HI, I’M ELIZABETH doiron QUON, the LADY behind the lens. E.D. QUON PHOTOGRAPHY GREW OUT OF A LONGTIME LOVE OF NOTICING THINGS: PEOPLE, PLACES, LIGHT, AND THE SMALL MOMENTS THAT STAY WITH US.

WHAT I PHOTOGRAPH OFTEN STARTS WITH SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME STOP AND LOOK A LITTLE LONGER. A GLANCE BETWEEN SIBLINGS. THE DAPPLED LIGHT THROUGH LEAVES ON A LATE AFTERNOON. THE MOMENT BEFORE SOMEONE REALLY LAUGHS—NOT JUST FOR THE CAMERA.

THERE'S A LOT WORTH NOTICING, SO I'VE NEVER LANDED ON JUST ONE THING TO SHOOT. WHAT I HAVE IS A WAY OF PAYING ATTENTION, AND I BRING IT WHEREVER I GO: A HEADSHOT, A FAMILY ON AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON, A QUIET STREET IN A BUSY CITY.

IT STARTED IN 2007, WHEN A GENTLY USED NIKON FOUND ITS WAY INTO MY HANDS, BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL WE MOVED TO TOKYO A COUPLE OF YEARS LATER THAT I REALLY STARTED SEEING DIFFERENTLY. I FOUND MYSELF PAYING ATTENTION TO THE RHYTHMS OF DAY-TO-DAY LIFE—THE RITUALS UNFOLDING AT SHRINES AND TEMPLES, IZAKAYA SIGNS GLOWING IN THE EVENING, THE SUBTLE CHANGES THAT CAME WITH EACH SEASON. I WAS SLOWING DOWN ENOUGH TO NOTICE WHAT WAS HAPPENING, NOT JUST WHAT I'D COME TO PHOTOGRAPH. THAT HABIT HAS STAYED WITH ME EVER SINCE.

BEFORE PHOTOGRAPHY, I SPENT YEARS AS A VOCAL PERFORMER, TRAINED IN OPERA AND MUSICAL THEATRE, AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF WHY I'M DRAWN TO THOSE IN-BETWEEN MOMENTS—THE ONES WHERE SOMETHING REAL IS STILL HAPPENING BEFORE EVERYTHING SETTLES INTO PLACE.

AS A MOTHER, I'M DEEPLY AWARE OF HOW QUICKLY ORDINARY MOMENTS BECOME THE ONES WE WANT BACK. MAYBE THAT'S WHY I'M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WHAT'S HAPPENING JUST OUTSIDE THE OBVIOUS—THE EXPRESSION BETWEEN POSES, THE LAUGH THAT COMES AFTERWARD, THE LITTLE THINGS WE DON'T YET KNOW WE'RE GOING TO WANT TO REMEMBER.

AND WHEN THERE ARE PEOPLE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MY CAMERA, PAYING ATTENTION MEANS SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT. I KNOW BEING PHOTOGRAPHED DOESN'T COME NATURALLY TO EVERYONE. YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HANDS OR HOW TO FIND YOUR BEST ANGLE BEFORE YOU ARRIVE—THAT'S MY JOB. I WANT YOU TO FEEL COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO SETTLE IN, FORGET ABOUT THE CAMERA A LITTLE, AND LET ME FIND THE MOMENTS THAT ACTUALLY FEEL LIKE YOU.

SO IF YOU'RE TRUSTING ME WITH YOUR FAMILY, YOUR HEADSHOT, OR WHATEVER BROUGHT YOU HERE, I WANT YOU TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT THAT. I'LL SHOW UP PREPARED, PAY ATTENTION TO YOU AND TO THE DETAILS, AND CREATE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT FEEL LIKE YOURS—NOT LIKE ANYONE ELSE'S.

NEW ORLEANS IS WHERE I'M FROM, CHARLOTTE IS HOME, AND TOKYO STILL FEELS LIKE A SECOND ONE. I THINK ALL THREE HAVE TAUGHT ME SOMETHING ABOUT HOW TO LOOK AT PEOPLE AND PLACES—and how much there is to see when we take the time to notice.