there are pieces of the beach on my desk. two rocks. some sea glass. drift wood. shell bits. it occurred to me just now as i stared towards them how past-focused we are as people. do you- as i do- cling desperately to both the sweet and the bitter of yesterday? of your childhood? photos are a little bit like that i think.
i look around my room. there are so many pleasant moments and feelings conjured by the visuals that i have surrounded myself with. memories of bustling, romantic, and peace filled moments in europe. friends' hands. lumber-laden trains.
what does this mean about looking at other people's photos? does it have to be a moment that you were part of in order for you to fully appreciate it? or is it enough to simply have been there? how many of us appreciate a good picture of the eiffel tower? perhaps we should create a new category of photography to incorporate these 'memory photographs' and set them aside from photography that is created as fine art or, as another category, commercial photography.
until it becomes oppressive i believe that this past-focus can be a good thing. my memories spur me on with hope for a better tomorrow. they fill me like a dried sponge with forgotten emotion. memories, i think, are extremely life-giving.
Very interesting questions Ty. I've often wondered about what it is that makes a photo belong to a certain 'category'. Lots of people's travel photos could easily pass as fine art if cropped and framed a certain way and hung in a gallery with the right caption. I guess photography's place depends on the photographer's intent and purpose. Why do we take pictures? To preserve a moment is probably the most ancient and common motive. But I think the more you get into photography and develop it as an art form, it becomes a tool, like a paint brush or carving knife, that lets you create an image that shows your perspective of something to the world. Or to your future self when you look back on it on your bedroom wall... ;)
ReplyDeleteBen:
ReplyDeletethis idea of intent is something that i have been spending a lot of time thinking about. i think that you have hit it right on. i know for a fact that two people can stand right beside each other and point their camera's at the same subject. somehow, however, one person can end up with a fine-art shot, and the other might have something more suitable for personal memories.
i guess this means that tied up in intent is capacity and creativity, as you seem to be suggesting.