the way he sees the world. Always. He says of this image,
“I took this picture with my iPhone while on a business trip to New York. I love taking pictures looking up or down Manhattan’s avenues, and on this occasion I saw a woman in a striped dress heading towards me, so I snapped a pic when she stepped onto the zebra crossing. I love how smartphones mean you always have a camera with you. And a darkroom, for that matter!”

Kirstin

My brother, Ike, is a professional photographer. I’m always so inspired by his passion, discipline, and the emotion that he captures in his work. Seeing his work never gets old, even when I’m very familiar with the subject matter. Of the image above, Ike says, “the beauty of this picture is in what it represents to me and to the people closest to me. from age 3 to 16 these are the stairs i grew up on, and all of the countless memories associated with those times. to anyone else, its just a picture of some stairs.” ~Chinwe

My daughter, just turned 14, is one of my favorite people to be around. She’s fun and creative and has a crazy good imagination. Whether it’s pen or paintbrush or camera in her hand, I love the way she sees and thinks. Of her photograph above, she says:
This photograph reminds me of our awesome vacation in Europe last year. It was a really nice night on Lake Como in Italy and we were sitting outside on the terrace.  I took a picture of the lantern because I have always really liked lanterns; they just make everything seem magical.  When I look at this picture, I also remember this was the day I did my first successful front walkover! 
~Michelle

“Ma, I am heading down to the dock to do a long exposure, bring your camera and I will walk you through it.” I was tired, it was the last night of our week at the lake and I had a seven-week old puppy that had kept me up most nights, so I passed. I wish I hadn’t. My youngest son Jordan takes beautiful photos, when he takes the time to shoot. He experiments, pushing his camera to limits I don’t risk. Resting his camera on one of the log pilings that holds the dock together, he captured the star filled sky looking out from our bay into the beautiful water of Priest Lake, Idaho. This is what he says about this image:I took this long exposure photo last summer on the dock of the lake cabin my family has vacationed at since I was a little boy. I hadn’t been to “the lake” (Priest Lake, in Northern Idaho), for a few summers, because of work and getting married. Last summer was especially great because my wife, Katie, was there. Our family grows and changes, but the cabin and the lake remain just as they were when I was a kid. This shot is straight out of camera and I like how it turned out. 
Cathy

I asked both my sisters to share images they loved – that way I thought at least one of them would reply! But they both did. And I couldn’t leave one out because they’re both so lovely.. ~Tahnee

(Top, beach) Every time this kid is near water he beams with excitement. It’s in his bones. His love of water, the ocean, sea life gets stronger each time. He is like a dog who has just been washed when he is at the beach. A switch ignites and he runs in circles, after birds, into waves, whatever it may be he runs and with this he smiles so BIG. It’s infectious and in turn I find myself smiling and laughing at how crazy he is. I love how comfortable he is around water. He is my little fish and I’m so grateful he shares his excitement and happiness of water with me.

(Bottom, dinosaur shadow) I never carry my phone at the school drop off. This morning though, I ran back to the car and grabbed it while he waited for me on the footpath. Reunited, he turned around, strode off and I snapped this. I love how his front foot isn’t touching the ground and the contrasting shadow of his silhouette. He’s dressed as a dinosaur and has a literal spring in his step. To me, it just sums up childhood. Carefree.