Artists' collections

I purchased latest book by Lynne Perella about artists' personal collections and what they use them for when it comes to their artwork. After reading that book, I don't feel like such a "junk collector" anymore. I have to admit my biggest inspiration comes from photographs. Whether they are old or new, color or black and white, slides made from glass or prints on paper, every picture seems to tell a story. While an illustrator can manipulate a picture to evoke a certain feeling, for a long time photographs where either in the portrait catagory or the "snapshot". Either way, they capture the person even when posed. Sometimes in old daguerrotypes you can see a drape over a person who is holding the child in the photograph. Othertimes, the photo just shows a moment when the camera caught everyone holding still for a moment. The person sitting for the portrait is wearing their best dress or suit. The person in the snapshot was taken candidly when they were not looking or temporarily posed for a momento for a certain day. Even looking at photographs of myself as child tell me a story.