Vanity

“Vanity is by far my favorite of all sins, and the camera lens is the  ultimate vanity mirror. The camera captures all moods and nuances;  immortalizes the soft and silky continuum that is humanity. Those still  life moments seem so fluid, so representative of continuity. They are a  single moment captured, yet an eternity expressed. All your youth; all  your ages, captured and expressed in a single click.

Of all the  indulgences, vanity is certainly my favorite which we should otherwise  resist, but are inexplicably captivated by and addicted. What other  animal would spend so much time pouting and preening for its reflection?  Only humanity would participate in such self-adoration.

You  would think we have the most colorful feathers or softest of manes.  Rather, we are a naked biped that feels incomplete without some  decorative element, accessory, or embellishment of the self. We are  intoxicated by the image of the body, no different than we are seduced  by fine wines, foods, or mind altering elements. We devour the skin, and  peel away clothes as if they were the skin of some tropical fruit,  covering a colorful and juicy interior. We hunt for bodily pleasures,  and collect them as prizes; show them off in social situations as if our  companions were some sort of extended adornment to ourselves.

We  are revealed in our sensuality. To touch beneath the surface; to  connect beyond facades, that unattainable discourse between individuals  is put tentatively within reach in intimacy. To capture those moments is  to capture the essence of what makes us human, and what ultimately sets  us above and aside from the rest of nature.

Capturing humanity  in its most extravagant expressions is intoxicating. Vanity is by far my  favorite sin, and it is an endless tale as infinite as humanity. Every  person is but a stitch in a giant tapestry.”   
 ―       A.E. Samaan