Even if you aren't walking around with a microscope or multispectral camera in your back pocket, and all you happen to have with you is your bloody phone, sometimes the world presents you with something completely unexpected. You can chose to record the experience or take a pass and move on to the next thing. Anyway, I saw these weird and wonderful reflections one afternoon and decided to make a few photographs. No way was I going to walk past something so out of the ordinary. It was weeks later that I looked at the images again and made a connection to Cy Twombly. What I wonder is, was that subconscious awareness floating around in my brain as I decided to press the shutter? Or, did I make the connection later and create a post capture narrative that fit nicely? Or maybe both played a role.
Showing posts with label why we photograph. Show all posts
Showing posts with label why we photograph. Show all posts
Saturday, October 2, 2021
Monday, September 13, 2021
The secret reasons we trip the shutter
Although he is one of my favorite visual artists, I did not have the work of Lewis Baltz in mind when I made this photograph. It was instead all about a childhood memory of me throwing fastballs against a similar shed. Even then, I knew in my heart of hearts that with my total lack of control, I had no chance whatsoever of becoming a pitcher. Instead, I took my solace in the sound of the baseball smacking into the door. And the lovely pockmarks left behind after each impact. It was fun to find evidence of a kindred spirit!
On this day, I was shooting with the first version of the Pentax 50mm f/1.4 lens on a digital camera. This old lens is simply marvelous -- on film or on digital. Possibly the best hundred dollars I ever spent.
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